how to get a rat with pneumonia to eat

Question
I have a female rat who is about 14 months old who recently came down with pneumonia. She has two liquid medications that she needs to take orally every day and is not eating or drinking very well. I was wondering if there are any tricks to get her to take her medication ( she hates the syringe ) and how to get her to eat and drink. She's pretty bony and were thinking about getting baby food and Gatorade for her.


Thanks,
Claire

Answer
I'm sorry that your girl is ill.  It's difficult to get a rat to eat when she's not feeling well, yet it's important so that she can keep up her strength so that she can heal.  Licking is easier than eating solid foods when she's ill, so I would recommend Ensure, which provides the nutrients she needs.  Try vanilla flavor.  It's a rattie favorite.  Also, try Pedilite rather than Gatorade for providing electrolytes.

Rather than baby food, you can try mixing the meds into the Ensure, but if the meds are very bitter, Ensure May not hide it that well.  You can try instead mixing it into something sweeter such as ice cream, pure maple syrup, strawberry syrup, etc. to give you some ideas.

I hope that your baby pulls through and recovers soon.  Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.