# Poor rats and any suggestions are appreciated. :(



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

There was an ad on craigslist.com a few days ago that said "two male hairless rats, 1yr old - free". I have always had pet rats, and I already a hairless female and a normal female. No, hah, I never had any intentions to breed, but I figured I'd go ahead and look into taking on the two male rats. I went to pick them up at a nice suburban house in an upper-middle class neighborhood on the west side of Orlando. What I saw was horrible. Two full grown male hairless rats housed in a 10gallon glass aquarium. They were FILTHY, smelled like urine, and were SO skinny. One much thinner than the other, but both are terribly underweight. Even though they looked bad, I had to take them anyway. Couldn't forgive myself for leaving them in that horrible place. The owners said that I could take their "cage" too, but I said "no way!" and gave them a piece of my mind about their rat-keeping skills. I went by Petsmart on the way home and bought a nice large wire-mesh cage. 

I've put down some thick cellulose-fiber type bedding, some old bedsheets for them to cuddle up in, and a cracker box. I put a heating pad under one side of the cage, and I put up a fresh waterbottle with a full bowl of food. SOund like a decent set-up?

Neither rat has much appetite. Is there anything I can try to get them to eat? 

They are so sweet, docile, and not even all that old -, it's an awful shame that they were so neglected. They have a good home now - I just need to get them through this rough time - any suggestions are appreciated!


----------



## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

aw, poor babies..they look so emaciated.  
i'm glad you've taken them in..some people are just unfit to be pet owners!
maybe could give them "yummy" food..i know my rats LOVE hardboiled eggs and go crazy for them. maybe try fruit/veggies as well?
and if they're not drinking, put a bit of sugar in their water.
they could also not be eating much due to a new home, so i'm sure things will improve with your care in a few days!


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

the skinnier one is so dehydrated that I got some diluted fruit juice down him with a syringe. I'll probably do that a few times in the next few days. I have the cage covered now so hopefully they won't get drafts. They cuddle together to try to keep warm. I hope they turn out okay, they are sweet little boys. 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll boil some eggs for them tomorrow. Hopefully the juice will get them a little bit more motivated to eat on their own.


----------



## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

sending good vibes your way..i'll keep the little guys in my thoughts!


----------



## sonoma (May 26, 2007)

Good grief, those poor rats! I really donâ€™t know how people can live with themselves sometimes. :? 

Honestly, I think Iâ€™d take them both to a vet ASAP. I bet a course of antibiotics would do them a world of good. As for foods, maybe try baby food. When one of my rats had an ear infection I gave her Ensure and applesauce, which she loved. 

Good luck with the poor little guys, hope they're feeling better soon. :wink:


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

Yes, the vet will have to be Monday, after I get paid. Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting such a dire situation, and I've found myself in a financial tight spot. I get paid some debts on Monday, though, and straight to the vet we go.

Does baby food flavor or type matter? I don't want anything that might make them sicker, given the circumstances.


Aww, you have a rat named Fiona...so do I. That's her in my icon.


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

Small steps, small steps. 

The skinnier of the two rats just wobbled over to the water bottle ON HIS OWN and started drinking! I squeezed the bottle a bit to make it all easier for him. Then the other rat came over and they both spent a good two minutes side by side lapping up clean water. It made me so happy - at least they are taking in fluids!!


----------



## sonoma (May 26, 2007)

Aw, your Fiona is cute!

Iâ€™d try veggie and turkey baby foods. And the Ensure, maybe some oatmeal too. But in small frequent meals. I've never seen such thin ratties, much less had to nurse them back to health, so hopefully someone with more experience will speak up.

edit-typo


----------



## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Oh poor dears! That's what drives me crazy about Craigslist, but I keep going back to it, and at least you were able to get them out of there! 
Try yummy fruits, I know watermelon is (suprise) most water, that might be good for the dehydrated one. 

I don't know exactly how applicable this is to rats, but I think it probably works the same way. But when people come out of the wild, or off Survivor, or something where they haven't been eating well, then tend to get sick from eating too much food. So I would try to feed them smaller and gradually increasing amounts to give their bodies time to get used to nutrition again.


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

I thought of names for them. 

Gollum for the really skinny one because, well, he sort of looks like Gollum. heh Plus, while I was syringe-feeding him, he was SO saying "NOOO we don't wants the syringe! We HATES it!"

Sam for the slightly less skinny one because he is caring and sweet and supports his friend with everything he has. He lets Gollum rest his head on his back.


----------



## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

But Gollum didn't have any friends.  :lol:

I'm glad to hear they're drinking. Perhaps Ensure or something similar for liquid and vitamins.


----------



## bonercrave (Oct 3, 2007)

Avocado is good to get them to put on weight quickly; it's really fattening and my rats love it go nuts for it.


----------



## kaylaface (Sep 6, 2007)

Oh they are so lucky that you came along and rescued them! Yeah I would suggest that you take them to the vet and have them checked out. Maybe even have them treated for internal parasites just in case that is part of they're being under weight.


