-My rat(Binkie) has vertigo. She has an inner ear infection, and maybe a brain tumor. I've been feeding her baby food through a syringe. Here are my questions:
1. How can I tell if she's hungry?
2. How can I tell if I've fed her too much? (I've fed her a lot today and she's still eating more?)
3. Since she's used to solid food, does it make since that she's bruxing right after I give it to her?
4. I've never heard of this before, at first I thought she was having a seizure. But I guess when rats like,, shake their heads it's equivelant to a cat purring?
5. She doesn't like drinking water out of the syringe. How can I give it to her? (she was sucking on a wet piece of toilet paper I was using to clean her mouth after the baby food, so maybe she's thirsty and doesnt like the syringe? But I TP is soft, and I don't want her to get it in her mouth and try to smallow it (the first night before we got her to a vet she choked on a piece of a melon)
6. Can she eat jell~o through a syringe? ;)
7. She's not... pooing too much. Only once or twice in 2 days. But she she didn't eat for 3 days before we found out she had the problem. Is it possible that the food we gave her two days ago hasn't fully gone through her digestive system yet?
8. Any more advice is GREEEAT.
Pleeeease help! ANY help at all is appreciated. I want her to be safe, the poor thing might not have too much longer, I don't want her to go cuzza starving;( I mean, I've been through soo much just worrying about how she might die of a brain tumor, if she dies of hunger, it'll be stuuupid.
Please help!
amber.erica@yahoo.comAbout a month ago, I took my Hairless Female Rat to the vet because she was spinning in circles with her head tilted. The vet was unaware if it was a Brain Tumor or a Bacterial Infection (she had an Upper Respiratory Infection about two months before) that spread to her Brain. The vet kept her for two nights, and they kept telling me she wasn't going to get any better - so my mom and I decided to have her put down, it was one of the hardest decisions I had ever made. My dad built her a coffin, and we planned to have her euthanized the next day. The vet had her on an Anti-biotic and Prednisone (a steroid.) However, when we called to tell the vet, we were told she miraculously got better and was ready to come home! (Prayer works!)
When we brought her home, we were given the Anti-biotic and the steroid to give her twice a day and we knew it wouldn't be easy, and I was faced with some of the problems you have now. To answer your questions, from my own experience I can say this:
1 - 3:
I placed a tupperware lid in my Rat's quarantine cage and got two different types of baby foods (a banana one for breakfast/lunch and a chicken one for lunch/dinner) and put it on the lid and sat it in the cage - changing it three times a day for the three different meals. I also made sure to give her water through a syringe to make sure she was staying hydrated and I left a food and water bowl in the cage for when she was strong enough to do things on her own.
4:
I can't say the answer to that, I always thought when my rat's stood on their legs and bobbed their heads it was a good sign :p
5:
Sometimes you have to physically get the syringe in her mouth and sort of help her swallow, because for some reason Rat's see a syringe and automatically don't like the take what's in it even though it's useful. So you might need to put it in her mouth and squirt it in, because Rat's know that once it's in their mouths, they're going to swallow because it's easier.
6:
I wouldn't feed them jell-o :)
7:
When my Rat came home from the vet, she didn't Poop for three days, and she didn't Pee for longer than that. However, once she started going again, it became normal again - she's sick, so it's normal for her to be weak.
8:
- Make sure to leave water and food in the cage at all times in case your rat absolutely needs it during the night or she regains her strength.
- Pray, if you're religious. Hope, if you're not - it works.
- Keeping a lid with baby food in the cage is good because they can always come back to it throughout the day and lap it up, but also try and feed her dissolved rat pellets through the syringe for necessary nutrients.
- Keep the cage warm, but not the whole cage in case it's too warm for the Rat to withstand.
- Don't give up and make sure to give your Rat just as much love because you never know what's going to happen.
I hope your rat gets better, and I sincerely hope I helped!You may want to take her to a vet to be diagnosed. Then that way she could get the proper treatment and/or meds she may need.
I'm sorry about your pet. Here's a little help...
1. Have her on a regular feeding schedule. For most rodents, I'd guess that it would be about every 6hrs. You can be lenient since she's an adult, and go up to 8hrs for sleep and school/work.
2. You can feel her belly when you're feeding her. If her stomach is full, it will be taught & harder. (Think about how your belly expands when you eat a large meal. It gets harder.)
3. that's normal. Bruxing is activated as part of the food stimulation.
5. you're on the right track. You can put a wet sea spunge in her cage with her. Do not use the commercial sponges with dyes and chemicals, rather find one that is natural, unprocessed. Place the sponge in a small tray of water and it will continuously stay moist and your pet can drink the water from the sponge. If you can't find a sponge, you can try a 100% cotton wash cloth.
6. I think that's a bad idea. Would you want someone force feeding you chocolate cake?
7. She's probably not getting the proper nutrition required for her to have normal bowel function. Don't worry, just get her on a normal feeding schedule and everything should correct itself.
Good luck!
I would suggest getting a small scale, such as one used for measuring food(they sometimes sell as low as $20). You need to weigh her now, and keep record of her weight. If you see a drop in weight than you are not feeding enough. It is the best way to ensure you are feeding her enough.
You can also get a product called Nutrical, it is a supplement that is made for weight gain. It is a good product for keeping weight on an ill animal.
When are you going back to the vet? Is she circling when she walks, falling over, etc. If that is the case, it is not a good sign.
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