Why is my rat dragging her hind legs and acting sick after escaping?

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.

I would recommend making sure Luna is defecting normally. If she is constipated or having diarrhea she may be painful in the area of her tail/rectum. I would also recommend looking closely around her rectum/tail to make sure there are no wounds present. She may have discomfort in this area because of pain/arthritis in her hips as well. If she is still acting painful for more than a couple of days and/or if you find a wound or notice abnormal stool and/or a decreased appetite you should probably take her in to be examined by your vet. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

I am sorry to hear about your rat! There are numerous possible causes for this issue, including trauma resulting in skeletal injury or injury to a nerve or the spine. Degenerative disease as well as some tumors can also cause paralysis of the limbs. I would recommend having Falicity examined by a veterinarian to ensure she isn't in pain and to see if something may be done to help (for example, some tumors may be surgically removed). Best of luck to you and Falicity!

Thanks for reaching out about Rosy. She should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible, as something like a concussion will respond better if addressed earlier. See your veterinarian now. Good luck.

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!

I am sorry to hear about Remy. Unfortunately without a vet I don't think there is much to do for Remy besides being sure he is provided with a nice soft/comfortable area to sleep and being sure there aren't areas in his cage he could fall (such as a tall shelf or box) and monitoring to be sure he is eating and drinking. If he is having trouble getting around then be sure he has easy access to food and water. If he isn't moving on his own you may need to offer him water via a syringe and place his food right in front of him. If he isn't improving you may need to travel to wherever a vet is located closest to you. Best of luck.

Based on what you are describing it does sound as if Lucy is very ill. I would recommend either having her rechecked at your veterinarian or asking for a referral to an exotic capitalistic that can perform more specialized tests on small mammals like blood work, x-rays, and ultrasounds. Based on the age of your rat she may have something more serious going on like an internal infection or cancer. In the meantime, try to encourage Lucy to eat as best you can by offering her her favorite foods and/or syringe feeding her some baby food. I'm sorry to hear that she is not doing well and I hope your vet can help you find answers. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.