Rat Limping / Not using her back legs.

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Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
7
Location
Huntington Beach
Hi guys!

I have two female rats that are very energetic and love to play. I woke up this morning and saw that my fancy rat, Naomi, was barely using her back legs.
And when I tried to pet her and get near her rear side, she would squeak.
I can’t tell if she is stressed or this is her being in pain.
It also seems her rear itself is a little swollen. No tumor. I checked.
She’s able to still move around and eat, but when I pick her up she squeaks.
Is it a sprained ankle? Or HLD? I just need some advice. They’re both about 2 years old.
 
Sorry I missed your post yesterday. How is Naomi now? She may have fallen and hurt her back. If she is still swollen/not doing better you can give Metacam if you have any or infant liquid ibuprofen to help with pain and swelling.
 
Sorry I missed your post yesterday. How is Naomi now? She may have fallen and hurt her back. If she is still swollen/not doing better you can give Metacam if you have any or infant liquid ibuprofen to help with pain and swelling.

She’s a little better. But I found out that she has a tumor right next to her vulva. I checked it out and it’s not firm. It’s moving around, and it’s effecting her walking. But she’s still able to eat and drink. I’m sure it’s cause she’s just getting old.
 
Usually hind end degeneration starts a bit later but the rat starts to walk more flat footed and often will leave a foot behind briefly as they move around. It progresses slowly to almost full paralysis, and the hind end becomes weak.and thin. For some rats this is part of their aging process. Can you post a video?
 
Usually hind end degeneration starts a bit later but the rat starts to walk more flat footed and often will leave a foot behind briefly as they move around. It progresses slowly to almost full paralysis, and the hind end becomes weak.and thin. For some rats this is part of their aging process. Can you post a video?
I’m not sure how to post a video onto this website. 😅 I’m so sorry.
 
Oh dear. If this came out relatively quickly it looks neurological, for eg. a tumour or abscess pressing on her spinal column etc.
Have you tried to test for pain just to see if she gets relief? If she brightens up and seems less tense then she was in pain :(
 
Oh dear. If this came out relatively quickly it looks neurological, for eg. a tumour or abscess pressing on her spinal column etc.
Have you tried to test for pain just to see if she gets relief? If she brightens up and seems less tense then she was in pain :(
I have , I hold her and gently like rub her neck and pet down her back. But she just seems to squeak in overall no matter what I do. I massage her feet too , to see if it does anything to help use her legs a bit better.
 
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