# Rat won't eat and acting strange



## PurpleThimble

My rat Thimble is sick with an upper respiratory infection. Before we took her to the vet, she had stopped eating, except maybe a few treats if we could make her. After a few days of medicine she seemed to be improving, and wanted to come out instead of lying around all day. She would also take more food, but still refused to even touch her lab block. Well now we made her a grain mix, which includes a lot of the things she loves as treats. But she just doesn't want it. Even putting the bowl right up next to her, she won't take anything out of it, and doesn't seem to be hungry at all. However, when I take something out of the bowl and give it to her from my hand, she'll happily eat it and then beg for more. For days she's really only been eating the treats we give her, so I don't see how she isn't hungry. 

Now, another problem. I went out today and when I got back, she was sitting in a corner under her wheel, and didn't seem to want to move. Suddenly, she sat up, turned around several times until she got her tail in her mouth, and then began licking it. I didn't see a cut or anything on it. I tried to lure her out with a treat, but she would only come halfway out and try to grab it. She seemed to get a burst of energy, and started frantically digging in her bedding. She then went around the cage being really spazzy, running on her wheel (which she barely ever does), digging in her bedding and litter box. It almost seemed like she was looking for food, but when I held the bowl up to her, she just sniffed around in it for a second and then went back to digging. I can't figure out what shes trying to do. She keeps alternating between lying around not wanting to move and being super energetic and frantic.

Other things to know: Her friends Paisley recently died, so she's probably pretty depressed about that still.
It's pretty hot out today, but I don't think so much that it would affect her behavior.

Sorry this is long, thanks in advance for any help.


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## lilspaz68

the frantic behaviour makes me first think of panicked running, not sure about the digging...does she seem to breathe harder when she does these things or seem stressed? 

Have you tried soft foods that are easy for her to lick up? Really sick respy rats won't even attempt hard foods because they cannot gnaw, chew and swallow then breathe, whereas something lickable like baby cereal would be lick, swallow.. breathe.


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## PurpleThimble

I didn't notice her breathing harder really. But she did seem kinda stressed. She has stopped now, but still seems sort of stressed out. She's in her house and refuses to come out.

Well she'll eat soft things, but she also has no problem eating hard things like uncooked pasta, so I'm not sure that's the problem. I'm just concerned because she doesn't seem to _want_ to eat. Also, I'm worried she isn't getting the nutrition she needs.


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## cagedbirdsinging

Agreeing with lilspaz here.

I think you should try to see if she'll take some baby food.


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## PurpleThimble

Ok, hopefully I can get some tomorrow. Are there specific kinds of baby food that would be good for her?

I have finally gotten her to eat some treats out of her bowl! But I still need a substitute for the lab blocks she won't eat, since the mix I have in her bowl is just to go along with that. Is baby food ok instead of lab block if I can get her to eat that?


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## cagedbirdsinging

If she has a favorite kind of treat, go with that. I think the sweet potato flavor is always a hit.

You can use the crumbs at the bottom of the bag of blocks to mix in with the baby food, or grind up a block.


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## PurpleThimble

All right, I'll try that. Thanks for the advice!


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## lilspaz68

I actually use baby cereal and Ensure, not baby food (my rats are real picky when it comes to baby food but the sweet potato one almost always works)


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## skookiesprite

*Thank you so much... never thought of that*



lilspaz68 said:


> the frantic behaviour makes me first think of panicked running, not sure about the digging...does she seem to breathe harder when she does these things or seem stressed?
> 
> Have you tried soft foods that are easy for her to lick up? Really sick respy rats won't even attempt hard foods because they cannot gnaw, chew and swallow then breathe, whereas something lickable like baby cereal would be lick, swallow.. breathe.


So I wasn't wild with the vet's response when my rat started changing (lethargy, seeming lack of appetite, increased shyness, sneezing, eventually squeeking and labored breathing etc... and yeah, anyone wants to yell at me, well, they're my first rats, and I read everything I could, but until you have them, how the **** am I supposed to know when a rats sick? lol)... so I wasn't real wild with the vet, but now I'm actually pretty angry for not telling me about the solid food thing... it's something I never would have thought of until tonight, when out of sheer desperation (because, while his symptoms have improved, he, himself, has been diminishing), I held a lab block up to my sick rat (respiratory) and - to my shock - he started to eat it... and eat it... and eat it... and then I realized that he couldn't HOLD THE THING. I put his cagemate into a temporary cage, and ended up sitting there for an hour while Nicodemus (I know... I know...) ate almost an entire lab block. Thank you *SO* much... hopefully, I've gotten this information soon enough to save the little guy's life... On my way to the store for baby food in mere moments.

Btw: I thought that his cagemate had just been stealing all of his food and beating him up (which was why I had assumed he wouldn't come out of his hide box and stuff) and was getting ready to completely separate the two (which I didn't want to do) when I made my discover (of holding he block for Nicodemus), and then I searched (God, I've searched so much about my rats weird behavior over the last four days) again, thinking that maybe Nicodemus had hurt his paw or was simply totally dying and unable to eat... In short... rats are pretty awesomely complicated creatures, and it was hard for me to understand the intersection of the multiple causes for his behavior. I feel so relieved. I hope he lives. Thanks again.


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## lilspaz68

skookiesprite said:


> So I wasn't wild with the vet's response when my rat started changing (lethargy, seeming lack of appetite, increased shyness, sneezing, eventually squeeking and labored breathing etc... and yeah, anyone wants to yell at me, well, they're my first rats, and I read everything I could, but until you have them, how the **** am I supposed to know when a rats sick? lol)... so I wasn't real wild with the vet, but now I'm actually pretty angry for not telling me about the solid food thing... it's something I never would have thought of until tonight, when out of sheer desperation (because, while his symptoms have improved, he, himself, has been diminishing), I held a lab block up to my sick rat (respiratory) and - to my shock - he started to eat it... and eat it... and eat it... and then I realized that he couldn't HOLD THE THING. I put his cagemate into a temporary cage, and ended up sitting there for an hour while Nicodemus (I know... I know...) ate almost an entire lab block. Thank you *SO* much... hopefully, I've gotten this information soon enough to save the little guy's life... On my way to the store for baby food in mere moments.
> 
> Btw: I thought that his cagemate had just been stealing all of his food and beating him up (which was why I had assumed he wouldn't come out of his hide box and stuff) and was getting ready to completely separate the two (which I didn't want to do) when I made my discover (of holding he block for Nicodemus), and then I searched (God, I've searched so much about my rats weird behavior over the last four days) again, thinking that maybe Nicodemus had hurt his paw or was simply totally dying and unable to eat... In short... rats are pretty awesomely complicated creatures, and it was hard for me to understand the intersection of the multiple causes for his behavior. I feel so relieved. I hope he lives. Thanks again.



Shookie, vets don't often know or understand about the little things that rat owners observe at home...they see a sick rat at the clinic, treat it, etc...but usually never mention or think of the after-care details. 
If your boy was unable to grasp items and he was in the range of 17 months and up, he might have had a pituitary tumour. These are fatal, but the growth can be slowed with steroids or even treated with new medications that hte Rat World is trying out (cabergoline depending on your area, and bromocriptine which I use).


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## FletchyC

Sorry to intrude here, I am going through the same with my poor rat, who's friend died on Friday, just wondering lilspaz, you say about soft foods, if they then begin to eat harder food that they need to chew, is this a good sign? Or is it just her being hungry do you know? 


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