Rescued injured wild rat, please help

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S

Suzen

Guest
My work recently decided to set traps in the ceiling! I heard struggling the other morning so I popped the panel and found a small brown rat caught alive.
When I released her I noticed she was having trouble breathing. It had been clamped over her neck.
I took her home expecting the worst, but the next day she was better, up and walking around.
Except she has a head tilt and is not very steady (fast) on her feet.
Do you think it may be brain damage due to lack of oxygen?
I intended to release her into the wild, but I fear she will not survive.
Is it best just to cage her and keep her in my home?
 
I would suggest keeping her at least for awhile …… and see how she does and how she adapts to living with you
the head tilt and unsteadiness will make her unlikely to survive,
plus if released in a different place, without her family and not knowing where to find shelter, foods etc she would not have a chance
 
I would keep her and see what she ends up doing. I suspect with the clamp around her neck, plus the general unsteadiness and head tilt, her spine and spinal cord may have been severely damaged.

Even if she does recover and eat, drink, play, and act normally, she may have a physical disability for the rest of her life, which can be dangerous out in the wild.
 
Do you have any small animal vets in your area that treat rats? Mine does an exam for $60. It might be worth it to take her in and see if it's a serious problem and if she has quality of life. They should also be able to tell you if it's feasible to release her into the wild. Thank you for caring enough to help her btw
 
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