# Strange tick?



## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

Today, as I was peering into my cage I noticed my boy Aries had sort of a strange tick... His head would sort of tick to the side over and over... He didn't seem like he was in any pain and it stopped happening when I picked him up... It was just strange and worried me quite a bit. He was frozen in place whilst it was happening and it lasted a good 30-40 seconds. He is a P.E.W so might that have something to do with it? I'm really worried :s 


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

Also, I wasn't sure whether to put this in rat health or behavior so I'm sorry if it's in the wrong place. 


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## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

Was it rapid jerking to the side or kind of a swaying from side to side? If he was swaying, that's normal and something PEWs do to help them see better.


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

He wasn't swaying. I had a blind rat in the past so I recognize the swaying behavior. It was a rapid jerking 


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i do this when stressed... odd to see it in a rat could be a seizure, sometimes mild ones come off like this (personal experance) def call your vet and ask


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

That's what I was thinking. When I picked him up he was stuff and almost... Frozen which is very unlike him. Right now... The vet visit will have to wait. My fiancé just lost his job so we had to drain the rat vet fund on food and what not  


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

*stiff not stuff


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

call them, most vets will do phone consultation for free and can and most will work with medical bills


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

i'll call him then. hopefully he can explain what seems to be going on. gosh im worried....maybe its just a form of Nervous disorder...


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i hope it's nothing bad but sounds liek a seizure


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

I'm thinking it was a seizure... I've never seen him so tense and frozen since we've had him ... Nor have I seen any of my rats ever act this way


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

ok i'm posting a youtube video i didn't listen to the audio this guy has tourrets watch his head movement where his head gows down mine goes from side to side(but i don't have touretts they are mild seizures) was your guys head twitch side like this not the direction but the movement?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfgGliDlhHg


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

It was sort of like that... Only one type of movement and it was to one side very fast for 30-40 seconds without stopping... And the rest of his body was frozen still and his eyes were bugged out


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

it could still be a seizure remember the guy had touretts, the muscles in both sides of his neck could hav eboth been pulling at the same time 

i do hope it's nothing serious


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

So do I. My fiancé is worried he may have had a stroke or something. We are calling the vet tommorrow morning to see if he could give us some advice. 


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

please let me know what they say maby you will luck up and it won't happen again never know


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

I hope so. We got him out for free range time. He's a bit tired and calmer than usual, but other than that he's alright. 


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

I looked up seizures in rats and his symptoms are dead on a mild seizure.. 


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

if it was a seizure even the smallest ones take a lot out of you


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

That explains why he's so tired right now


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## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

Ah, I see. Sorry to hear it, I hope little dude is ok!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Many years ago, I noticed this particular behavior in a bat that found it's way into my bedroom. Bats fly at a relatively high body temperature and sleep at a much lower one. When a bat wakes up and prepares for take off, it practically vibrates as is raises it's core body temperature for flight. 

Fuzzy Rat and at least one of my other rats did this odd tick thing when they woke up, especially if they woke up abruptly. It usually lasted under a minute, and I pretty much suspect they were just warming their bodies from a rest state to a go state. Not all my rats have done it. But for those who did it was quite normal. It was distressing the first few times I saw it, but after the warm up they were ready to go and seemed just fine.

I can't confirm that some rats sleep at a lower body temp than they play at, but it reminded me of what the bat did when I woke it up, just a whole lot slower.

I took a wait and see approach and Fuzzy Rat didn't always do it, but did it often enough over her lifetime to say it was normal for her.

I hope this is all your issue is...

Best luck.


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

Thank you for the good wishes. I sent my vet an email ( my phone can't make calls at the moment) so he should be able to tell me better what could have happened and what to look out for. It's a possibility he may have just been waking up, and I pray that's all it was. 


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i have never heard of a rat wakeing up like this i do hope its the case or something not bad


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Fuzzy Rat was the only rat we had that did it regularly over the entire course of her lifetime. So I can't say how common it is. I might note that my daughter was 5 years old at the time and much more prone to snatching Fuzzy Rat out of the cage while she was sleeping than she is to waking up a sleeping rat now. So maybe it has something to do with how abruptly you wake up a rat...?

Just remarking... it looked pretty scary the first times I saw it but it turned out to be perfectly normal for that rat.


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

UPDATE: 


My vet messages back saying that the most likely cause of seizures in rats are tumors and infections. And that we need to bring Aries in ASAP. 


I'm shocked. The fact my little guy could possibly have a brain tumor is making me literally about have a panic attack. Ontop of that we really can't afford to take him to the vet right now... Oh god I feel like a terrible owner :,( 


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## wadefarrow (Aug 7, 2014)

ask the vet if he can work with you :/ I hope it is not as serious as a tumor or infection. Good luck!!!


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

I told the vets customer service rep that I would have trouble paying and she / he replied. " ok" and that was that :/ 


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

OK so if you can't afford to take him don't panic and start taking notes, if it only happens when he wakes up and then he's fine the rest of the time... it's not an infection or a tumor, if it interrupts play and happens otherwise it's a matter of serious concern. Also watch for other signs of infection. If it's a brain tumor, there may not be much that can be realistically done about it anyway.

And yes... a vet will always say "come in for a visit"... No vet is going to try and diagnose a rat over the phone or on line.

Even from knowing nothing about your rat, I would never say a vet visit is a bad idea.

Best luck.


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## Tiffisme45 (Jun 22, 2014)

Thank you Rat Daddy.  you have really made me feel better. So far his seizure has been a one time occurrence.. So we will continue to monitor him  


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