sick rat?

Question
I have a liter of rats, they are about 9 to 10 weeks old, the males are separate from the girls, I am not sure what is wrong with one of my girls, she is lethargic, rapid breathing, her nose is damp, and appears that she may be dehydrated, I try to give her water but she acts as if she cant sallow she does open her eyes, and twitch her whiskers, and she lifts her tail occasionally but she is unable to stand, she lays on her side.

Answer
Hi Chris, this sounds quite serious.  Are you a breeder?  Was this little girl the runt of the litter?  Did she seem like she wasn't getting enough milk from her mama due to bigger stronger babies getting first dibs?  Did the mama take care of this one like she did the others or perhaps less?  She may not be healthy in general if she was the runt, or born with a defect.  I can't conclude anything for sure.

Is she the only one appearing ill?  It's also possible she has a respiratory infection which is common in rats, but she is awfully young to be so ill especially if the others are in good health.

Regardless of the cause, you really shouldn't hesitate another moment in taking her to a vet.  If she does have an infection, antibiotics are likely to help her.  She may not make it otherwise.

Please let me know how she's doing now...I pray she pulls through, poor baby.