# Not using back legs



## braggalot01 (Feb 26, 2011)

One of my girls is 20 months old. About 1:00am last night, I noticed that she was not using her back legs. I called the emergency exotic hospital, and they said they do not see rats anymore. 
She is still alert and moving around, just dragging her back legs. She is on the bottom level of her cage, as she probably cannot climb to any of the others. When I open the door, she comes out of her house to come out of the cage. She is letting me pick her up and feel her legs, so I dont think she is any pain. 
I am unsure when exactly it happened. I have a cold, and havent spent as much time with them as I normally do the past few days. But when I fed them them the night before, I did not notice her dragging around. 
Does anyone know what this is? Do you think she will be ok until tomorrow to see the vet?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Pick her up and gently press around her hips and also her spine...check her tail as well as there is a spinal nerve that runs there too.

Also check to see if she has foul smelling urine, or blood in it. That could indicate a UTI (urinary tract infection) which has been known to cause males to stop using their hind legs, but I cannot see why girls don't have this symptom too.

Malcolm returned from his foster "paralyzed". After carefully feeling him over, I realized he was tender in his abdomen, so I started him on metacam (anti-inflammatory/pain med) for pain and any swelling, plus antibiotics to combat the infection.

Night he arrived

















the next day, he's already doing much better.


Blood in the urine can also mean internal injuries but with no obvious soreness its unlikely.


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## braggalot01 (Feb 26, 2011)

She is dragging her legs just like Malcolm. I set up an appointment with the veterinarian tomorrow morning. I talked to the rat rescue i volunteer with, and they said the same thing has happened with one of their rats, and just need medication, and she lived happily. I am not as nervous as I was, but still a tad worried. But there is no blood, and haven't noticed smelly urine.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Oh good to hear


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## Andrea12065 (Apr 27, 2011)

I had a rat that did that about 4 years ago, and brought her to the vet and turned out she had a tumor and cancer. She was very old for a rat though...


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Andrea12065 said:


> I had a rat that did that about 4 years ago, and brought her to the vet and turned out she had a tumor and cancer. She was very old for a rat though...


We shall pray there's no mass for this rat. I am sorry you lost your rat that way Andrea.


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## braggalot01 (Feb 26, 2011)

She had her x rays done today. She has a spinal disc that is smaller than normal. But she is not in any pain. She has a very slim chance of being able to use her back legs again with therapy, but most likely not. She will be able to live out the rest of her life. The only thing is, they want her in a single level cage so she cant try to climb and fall. I don't want to separate her from the other 3, but I also don't want to put the other 3 in a single story cage. I dont know what to do.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

braggalot01 said:


> She had her x rays done today. She has a spinal disc that is smaller than normal. But she is not in any pain. She has a very slim chance of being able to use her back legs again with therapy, but most likely not. She will be able to live out the rest of her life. The only thing is, they want her in a single level cage so she cant try to climb and fall. I don't want to separate her from the other 3, but I also don't want to put the other 3 in a single story cage. I dont know what to do.


I have had rats who were paralyzed lived in their regular cages until death. I have a 41 month old boy with severe HED and he still climbs his FN ladder to get to teh low hung hammock up top.

How steep are your ladders, what cage do you have? We'll start there.


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## renegaderob18 (Apr 7, 2011)

If your cage ladders are not very steep I think the rat would be able to get up them, plus it may make you rat want to try it seeing the other rats doing it. I hope everything works out.


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## braggalot01 (Feb 26, 2011)

I have this cage. http://www.petco.com/product/15487/...t_2-_-Super Pet Multi-Floor Ferret Home-15487

She has been staying on the floor. I took the hammock out to wash today, so the other 3 have been staying on the bottom with her. Maybe I will put a very low hanging hammock that she can get in and out of. But I do not really want her going on the other levels, as she can easily fall now.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Yep there's no way she can use those ramps anymore at all. I think you will be modifying your cage. You need to make ramps (wood is fine, covered with something) and you can cover those with long sport socks for more traction), the shelves need to more like levels and you will need hammocks hung everywhere she could topple off. How many rats do you have? What ages/health are they?


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## braggalot01 (Feb 26, 2011)

I have a total of 4.
Kylie (the handicap one)- 20M
Riley-20M
Biley-15M
Whiskers-12M

I believe they are all healthy. Whiskers recently recovered from a URI, but thats about it.

Are there any cages that are good for rats like her, that would fit the 4 of them?


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