My friends rat is dragging his legs and has a hunchback?

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xxAshxx

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Hey guys, i’m new to the forum, my roommate and i have two 6wk old rats, they’re brothers from the same litter. My rat is fine, her rat on the other hand randomly started dragging his back legs and has a hunchback, he’s really calm and tired looking, we can’t figure out what’s wrong, any ideas? there are no emergency vets nearby with payment plans :((
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Can you possibly post a video.?(post it on YouTube and link it here) he is very young but he could have HLD (Hind leg degeneration). It could also be other things... How long have you had him.? How is his poop.? Is he drinking at all.? Try to offer him fresh vegetables like broccoli or cucumber.. I'd avoid sugary things as it feeds cancer and you don't know what's going on with him...
 
Take him to the vet. Until then, make sure he is eating.
Try baby food, applesauce (unsweetened), probiotic yogurt (low sugar).
Make sure he stays warm, a heating pad on low on one end of the cage will do the trick, or a sock filled with rice, warmed up and placed into the cage will too. We don't know what's wrong with him but until we do make sure he is comfortable.
Also, with the hunchback, make sure he is able to reach up to the water bottle in his cage, because if he cannot, he probably isn't getting any fluids. I think pedialyte is a good way to re-hydrate if he isn't drinking enough fluids or if he's got runny poop.
 
Any chance he could have fallen, or been dropped? Was he like this when you got him? I'd be more worried he hurt his back somehow. How long have you had him? What are you feeding them? He looks kind of thin. IF you think he hasn't been drinking enough, you can offer pedialite. But DO NOT put it in his water bottle. He may be in pain, and that may be why he seems calm and tired. What is your cage setup like? Any high up shelves he could have fallen from? Are both the boys together? If they aren't, and don't have cagemates, they need one. If they are, DON'T separate them. That will stress them and stress can kill. Maybe Lilspaz, or SQ, or someone who has more experience with this will answer soon. I'd try to take him to a vet experienced with rats. He may need metacam for pain. Hopefully he just tweaked his back, and will be fine.... Good luck, and welcome to the forum!
 
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