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Sheldon

Sheldon

Rataholic
Joined
Nov 1, 2013
Messages
2,100
Location
North Texas
Being completely serious here.

My first major rat has a major affectation towards holding in her poop and I don't get it. Her poop is totally normal and she does not struggle to go. However, I can always feel 3-5 poos in there and have massaged them out before just to clarify that we didn't have constipation issues.

What's up with this?
:confused:

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It's funny you're posting this... I noticed the same in my sweet happy Esprit a couple of months ago.

I am not saying this is the issue with your girl, but it looks like my Esprit now has a tumor growing in the crouch area, unless this is just a big poo that is really stuck, which I highly doubt. I'll know more on Tuesday, after the vet visit...
 
I had a girl with this issue and sadly she ended up having a tumor "back there"

the odd thing was, as it grew, she was eventually able to poop easier than when it was smaller.

I hope your girl doesn't end up having a tumor. :(
 
Petunia said:
I had a girl with this issue and sadly she ended up having a tumor "back there"

the odd thing was, as it grew, she was eventually able to poop easier than when it was smaller.

I hope your girl doesn't end up having a tumor. :(
Click to expand...

Did you have the tumour removed? What was the prognosis?
 
oh gosh Unepuce, I hope Esprit doesn't have a tumor either

well, for my girl, at first the vet called the tumor a "hernia" :/
I was pretty sure it was a tumor so I don't know what made the vet think otherwise.


When it continued to grow to the point where it was obviously a tumor, I asked about having it removed but the vet didn't think she could do it safely- it was so close to all the "plumbing" down there.

She also got very round (my rat not the vet) and the vet thought there were probably other tumors internally, eventually she lost wt and looked very uncomfortable, and the tumor was turning colors and getting sore so I had to have her PTS

she did live a very long time without it bothering her, though. It bothered *me* to look at it, it seemed like something that should hurt or be super uncomfortable but she was the happiest, busiest, silliest little girl til the very end.

so far I haven't had a rat live past 2, and most of my rats have been girls. That's why I've got boys now, although I miss how silly and active girls can be.

I hope your girl lives a long time too. It was only in the beginning that mine had trouble pooping and it was easy enough to massage the poops out. she needed a bit of KY jelly inserted at first to help because the poop had dried and was a bit stuck, but I would soak her bottom in a bowl of warm water, which she seemed to like
and that helped things along.
 
Petunia said:
It was only in the beginning that mine had trouble pooping and it was easy enough to massage the poops out. she needed a bit of KY jelly inserted at first to help because the poop had dried and was a bit stuck, but I would soak her bottom in a bowl of warm water, which she seemed to like
and that helped things along.
Click to expand...


:eek:mg:The things we do for our rats - and I thought penis plugs were bad!!
I wish all your babies the best and hope they get better!
 
Well I have had her since she was about 10 weeks old and it has been this way the whole time. Could a tumor turn up that soon and not change size? I thought maybe it just looked fuller down there because she is a hairless but I recently got another hairless and she doesn't have the same problem.

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Sheldon, can you post pictures of your rat? Impaction can be a symptom of megacolon and she's the right age to start showing signs of late onset.
 
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^Sheldon


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^Bernadette for comparison


Can they show symptoms at 6 month out?
 
I should have been more specific, I wanted a picture to see her markings. I wouldn't be able to tell if she were high white anyway if she's a nakie. It could very well be Megacolon, take a look at the posts in the reference section.

Is the rat in question named Sheldon? Are they the same size as their siblings? Have they ever had inconsistent bowel movements (oddly shaped poops, diarrhea, etc.)?
 
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Here are some confirmation shots. I have read about high whites but still feel no confidence in identifying it. Sheldon is the name, yes, but she is female. She is a healthy size for her age (last check nearly 300grams) and is not genetically related to any of the others. I have never seen abnormal bowel movements with the exception of the first 2 days of Amoxicilin, which gave her diarrhea.
 
She's so adorable, I just love nekkid ratlets. <3

Is there any way she could be getting too much fiber? I hope it's nothing serious, she doesn't look high white to me, but I'm no expert.
 
Her markings look like a regular bareback. I would not suspect megacolon. How about giving her more fruit? If her poop is dried out and hard, then perhaps she is a bit dehydrated. If you have water bottles, how about introducing a water dish to encourage her to drink more too.
 
Thank for the ideas. Her stool has never looked poor but I guess it could still be constipation. She already drinks a TON of water but I can try the fruit thing. Does apple juice work the same in rats as it does in humans? That could get everything going. I tried prunes but I only have one rat that will touch them.

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Sheldon said:
Thank for the ideas. Her stool has never looked poor but I guess it could still be constipation. She already drinks a TON of water but I can try the fruit thing. Does apple juice work the same in rats as it does in humans? That could get everything going. I tried prunes but I only have one rat that will touch them.

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Click to expand...

If its the same rule as human babies - use P fruits P for poop! pears, prune although apple always seems to work with babies doesn't it?
 
Yeah it does, lol. You try drinking 16 oz of it and see if yours don't move! I gave them some pears this morning.

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