mkkmypet
New Member
i apologize if i'm posting this in the wrong section or something, but i'm very worried right now and i just need some help with my rat.
the past couple days, but no more, my rat Naomi seemed a little "out of it". she wasn't really running around or climbing much, and when i picked her up, she was fairly affectionate but seemed as if i had just woken her up from a nap and she was only half-awake, not excited to run around all over my shoulders like usual.
i checked on my rats (Naomi and Tomo) tonight and was hoping Naomi would be more energetic today, but i was shocked and horrified to see her laying on the bottom of the cage motionless. i feared the worst... but when i examined her closer, she was moving her back legs as if she was running, but her top half was motionless. i picked her up off the floor of the cage and set her on a more comfy piece of fabric. she felt limp and saggy, like she couldn't move. i pet her for a while and tried to keep Tomo away, who kept trying to "wake up" Naomi and get her moving, but was causing Naomi to twitch around uncomfortably, like she was being hurt.
for now, i have Naomi in a separate, smaller cage (the one her and Tomo lived when they were small enough to fit through the bars of their larger cage). she won't accept food or water, though i haven't tried too hard to get her to eat or drink because she twitches when i touch her too much or in specific places. so i've just been petting her, adjusting her gently, etc... it seemed like her top half was paralyzed and she couldn't move her arms, but then i saw her grooming her ears with her hands as she laid in the cage. between her legs, her fur is all dirty. she hasn't been able to clean down there or stand up to pee. it's obvious that she's been laying down for quite a while. i wanted to lay her so she could pee on the ground and not into her fur, but she will only lay on her side.
Naomi is a black and white hooded rat, about 16 months old. i bought her July 6, 2007. the only other problem she's had was when i first got her, when she was sneezing a lot in her new cage. i changed the bedding she used (although it wasn't cedar or pine or anything like that to begin with), and she seemed to be better. i think it was really just that she needed to adjust to the environment, since she had lived in a pet store all her (short) life before that. she's generally been a healthy and energetic pet rat, and i love her.
please help. i'm thinking that she had a stroke, but she's fairly young... so maybe it was an aneurysm? i'm not sure. i don't know too much about rat health like this, because i've never had problems with my rats before.
it's 12:44am and i've been up worrying about this. i'm not sure if she'll survive the night, not to mention me being at school until 4pm... i'll check responses whenever i get the chance, though. i'm hoping that whatever the problem is, it can be cured, or it will go away on its own. i don't want to lose my dear Naomi, and i'm sure Tomo will be incredibly sad if her sister rat Naomi dies...
so please help! thank you in advance.
-Mei
the past couple days, but no more, my rat Naomi seemed a little "out of it". she wasn't really running around or climbing much, and when i picked her up, she was fairly affectionate but seemed as if i had just woken her up from a nap and she was only half-awake, not excited to run around all over my shoulders like usual.
i checked on my rats (Naomi and Tomo) tonight and was hoping Naomi would be more energetic today, but i was shocked and horrified to see her laying on the bottom of the cage motionless. i feared the worst... but when i examined her closer, she was moving her back legs as if she was running, but her top half was motionless. i picked her up off the floor of the cage and set her on a more comfy piece of fabric. she felt limp and saggy, like she couldn't move. i pet her for a while and tried to keep Tomo away, who kept trying to "wake up" Naomi and get her moving, but was causing Naomi to twitch around uncomfortably, like she was being hurt.
for now, i have Naomi in a separate, smaller cage (the one her and Tomo lived when they were small enough to fit through the bars of their larger cage). she won't accept food or water, though i haven't tried too hard to get her to eat or drink because she twitches when i touch her too much or in specific places. so i've just been petting her, adjusting her gently, etc... it seemed like her top half was paralyzed and she couldn't move her arms, but then i saw her grooming her ears with her hands as she laid in the cage. between her legs, her fur is all dirty. she hasn't been able to clean down there or stand up to pee. it's obvious that she's been laying down for quite a while. i wanted to lay her so she could pee on the ground and not into her fur, but she will only lay on her side.
Naomi is a black and white hooded rat, about 16 months old. i bought her July 6, 2007. the only other problem she's had was when i first got her, when she was sneezing a lot in her new cage. i changed the bedding she used (although it wasn't cedar or pine or anything like that to begin with), and she seemed to be better. i think it was really just that she needed to adjust to the environment, since she had lived in a pet store all her (short) life before that. she's generally been a healthy and energetic pet rat, and i love her.
please help. i'm thinking that she had a stroke, but she's fairly young... so maybe it was an aneurysm? i'm not sure. i don't know too much about rat health like this, because i've never had problems with my rats before.
it's 12:44am and i've been up worrying about this. i'm not sure if she'll survive the night, not to mention me being at school until 4pm... i'll check responses whenever i get the chance, though. i'm hoping that whatever the problem is, it can be cured, or it will go away on its own. i don't want to lose my dear Naomi, and i'm sure Tomo will be incredibly sad if her sister rat Naomi dies...
so please help! thank you in advance.
-Mei
