# Pretty sure my new rat is mentally challenged.



## burbles (Oct 3, 2012)

New rat owner, I've had them for three weeks. (They're small rats, if that's relevant.) They were from the pet store, because I couldn't find any active ratteries in my state. At first they were both completely fine, but in the last few days I've noticed one of them acting weird and off-kilter. If I hand him a little bit of lettuce as a treat, he sometimes drops it and then continues to hold his paws and crunch his mouth like he's eating until I pick the lettuce up and give it back to him. Today I moved the water bottle to a new spot and he went up to it and sat there making motions with his mouth like he was drinking, despite his mouth being a half centimeter away from the spout. He always eventually will come back and manage to to it the right way, however, so he's not starving or dehydrated.

I did as much research as I could to make sure I didn't give them anything that would be bad for them, and since my other rat seems fine, I'm thinking it might be breeding instead of environmental.

Some details of how they live if you feel like looking through to look for potential causes....
-Bedding is unscented, undyed Carefresh brand
-Big cage with horizontal bars 1 cm apart that they can climb, and a couple of unfinished wooden ramps and levels
-Old coconut half-shell with a hole in the side that they like to sleep inside
-For the first week, they ate Fiesta brand food (which was all the pet store had). I made sure to pick out the peanuts, but that food was pretty terrible. Tons of corn and nuts and sometimes random cheerios and other bits. Since then, their Mazuri lab blocks have arrived and they've been eating that.
-My water doesn't have fluoride (so my dad says, but he usually makes a point to know these things); it is chlorinated however
-For toys: The cage came with a white, cardboard "rope" ball and they've chewed that up to some degree (I removed it from their cage after the non-challenged one got his head stuck in it). They have another toy from the pet store that's similar, three braided cardboard rope balls hanging from undyed string. I also put a used up toilet paper roll in there because I read on a rat website that they love to play with it and can chew it. They chewed it a tiny bit and I ended up throwing it out.
-For treats: I often bring them tiny bits of leftovers from my dinner, and they've eaten: Lettuce, broccoli, chicken, grapes, carrots, peas, and corn. They've also eaten yogurt treats from the petstore and a cheese-shaped chewing treat from Walmart (which is the most recent new thing they eaten, making me think it could be the culprit; if anyone would like the ingredients from the packaging, I can provide them)


The rats have been subjected to light handling, they've never been dropped. We move their cage at night to another room so I can sleep (their water bottle noises keep me up), and they seem to enjoy the ride more than anything.

Does anyone have any ideas? Do rats just sometimes act this way and I shouldn't worry?


----------



## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

It sounds like it could be neurological but its hard to say without seeing your rat. Try to take some video and post it. Its concerning and no, its not normal rat behavior. I'd book a vet visit ASAP.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hmm..does his head look more domed and rounded than the other babies? Can you take pics or video at all? it does sound neurological, but I also want to make sure its not just a character quirk. Some rats look liek they are chewing or rolling their tongues out, and its a different version of bruxxing...I call it lip smacking and there's nothing wrong with it just a behaviour.


----------



## burbles (Oct 3, 2012)

lilspaz68 said:


> Hmm..does his head look more domed and rounded than the other babies? Can you take pics or video at all? it does sound neurological, but I also want to make sure its not just a character quirk. Some rats look liek they are chewing or rolling their tongues out, and its a different version of bruxxing...I call it lip smacking and there's nothing wrong with it just a behaviour.


Here are some pictures. He is the grey hooded one.


----------



## Ratmaster (Sep 21, 2012)

I must say i really admire your photo taking skills...i could never get a picture that good. Call me crazy lol!  .......... And ur rats are adorable!


----------



## burbles (Oct 3, 2012)

Haha, thank you. I literally just stuck the camera in the cage on auto and started snapping, no effort or skills required.


----------



## Mrm911 (Jul 6, 2012)

Maybe he is blind or has problems seeing. Or maybe blind in one eye so he cant just tell distance. By they way they are adorable.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Basically, play with the rats a few hours a day like you normally do every day see how he does as compared with his companion. If he shapes up or remains playful and interactive, it's ok to have a wierd rat, not all humans are the same. If he has problems interacting with you and his buddy have a vet take a look.

A friend had a rat with a brain tumor, one day it killed it's roommate then it attacked its owner then it died within 2 weeks. Rats can have anything from developmental issues to tumors to neurological problems. Some problems are debilitating and some are not. Some are degenerative other's can improve. It's either watch and wait or see a vet.

Good luck.


----------



## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

Tell your rat I think he's adorable and I'm rooting for him.


----------



## burbles (Oct 3, 2012)

Capistrono said:


> Tell your rat I think he's adorable and I'm rooting for him.


Hahaha, I will. I think I'll let him be. He's a little touched, but he's still able to feed and drink and he's the sweetest creature ever.


----------

