Issuissaissy
New Member
I had two rat sisters that were staying at a friend’s house for a month or so. In my current living situation I couldn’t keep them, but I’m moving in a couple of weeks. They are less than six months old.
This morning one of the girls had passed away and the other looked fine. Friend said he removed the dead rat, dumped food into the cage, and went to work. When he got home, the living rat was lethargic, completely immobile, and covered in ants but alive. He removed the ants and found that there was food stuffed down her throat, which he then removed. He also said the ants had chewed on her tongue and it was bleeding.
When I went to see her, she was skin and bones. Her ribs and spine are sticking straight out and she’s barely breathing. It looks like starvation. When I asked him if they’d been eating, he said he’d “forgotten” that he had the rat food and had been giving them Hawaiian rolls and Triscuits every few days. I saw them two weeks ago and they were fine.
I’m assuming they didn’t have proper nutrition and when she was given the actual rat food she tried to devour it and choked.
I went to the store and bought chicken noodle baby food and a syringe. I gave her a tiny bit of it and some sugar water. She’s wrapped in a heated blanket. There’s not a vet within five hours that will examine a rat, plus I’m a college student and I likely can’t afford the fees without help. I’m staying the night to keep checking on her.
TLDR I think my rat is starved of nutrition. Does anyone have ideas or suggestions for care? She’s barely moving and can’t eat on her own.
This morning one of the girls had passed away and the other looked fine. Friend said he removed the dead rat, dumped food into the cage, and went to work. When he got home, the living rat was lethargic, completely immobile, and covered in ants but alive. He removed the ants and found that there was food stuffed down her throat, which he then removed. He also said the ants had chewed on her tongue and it was bleeding.
When I went to see her, she was skin and bones. Her ribs and spine are sticking straight out and she’s barely breathing. It looks like starvation. When I asked him if they’d been eating, he said he’d “forgotten” that he had the rat food and had been giving them Hawaiian rolls and Triscuits every few days. I saw them two weeks ago and they were fine.
I’m assuming they didn’t have proper nutrition and when she was given the actual rat food she tried to devour it and choked.
I went to the store and bought chicken noodle baby food and a syringe. I gave her a tiny bit of it and some sugar water. She’s wrapped in a heated blanket. There’s not a vet within five hours that will examine a rat, plus I’m a college student and I likely can’t afford the fees without help. I’m staying the night to keep checking on her.
TLDR I think my rat is starved of nutrition. Does anyone have ideas or suggestions for care? She’s barely moving and can’t eat on her own.
