The Geriatirc Rat

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Good Karma

Good Karma

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
353
Location
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Hi Everyone,

Much to my dismay, i have noticed Gobo has all of a sudden gotten old. Both his appearance and behaviour has changed within the last 2 weeks. He is not sick, just seems old. He is probably just under 2 years old, he was from a pet store.

Can you guys point me to info either in posts or websites on specific care for the geriatric rat? Such as food or supplements i should be giving? Anything to keep him healthy and going.

He is my most favorite rattie in the whole wide world and thought of losing him breaks my heart.

Thanks,

Tara
 
My oldies who are losing condition, get baby cereal every day, sometimes with Ensure, sometimes with a little Olive Oil. Keep an eye on him to make sure he is grooming well by himself, if he's not he will need help, like gentle wipe downs, checking for penis plugs (intact boy right?), if he cannot scratch in those ears you'll need to help him there too. :)

Its a sad time but its also a wonderful time.
 
When they reach this stage, I keep mine well fed. Any weight loss can be detrimental. Low protein is more important as they get older as well.
Reducing stress and changes is also key to a good mental and physical health.
 
I also wanted to mention, that this time is golden. I find most of mine become more loving, more needy and enjoys our company even more.
 
I do the same as Lilspaz. Baby cereal made with soy milk or Ensure. I also give them a few extra veggies and fruits at their meals. My Penn [just over 2] had some issues eating her blocks for a bit, so I would grind those up and mix it with soy milk or ensure just like you would baby cereal. She loved it and was very unhappy when I found out she was eating ehr blocks again.
 
I'm surprised nobody mentioned changing the cage around to make it more accessible. You might want to lower the hammocks so he can get in easier as well as lowering the levels if you can. If you only have 1 water bottle/bowl in the cage could could also add another one to either the top or the bottom so he doesn't have to go too far to get a drink.

I don't mean to hijack this thread or anything but I actually have a question about my boy whos also showing a lot of signs of aging. The main one being that he is loosing the use of his back legs. He can still get around but his legs drag a lot and I was just wondering if there is anything I can do for him. Would massaging his legs do anything? What about moving his joints around to keep them flexible? Any tips would help since I'm currently not doing anything other than giving him lots of out time so he can move and keep his legs strong.
 
I give my kids Nutro Natural Choice Small Bite Senior dog food in their mix cause it says 'glucosamine & chondroitin for healthy joints'. I've had kids lose back end ability but I've had a lot of seniors and I think we've done quite well with avoiding that probability-wise.
I don't know but maybe with problems already started some glucosamine & chondroitin supplements could help? I've seen the pills in the drugstore.
And massaging their whole back end does seem to help some too, (whether it's a physical or an emotional benefit I don't know) but it still seems to give get them up and moving around more.
 
http://members.madasafish.com/~cj_white ... atrics.htm

As Lilspaz said, it's a sad but wonderful time. Not because they can't go running off rather than lay with us, but because they don't. Rats are nothing if not adaptive, and when they get older and ready to slow down for whatever reason they seem to turn their desire for company more towards us. I've always loved the older ones best because of that, they seem ready to show you the appreciation that they were too busy to show before and seem to to want a more heart-to-heart relationshop with you.
It can be just as wonderful a time for them in spite of their inabilities if you can be there to help them, and when they are nearing the end there's no reason to worry about giving them yummy fattening food (especially as you are often trying to keep weight on them) or sugary treats (cause cavities aren't likely to become a problem in the time they have left). You can just spoil them, and doing for them what they can't do for themselves brings you closer too. and it certainly is a gift to you to get to feel your kid more than watch him.
The downside is it's harder when they do go cause you've often gone thru a battle of love together and feel an immense bond, but because they go because it's their time, and you know that the end had more special pleasures than lonely struggles for them then you have a joy for them and for yourself.

I'm not saying Gobo's ready to go by any means! I'm just saying that lilspaz's words (and everyone else's subsequently) about enjoying this time are gold. The Golden Years often aren't that for most humans, but they sure can be for a beloved pet. And for the one that loves them.
 
Gobo's back end is starting to go as well. He seems to get around fine but will drag his back legs some times, and his toes might stay curled up.

And of course he is even more bald now! He is turning into a hairless rat! I should post more pics of him, he really looks like an old man!

I have mixed him up some baby cereal and he is getting that daily with the supplements used in Debbie Ducommon's molasses mix.

The cage is pretty accessible for him, he's in the bottom portion of an FN so just the one ramp.

Does anyone know what the dose would be for a joint supplement for rats?
 
I just started Eli on all sorts of Supplements. He normally eats Nurto Lite Dog food as a staple but now he also gets three drops of ultravite for hamsters/gerbils, one pill of chromium (not neseccary) and a half a Zukes Hip Action treat for cats. The Zukes seems to do the trick he's starting to become more active and his tail is up more when walking. He's also get a little bit of cream cheese and garlic in the morn I don't know why but I like giving it to him.
 

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