My male rat Chaz (2 years old) is super lethargic and weak, and I’m not sure if he’s just recovering from anemia or if something else is going on.
His brother Prince (same age) died suddenly Sun night/ Mon morning and I noticed lots of tiny bugs on his body. (I brought him to the vet a few months prior for scabs on his back but the vet said it was probably cuts from his cage mates since he wasn’t super itchy, was behaving normally, and my little clueless albino girl was often antagonizing the boys- the other 2 girls in the cage had no visible cuts.) Still not entirely sure of Prince’s cause of death- his previous foster said he also had another brother who “suddenly passed away” at around 1.5yrs old. Prince was not behaving unusually before his passing- was completely shocked when I found his body in the morning.
There does seem to be a cold passed around the cage. My little albino girl (a little under 2yo) has a very weak immune system and is on a baytril doxy mix as advised by the vet. About a day or 2 before Prince passed she started raspy breathing again and one sister had a little bit of off and on rasping, but they were all behaving normally so I was just monitoring them and not too concerned yet.
On the day of Prince’s sudden death the others got noticeably lethargic and started itching much more than usual. I panicked and started Chaz and my other girl on Baytril (using the rat dosing guide that’s often shared here) thinking that they were weakened by the cold and it allowed the lice issue to explode.
Tuesday I had a vet appt to put down my oldest girl Cricket (3 years old) who had HLD, about 5 large tumors and was no longer able to live her best life. I asked the vet about the bugs- that’s when she determined it was lice. I got a prescription for Revolution which didn’t arrive until yesterday (guys don’t fricken trust Walmart next day shipping I’m so mad). In the meantime I deep cleaned the cage with an ivermectin spray the vet gave me and have been cleaning out the bedding and litter every day and babying the rats with baby food and healthy(ish) treats (cheerios, watermelon, broccoli, dried fruits, pasta noodles, gerber rice baby food, etc.) (mostly because Chaz is not eating very or drinking very much and getting more and more lethargic and weak.)
It’s been a little over 24hrs since I applied the Revolution and Chaz still seems to be getting weaker. He only gets up every so often to change sleeping spots and is unsteady on his feet. He now can also no longer hold onto food in his paws very well (I’ve been holding it for him). Not sure if it’s because he’s still recovering from anemia from having such a bad lice infestation, or if there’s something else going on. The vet isn’t open on the weekends, but he’s really not doing well and I can't lose another one. If anyone can please please help me figure out what’s going on or if there’s anything else I can be doing. My fried panic brain is clearly not helping the situation, so I’m hoping someone here can.
His brother Prince (same age) died suddenly Sun night/ Mon morning and I noticed lots of tiny bugs on his body. (I brought him to the vet a few months prior for scabs on his back but the vet said it was probably cuts from his cage mates since he wasn’t super itchy, was behaving normally, and my little clueless albino girl was often antagonizing the boys- the other 2 girls in the cage had no visible cuts.) Still not entirely sure of Prince’s cause of death- his previous foster said he also had another brother who “suddenly passed away” at around 1.5yrs old. Prince was not behaving unusually before his passing- was completely shocked when I found his body in the morning.
There does seem to be a cold passed around the cage. My little albino girl (a little under 2yo) has a very weak immune system and is on a baytril doxy mix as advised by the vet. About a day or 2 before Prince passed she started raspy breathing again and one sister had a little bit of off and on rasping, but they were all behaving normally so I was just monitoring them and not too concerned yet.
On the day of Prince’s sudden death the others got noticeably lethargic and started itching much more than usual. I panicked and started Chaz and my other girl on Baytril (using the rat dosing guide that’s often shared here) thinking that they were weakened by the cold and it allowed the lice issue to explode.
Tuesday I had a vet appt to put down my oldest girl Cricket (3 years old) who had HLD, about 5 large tumors and was no longer able to live her best life. I asked the vet about the bugs- that’s when she determined it was lice. I got a prescription for Revolution which didn’t arrive until yesterday (guys don’t fricken trust Walmart next day shipping I’m so mad). In the meantime I deep cleaned the cage with an ivermectin spray the vet gave me and have been cleaning out the bedding and litter every day and babying the rats with baby food and healthy(ish) treats (cheerios, watermelon, broccoli, dried fruits, pasta noodles, gerber rice baby food, etc.) (mostly because Chaz is not eating very or drinking very much and getting more and more lethargic and weak.)
It’s been a little over 24hrs since I applied the Revolution and Chaz still seems to be getting weaker. He only gets up every so often to change sleeping spots and is unsteady on his feet. He now can also no longer hold onto food in his paws very well (I’ve been holding it for him). Not sure if it’s because he’s still recovering from anemia from having such a bad lice infestation, or if there’s something else going on. The vet isn’t open on the weekends, but he’s really not doing well and I can't lose another one. If anyone can please please help me figure out what’s going on or if there’s anything else I can be doing. My fried panic brain is clearly not helping the situation, so I’m hoping someone here can.
