Warning Signs
If your rat is showing any of the following symptoms, they could be ill:
Heavy breathing, blue tinge to the nose, mouth, feet, and tail, weakness, listlessness, coughing, loss of appetite.
Dental
Lumps on the jaw, teeth not aligned properly, drooling, inability to chew hard foods, loss of appetite, weight loss.
Loss of appetite, sudden weight gain or weight loss, diarrhea, hard or abnormally large stools, blood in the stool or coming from the anus, drooling, difficulty swallowing, listlessness, tightness in the abdomen.
Nervous
Heat tilting, walking in circles, ticks, paralysis of the tail, hind end, or higher, seizures.
Renal (Urinary)
Increased or decreased urination, blood in the urine, pain during urination, redness or swelling around the urethra, inability to retract penis.
Reproductive
Pus or blood coming from the vagina, lumps on the mammary glands or testicles, labor for more than 2 hours without producing a baby, swollen or hot mammaries while nursing.
Respiratory
Red discharge around the eyes and nose, excessive sneezing, wheezing, hunched posture, a rattling or squeaking sound in the lungs, head tilting, listlessness.
Skeletal
Leg or tail kinked or bent in a strange way, swelling around the joint, bones breaking through the skin, twisted joints.
Skin
Lumps, bumps, lesions, cuts, bruises, sores, anything weeping or leaking pus or blood, loss of hair, parasites, itching of the skin, redness of the skin, dandruff, dry skin.
Other
Change in personality, sudden aggressiveness, sudden fear.
What to Do if You Suspect Your Rat is Sick or Hurt
Veterinary care should be sought if you suspect your rat is sick, hurt, or in pain. Carefully move your rat into a carrying cage or cardboard box with air holes and give him some bedding or a towel so he feels warm and comfortable. If he is in a lot of pain he may be frightened and act aggressively towards you, so be mindful of this. Restrain him with a towel, if necessary, to avoid injury to yourself.
