# Found a special needs rat,



## harlow (Dec 28, 2011)

I found a very young rat outside of my apartment. It is very friendly so what i am guessing is that someones pet had babies and they let them go. It is a boy and i am not sure of his age. The lower half of his body is not able to be used. Im not sure what to feed him either, he has tiny white teeth. he's about the size of a full grown gerbil. please help me, i have kept rats in the past but never one like this. thanks,


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

He is so cute!

He's paralyzed. Keep him in a cage with low levels or no levels, hammocks near the ground, and soft substrate, and he should be fine. He may need you to use a baby wipe to clean his genitals occasionally, if he has a tendency to drag through urine.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

I'd take him to the vet asap. If he is paralyzed from the waist down then he probably suffered some kind of trauma to the spine, possibility being kicked or attacked by a cat, maybe a neighbor's cat brought the little guy back home. A birth defect would have lead to his death long ago. He looks very young, if you have a pet store or animal supply store near you, pick up some kitten milk and bottle he should lick this right up. If he doesn't want it then he is probably close to death from some kind of trauma in which case the vet will give you advice on what to do. Try not to handle him too much as you could make whatever injury he could have worse. Remember that the little guy must be traumatized and that the best thing you can do is provide him food/water and warm, dry, dark, and comfy place to sleep until you can get him to the vet. Sorry if this is a little scrambled, I just wanted to get those thoughts out there.


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## TobyRat (May 24, 2011)

He looks pretty bad from the picture. His eyes look very sunken, make sure you offer him plenty of fluids. Is he defecating/ urinating? Hopefully the loss of function is just temporary, but you may also want to consider euthanasia if he seems to be suffering. 

By the way, are you sure that's not a mouse?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

That baby looks about 3 weeks old...he may not survive away from mom, and now that he is injured he has the trauma and shock to deal with. Definitely a good rat vet time.


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## harlow (Dec 28, 2011)

No I highly doubt that he is a mouse. He looks smaller in the picture than he actually is. He has been drinking water from a syringe and eating the small pellets I have for him.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

I'm not good at telling baby rats apart from mice but I'll trust your judgement. If he is taking the water then that's a good sign that he's trying to live. I'm curious as to the mark above his right eye, is it a scab? If so does it look new or older, it probably occurred at the time of the trauma to his spine and will give you a good idea as to how long he has been like this. Is he moving himself around the box, dragging his legs/attempting to squirm off?

Here's a picture of the differences between young rats and mice.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

That's a rat, he's much too large for a young mouse.


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## harlow (Dec 28, 2011)

It is a scab and there is no doubt in my mind that he is a rat. But the scab looks a week or two old, and yes he moves great, acts as if nothing is wrong with him. This morning he walked over to his food and ate. He is a very strong little guy.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

That's very promising news! Maybe the little guy will pull through after all. Kitten milk will help him gain back his strength even more and probably perk him up a little, since he isn't of weening age.


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## harlow (Dec 28, 2011)

Matt the rat is doing great today. Check out the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqV_fbI7hA&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

That's great! He's a fighter for sure.


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## ClaireGlynn (Dec 26, 2011)

He has to be the most adorable rat i have ever seen. He is totally gorgeous, i'm so glad you found each other in time.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

He is so cute! And he looks to be doing well.

A word of warning- even special needs babies chew, and he is going to go prancing out of that box pretty quick. You should try to find a cage for him, or at the very least an aquarium to hold you over until you get a cage.

And, a water bottle, too.


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## Thistle (Dec 7, 2010)

He looks precious. Good luck with him


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## TobyRat (May 24, 2011)

Ok definitely a baby rat now that I see the additional pics, and a very cute one too.  

Would recommend you get him a cage as well, a single story one would be best for his needs.


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

That was absolutely heartwarming, thanks for sharing that video. Inspiring, too - helps me remember I don't have much to complain about at all.


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## Ryder76 (Dec 23, 2011)

Absolutely adorable little rattie! Keep taking good care of him and he will be a great pet. I'll say a little prayer for him tonight.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

I think
They should make wheelchairs for rats.
Tiiinniiitinnyyy iddlebitty wheelchairs, with springs in the wheels for jumping xD
Don't know how, but if it were possible, that's be awesome.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

I agree! My dog is geriatric now and has had severe arthritis and degenerative hip issues for a couple years now (it doesn't help that he's a dachshund). He is on medication for the pain but otherwise he's perfectly happy, eats well, and still wags his little old tail ♥ The vet gave us a wheelchair for him (the owner of a dachshund he PTS had no use for it and donated it) and my little Nathan uses it when he's outside to help him move better. I know they sell "drag sacks" for paralyzed dogs and cats, so they don't get sores from dragging their legs around, I wonder if you could make one yourself?


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## giggles_mcbug (Sep 10, 2011)

He's adorable. I could just explode from the cuteness.


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## HighwayStar (Aug 20, 2010)

Any update? How is the little fella doing?


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## RatMama13 (Aug 20, 2011)

If he's as large as a full grown gerbil he's old enough to be weaned. I'd find a good reasonable vet and then take him in. ASAP


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