# Warning for People with Martin's & HED/Elderly Rats



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

The 1/2" x 1/2" spacing of Martins cages are pretty foolproof but not completely. I have had to get rats who had a foot stuck in Martin's before but its very rare. They do some odd movement which allows their hock/heel to slide through. The best thing to do is stay calm and push that hock up from the bottom...it frees them relatively easily. I have had it happen twice before but it was years ago. Now I am personally going to be putting stick down lino on all my shelves of Martin's with elderly rats in them.

This morning as I went by their cage to get the carrier for Emily and Pez's Last Trip, I saw that Carina was hanging _off _the shelf...her foot was stuck and swollen, and she hadn't made ONE sound. Carina has severe HED and her hock had slipped through. I tried to push her foot up from the bottom, and it was truly stuck...that's when I noticed that a toe had gone through and was through another bar spacing....I almost panicked, as she was. But I gritted my teeth and pushed her foot down through the bars and then I was able to easily slip it out once she was free.

Poor poor Carina!!! I put her on the bed and ran for the metacam...came back to her guzzling Ensure from the little dish I had out for Emily and Pocky. I got a big dose of metacam into her and then she continued eating. After that she groomed herself while lying on her side. I think the leg/foot is badly sprained but not broken...I waited a bit for the metacam to kick in and gently examined it.

I think she will be living with Pocky in her one-level cage she shared with Pez. Pocky is a sweet girl, and I wasn't sure what to do with her now that there's no more sisters for her to live with.




























Pocky with Carina


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Oh no poor girl.
Thats great to know, None of my rats are older, but once they are I will start using Lino agaon :/
Poor girl, looks painful.


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## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

What is hed?


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Hind end Degeneration.

it's when their back legs stop working, or stop working well, and they can't walk well or climb.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Poor Carina, I hope she will be okay! She looks so precious! :'(


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

She is already feeling better.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

The cage has now been lino'd and sock'd.


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## sarah19 (Jul 18, 2010)

lilspaz68 said:


> The cage has now been lino'd and sock'd.


 hi how do you stick down the lino thanks


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

First you measure the area you want to cover, and cut the tiles. The tiles come with a piece of paper that you peel off the back, the back is sticky and you just push it down onto the level you are covering. These end up getting chewed eventually but at $1 or less a tile (you can get them at home improvement stores, hardwares sometimes, dollar stores, etc) it cost me $3 to lino the 2 shelves and possibly save some more serious injury. But now I have to wipe those floors all the time if they are messy rats.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I would say fleece is an option for people who prefer it.
But I just picture a poor little HED rat hanging from UNDER the fleece.
Once my rats are older, I am gonna just remove the ramp from the ferret Nation, and Critter nation and use them instead.
I used Lino for a bit, bit it got icky really fast between the pieces.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Kiko said:


> I would say fleece is an option for people who prefer it.
> But I just picture a poor little HED rat hanging from UNDER the fleece.
> Once my rats are older, I am gonna just remove the ramp from the ferret Nation, and Critter nation and use them instead.
> I used Lino for a bit, bit it got icky really fast between the pieces.


I have heard of rats getting trapped on CN/FN ladders as well, and they also put socks over them for the elderly rats.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I'll remember that.
I guess no cage is truly totally rat safe except tanks.
Too bad, they are so bad for rats :/


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## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

Aww. When Ed gets old and grouchy. Im gonna make him a wheelchair. LOL

Wheel him around behind me...

Haha


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