My baby rat is lethargic & unstable after injury. No vet, what to do?

This could be commonly due to a spinal cord problem (slipped disc with nerve compression, or spinal cord stroke). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Just make sure to keep an eye on it and try to clean it very gently at least once a day with warm water and a mild soap, you can use a gauze pad to do this. Dry it carefully and then apply your topical treatment. However, if this stresses him out too much, just continue as you have been doing. Make sure his toes stay pink and warm and he keeps getting better. If anything at all changes for the worse, swelling, weeping wound, loss of appetite or activity level, if his toes change color or get cold, get him back in to see your vet right away. It sounds like you're doing a good job caring for his injury.

Hello there! This little rat does not look very good at all. Unfortunately, there are many different diseases that outdoor rats can have - some that are zoonotic (this means transmissable to humans and other animals, so be sure to wash well after handling him) - and without a complete workup by a vet, it's not likely that he's going to survive the next couple of days. Even if you do bring him to the vet, there might not be much that can be done for him at this point. He is thin, he has a hunched body posture (an indicator of pain and severe stress), and his sunken, squinted eyes indicate dehydration. The respiratory symptoms you mentioned are very common in wild rat species, and are usually fatal. I highly suggest that you contact a veterinarian and consider humane euthanasia for this guy. You could also try to call a wildlife rehabber, but only if you can get in touch with one that will take the rat immediately. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you've done everything you can at home. If you can't get him to the vet right away, keep him warm and quiet. His little container looks quite comfy, but he needs professional care. Thank you for taking him in, and good luck.

All you can do is supportive care if you are unable to get her to a vet. This means syringe feeding food and liquids: Liquids: * dilute human electrolyte solution * soy milk * plain water Foods: * human baby food (they seem to really like peas, turkey and mixed veggie) * baby cereal * applesauce Try to get organic or ones with low sugar. You can usually get a syringe from any pharmacy or feed/pet shop. Keep her warm and dry - if you have her housed with other rats, separate them. You can refer to this link for more information: ( https://www.wikihow.com/Syringe-Feed-a-Sick-Rat ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal or respiratory diseases (infection/inflammations) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. A check up is needed if the signs last for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

If he’s eating and drinking then keep him in a small cage so he can heal. He should improve over several weeks. The heavy breathing is probably from pain and will get better as he improves. Do not give any medication and I would let him be quiet and rest. With less movement and rest he should get better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your baby rat.

Thanks for reaching out about Luna. Sounds as if she needs to be seen by a veterinarian to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Back injuries respond better to earlier intervention, than later. Remove all platforms, or anything else she could fall from to lessen chance of re-injury. Good luck.