My beloved 1 year old rat is losing weight quickly.... She refuses to eat anything other then black oil sunflower seeds! We've tried eggs, crackers yogurt drops yogurt cheese, meat, everything! She's so skinny and her hair is all puffed up and she's weak.... She's opening and closing her mouth like she is chewing and I listened to her respitory system with my stethescope and she's clear..... How can I get weight on her FAST!!!! I'm so scared! Please oh wait she's eating a cheese it
Help! Rat loosing weight fast
- Thread starter Laney3535
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tokiandskwis
Active Member
Have you taken her to the vet?
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
It sounds like she has a serious respiratory infection .... she may be opening her mouth like that because she is gasping to breath
If so, she needs to go to a vet experienced & knowledgeable in treating rats asap
You can give her a tiny piece of dark chocolate to try to keep her airway open
You can take her into a steamy bathroom to see if it helps ... But if she struggles or seems to get any worse have more difficulty breathing etc Get her out of there Immediately as she has fluid in her lungs and the steam will make it impossible for her to breath.
She likely needs to be put on antibiotics immediately. Likely baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) orally, twice a day for at least 6 weeks.
The azithromycin comes from a drug store by prescription from the vet.
(It takes a few days for antibiotics to start to make a difference so she needs to start asap)
She will also need Lasix if she has fluid in her lungs.
Otherwise she may need to be humanely put to sleep by a vet who knows how to do it properly (most don't)
see http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7652
She is likely losing weight because she can not eat and try to breath at the same time.
You can a post a video of her breathing ..........
But from what you have written it sounds like she is in respiratory distress
and needs help asap
If she has lost that much weight then she has been ill for awhile and will probably not survive much longer
She may also be dehydrated
and there are things you can give like organic soy infant formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal, her blocks made into mush, peas ...
But it sounds like she needs a vet and meds immediately
If so, she needs to go to a vet experienced & knowledgeable in treating rats asap
You can give her a tiny piece of dark chocolate to try to keep her airway open
You can take her into a steamy bathroom to see if it helps ... But if she struggles or seems to get any worse have more difficulty breathing etc Get her out of there Immediately as she has fluid in her lungs and the steam will make it impossible for her to breath.
She likely needs to be put on antibiotics immediately. Likely baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) orally, twice a day for at least 6 weeks.
The azithromycin comes from a drug store by prescription from the vet.
(It takes a few days for antibiotics to start to make a difference so she needs to start asap)
She will also need Lasix if she has fluid in her lungs.
Otherwise she may need to be humanely put to sleep by a vet who knows how to do it properly (most don't)
see http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7652
She is likely losing weight because she can not eat and try to breath at the same time.
You can a post a video of her breathing ..........
But from what you have written it sounds like she is in respiratory distress
and needs help asap
If she has lost that much weight then she has been ill for awhile and will probably not survive much longer
She may also be dehydrated
and there are things you can give like organic soy infant formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal, her blocks made into mush, peas ...
But it sounds like she needs a vet and meds immediately
Last edited:
Oh God ok so she's eating now she's eating little bits of everything I put out. Her lungs are clear idk what's wrong she's not sneezing not clicking not squeaking air ways are clear... I think she stopped eating during the week I didn't eat a chance to take her out to play I think she math use hav been losing weight for only eating sun flower seeds.... She's not lethargic just hunched wobbly and she will open and close her mouth like she's chewin when she's around food but when she walking and running around she doesn't do that I look her away from the food for about 3 minutes and she stopped opening and closing her mouth but she is moving her jaw but not opening her mouth I think she's just malnourished
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
OK ..... then offer organic soy human infant formula (grocery store or pharmacy) thickened with a bit of organic baby cereal (closed thing to a mama rats milk so very nutritious),
add cool water to some of her blocks to make into mush, give her some thawed peas ... these things are healthy food, easy to eat and contain fluid
You might also try to get her to take some hydration fluid like pedilite from the drug store - rats seem to like grape flavor best
But a vet visit is in order asap if she isn't better soon and she should have a vet visit anyway to find out if there is something wrong - rats don't just stop eating and become ill like you describe for no reason.
Hunched wobbly and she will open and close her mouth - sounds like she is very ill, weak, possibly dehydrated .... and having difficulty breathing.
When she is running around does she look like she is in distress or panicking - rats may panic and race around when having difficulty breathing. They may also try to get up high to try to breath easier, prop up their heads or hang their heads down in order to try to breath
Also is she alone or living with friends. It is important for rats to live with at least one other same sex rat
Edit: Glad it is a false alarm .... but if she has lost that much weight and is weak and wobbly etc then you will need to find out what is wrong.
Vet visit with a good rat vet is in order.
How are her teeth?
add cool water to some of her blocks to make into mush, give her some thawed peas ... these things are healthy food, easy to eat and contain fluid
You might also try to get her to take some hydration fluid like pedilite from the drug store - rats seem to like grape flavor best
But a vet visit is in order asap if she isn't better soon and she should have a vet visit anyway to find out if there is something wrong - rats don't just stop eating and become ill like you describe for no reason.
Hunched wobbly and she will open and close her mouth - sounds like she is very ill, weak, possibly dehydrated .... and having difficulty breathing.
When she is running around does she look like she is in distress or panicking - rats may panic and race around when having difficulty breathing. They may also try to get up high to try to breath easier, prop up their heads or hang their heads down in order to try to breath
Also is she alone or living with friends. It is important for rats to live with at least one other same sex rat
Edit: Glad it is a false alarm .... but if she has lost that much weight and is weak and wobbly etc then you will need to find out what is wrong.
Vet visit with a good rat vet is in order.
How are her teeth?
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jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Your rat should be on a good quality rat block and I agree with the others, she really needs to see a vet because of the weight loss and whatever she did to make you very worried.
Well I think what happened was I wasn't feeding them the right food the past few weeks I had asked my mom to get me rat food when she was in town and she told me yes and got hampster/gerbil food with all of those nuts in it so I fed it too them and then I hadn't had time to let them out to play the last week andd a half because I was very very sick. Once she got the proteins I had been trying to gie her she started perking up and she hasn't opened and closed her mouth like that at all, her back is completely straight again and I just went back and checked on her and she was running all oer the place and climbing on things and I put her back and she ckimbed up into her hammock with her cage mate [Who was haing the same issues just not as bad] who is also by the way much better. If I don't see any more improement oernight I can try to get her into the vet 
thank you all for helping me.
thank you all for helping me.
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I would encourage you to take her to the vet as well for an examination. It sounds like she was really sick there, so you should try and find out what was going on with her.
