Possible Seizure?

[ratsby]

I was at class when it happened, but I came home this afternoon and my fiance told me that he thinks SweetPea had a seizure. The cage has multiple levels and SweetPea was on the top one. SweetPea was walking (not normally) on the ramp to go down. As he did so, he seemed to slide and then fell to the bottom of the cage. Then, got up ran into his box and hid. Manfriend suspects a seizure, because the box shook for a few seconds after he went in. Afterwards he was eating and moving around. Once I got home and found out that it happened, I immediately opened the cage door and he just sat on my lap, closing his eyes. That NEVER happens. But, i could have just woken him up since it was the middle of the day and his usual out time is in the evenings. I took him out again this evening and he is moving normally, maybe a little slower, but he is climbing in the tubes and on his cardboard and into his hammock. I did move him into a one level cage for observation, so I think I will keep him there overnight. He has had no exposure to any new substances or foods...he has just been eating oxbow and pieces of apple or peas, and seeds as a treat.

Are there any behavioral signs I should look for to determine whether he has started having seizures, or attribute it to something else? I am hoping it was just an isolated incident. SweetPea is about 27 months old, and only major health issue so far was a tumor removal about 6 weeks ago. Over the last month or so, SweetPea has started dragging his hind feet a little, so is it possible that he just tripped over his own foot then was grooming in the box? It is so hard to know since I wasn't home, and my fiance was sitting across the room and witnessed from a distance. SweetPea's brother Gusto died about a month age and we suspect a neurological cause (balance problems, head tilt, loss of coordination), so I am on high alert. I just want to do all I can for him. He has been through a lot in the last 6 weeks!

Any tips would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Godmother]

I'm no expert on this, so you'll have to wait for a word from the wise. Let's hope it was an isolated incident stemming from him losing some sensation in his back legs. It is so sad the way they start to get old after they hit their second birthday.

Is he alone in the one-level cage? He might find it stressful to be alone. If he has a buddy in with him, that would help. Good idea to observe him carefully.

 

[jorats]

Some rats when they start hind end degeneration, they have body spasms. They twist and go into a small convulsion for a few seconds. I don't find that it causes any harm to them but they are "out of it" while it's happening. It's very scary to see, especially when it happens in your hands. Also, petting them a certain way on their backs can trigger this body spasm. Be careful if this happens while on you, he might bite down but it's not his fault it's part of the seizure.
There's no set duration or frequency for these body spasm.