# Rat emergency please help



## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

Hi all! I don't know what is wrong with my rat, George. He has a roommate, Fred, who is much fatter than him. I figured Fred was just greedy but I didn't put two and two together. I went to check on George today and he was laying in the hammock. I found this a bit unusual. I pulled him out of the cage and his eyes were sunken in with no porphyrin. I held him close to me to listen for his breathing (which sounds fine). At first I'd thought he was sleepy but I realized he felt too skinny. I compared him to Fred and Fred is much bigger than him. My first inclination was that Fred was stealing George's food, so I fed George by himself. He was acting very lethargic and taking a long time to finish one block, so I was very worried. I mushed up some of his food with water and he's sitting in my lap eating it and that is also very unusual, he is my explorer of the two and usually will not sit still. I don't know what to do. His jaw looks swollen and his fur is very wiry and dull. He is also appearing very weak and has fallen twice. I'm very scared because the vet is closed at the moment and I don't know what to do. I looked up the symptoms and it sound like his teeth are overgrown, and they were peeking out of his mouth too far so I'm guessing that's what's going on but I'm not sure. Overall I'm just worried about him. Will he be okay until morning?


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

UPDATE: He ate most of the food I mashed up. I gave him some water with a pinch of sugar and he's moving more quickly and his eyes are opening back up. Please still help if you can!


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## Lammergeier (Oct 20, 2016)

From the symptoms you've described it does sound like he may be dehydrated, and most likely quite malnourished. Rat's teeth grow really quickly (a few mm every month), so dental problems can get out of control at an alarming rate and lead to starvation pretty fast. Which teeth are poking out of his mouth? With rats that have healthy, properly aligned teeth, you can see a tiny bit of the lower incisors (not the tips, but part of the bulk of the tooth) when their mouth is closed, but shouldn't be able to see the upper teeth at all. If you're seeing the tips of any of the teeth poking out of the mouth that's a pretty good indication that they're not aligned properly.

Anyway, try (gently!) pinching the skin on his back then let it go - it's called skin tenting, and it's a test for dehydration. The skin should very quickly (almost immediately) return to its normal position. If the skin doesn't bounce back then that's a pretty good sign that he's dehydrated. If he is - water alone won't cut it and you'll need to act fast.. You'll need to get some sort of electrolyte solution (infant electrolyte formulas I've heard work well for this) to give to him - should be able to get something like that from a supermarket or pharmacist.

It is worth having a look around to see if you've got a 24 hr emergency vet in your area because from your description this sounds pretty urgent. He needs to get to a vet asap.


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

I did the pinch test and the skin did take a long time to spread back. However there are no 24 hour vets in my area. I will check his teeth again. He seems to be improving. He's eating and drinking and acting like his normal self again.


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## Lammergeier (Oct 20, 2016)

That's good news! He definitely needs to get to the vet as soon as they're open to get the underlying cause of the problem resolved, but in the mean time just keep offering him soft food and fluids. No need to force feed or anything since he's eating/drinking willingly. Do the skin tenting periodically. As he becomes less dehydrated it will continue to bounce back quicker.

Good job getting onto this when you did - dehydration can be fatal in rats really quickly.


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

Yup, his teeth are too long. They're poking down out of his mouth. I can take him to the vet tomorrow to get them clipped. Unfortunately, I'm only a teenager and I have to go to school tomorrow. My mom said she won't take off work. Will he be okay throughout the day if I mush up food, feed him myself, leave him with tons of water, and take him immediately after school? School ends at 3:45 and the earliest my mom will be home is 5:30. After 3:45 I can come home and tend to him myself. Right now he's laying in the hammock eating. He seems tired, but he's more energetic now. Thank you! I'm really concerned.


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## Lammergeier (Oct 20, 2016)

See how he continues to go tonight - if by the morning he's no longer dehydrated, leaving him with soft food and plenty to drink shouldn't be a problem while you're at school. If he's still a little dehydrated, you could fill his water bottle with the electrolyte solution. In a pinch you can make one yourself - 6 level teaspoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 4 - 5 cups of water is the recipe for a home-made human electrolyte solution, and (provided you measure right) should be safe for a dehydrated ratty.

Out of curiosity, what colour were his teeth when you checked them?


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

You mentioned the jaw is swollen. Makes me think that he injured his jaw somehow (possibly dislocating it ), making it impossible to eat, drink and grind his teeth normily, leading to the teeth becoming overgrown and him becoming weak and malnourished ?


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## Ladylazerstar702 (Sep 15, 2016)

I actually had this exact thing happen to my little Tusk when she was young, even down to the roommate getting fat. I fed her baby food and avocado until she had put enough weight back on that she was out of immediate danger. From there out I made sure she ate tons of water rich foods like fruits and lots of protein and fat. As for the teeth being overgrown, as soon as she was back onto somewhat decent shape she filed hers back down to a healthy level. I would still suggest you take him to a vet to have his trimmed, however I just want to let you know you don't need to worry too terribly much. When I went through this it was just about the worst feeling in the world. But my little tusk is healthy and happy again and made a full recovery within a few days. However Flower, her sister is still very plump :joy::joy:


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

They were orange.


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

Thank you! Glad to know I'm not alone. You all, I can whip up the electrolyte mix right now and give it to him. He seems to be eating more voluntarily this morning. I chopped up some cucumbers into little triangles and he's eating them and the food mush again. I hope the cucumber will help rehydrate him again a bit. Will he be alright for a few more hours? I put extra water in the cage this morning and he's drinking that voluntarily too.


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

Hi all. George Weasley passed away tonight. We took him to the vet and they said it looked like Myco. RIP to my little rascal and forever buddy <3. Thank you for all your help.


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## DamselChum (Jun 8, 2016)

so sorry for your loss


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Myco usually takes weeks if not more to kill a rat, could he had some other infection going on like exposure to Sendai or SDA? Did you go to a pet store recently, like the last two weeks or so?


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## noxqs (Jul 3, 2016)

Not at all. I haven't been in a month.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Myco is something ALL rats have (except in rare cases of lab rats where mother rats are drowned in sterilizing fluid and the babies are extracted from that clean environment, I believe). It causes issues and can cause a ton of different ailments, but just saying it's "myco" is so incredibly vague it makes me really suspicious about that vet. If you have the option, try to see a different vet next time, that's so sad they couldn't really say what might have been the problem, it's such an open ended response. Was it respiratory? That's the most common issue myco causes.

So sorry for the loss of your little boy. It seems like you did all you could once you noticed him feeling ill. They can go downhill so quickly and before we even notice sometimes. I'm sorry you had to experience this with your first ratties. I hope his brother will be ok too.


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