----------



## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

aww those poor boys look the absolute picture of miseryness but at least they will have a good home with you


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

Today they are doing MUCH better! The are walking around a little bit more and are pretty interested in their surroundings. I put another water bottle up, so now there is one with Pedialyte and one with plain water. They drank a lot last night, and even nibbled a little bit on some of the fruits and veggies that I put in. I'm going to put some new fresh veggies in this morning, and hopefully success will continue. 

Gollum still walks around like an old man with bad palsy, but he's a little stronger, I think.

Gollum DOES have friends  Sam takes good care of him. Hey, this isn't Lord of the Rings. 

I called my vet and set up an appointment for Monday morning.


----------



## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Katy, you rock.


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

aww thanks  I just don't want to see these little guys die.  They are eating diluted chicken dinner baby food now - ON THEIR OWN! I just have it in a little shallow bowl and they are both lapping it up. I can't wait to see them put weight on - especially Gollum, I am most worried about him.


----------



## yashu (Sep 14, 2007)

What I find interesting is how rats mimic many of the things humans go through when they are put through bad situations. Depression, loss of appetite, losing a will to thrive, and so on.

I am glad you are helping them. I am sure they will be fine in a few weeks.


----------



## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

A rat's psychology is very similar to that of a human's. That's why they are used in psychological lab tests.


----------



## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

cjshrader said:


> A rat's psychology is very similar to that of a human's. That's why they are used in psychological lab tests.


And why they are so fascinating to me...


----------



## Inesita (Feb 18, 2007)

Aw, poor babies..  I'm glad they're doing better, though!


----------



## DFW_Rat_Luvr (Aug 29, 2007)

Sparker said:


> Katy, you rock.


I agree!!!!!


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

baby cerealmixed with strawberry Ensure or Boost (or generic equivalent), a little olive oil and if you can buy some Nutravite, or Ferretvite (vitamin supplement goo in a tube) that really can help with weight gain and nutrients. Eggs (boiled, scrambled, not fried). cereal mixes (light and easy to hold onto).

Those are lovely boys and remind me of my old nakie girls I took in a few months ago. Lisbet wasn't quite as skinny but she worried me. Abs, love, fresh water, and good food now has given me 2 almost 30 month old girls who have no clue of their age.

good luck at the vets!!

You also might want to offer a shallow heavy bowl of water as well as the waterbottles. Any opportunity to get water into them. If they are older they may be going through the natural process of renal failure and the extra water will flush the toxins that have built up.


----------



## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

poor babies 
glad you were able to save them


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

lilspaz68 said:


> baby cerealmixed with strawberry Ensure or Boost (or generic equivalent), a little olive oil and if you can buy some Nutravite, or Ferretvite (vitamin supplement goo in a tube) that really can help with weight gain and nutrients. Eggs (boiled, scrambled, not fried). cereal mixes (light and easy to hold onto).
> 
> Those are lovely boys and remind me of my old nakie girls I took in a few months ago. Lisbet wasn't quite as skinny but she worried me. Abs, love, fresh water, and good food now has given me 2 almost 30 month old girls who have no clue of their age.
> 
> ...


thanks for all of the great suggestions! Seems as if I am on the right track. I made them some boiled eggs this morning.  They picked at one and I ate the other two. haha Ooh, I can get Nutravite, I'd forgotten about that stuff. 

Thankfully these rats are under a year old (between 9mo and 1yr) so I don't think it's renal failure or cancer. Yes, the chance is always there, but less likely given their age. 

I love 'em, they're sweet boys.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

If you go the baby food route, my friend suggests sweet potato mixed with evaporated milk (he calls it rat crack), mine go nuts over the baby cereal/strawberry Boost. You can also go with any of the chicken or turkey with veggie combos, but not the pasta ones with red sauce (they don't seem to like those). I found any of the beef baby food didn't go over well and instead of jarred veggies, go fresh. Try cooked pasta, anything really to get those nutrients/calories in.

I will be watching this thread for lots of updates.
Great names! Gollum has friends in this version and a whole forum rooting for his health and well-being along with Sam's. :mrgreen: 

Good luck Nakie boys...Lisbet and Bella send you their best wishes!


----------



## twilight (Apr 20, 2007)

Aww, poor ratties!  I'm so glad you took them in and now they are getting spoiled like they deserve.


----------



## Akiko (Oct 10, 2007)

That's so sad v.v Lucky that they have someone to take them and help them.
Though, this did make me think of something. When humans are severely starved, its bad to let them eat too much right away. Is it the same for rats? Seems like it would be.


----------



## katy_green (Oct 18, 2007)

They can't gorge themselves. They had no appetite. What little I could get them to eat was progress.

I am about to make an update thread with GOOD NEWS


----------



## Akiko (Oct 10, 2007)

Oh I know, I read that. I was just talking rats in general.


----------

