Baby Rat with possible broken spine, please help

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have three little girl rats. I woke up Thursday morning to find that one of them was not using her back leg and had some reddish discharge around the nose. She was still eating, drinking, and moving quite well despite the injury but I decided to take her to the vet anyway. The veterinarian said she most likely broke her femur or lower back and recommended x-rays, which I couldn't afford. I did get her pain medication and two kinds of antibiotics which I've been giving her regularly. By the time I got her home from the vet she looked even worse though. She started to scoot along on just one side of her body and seemed unable to lift her head. Nevertheless, she was still eating, drinking, and moving. The scooting on the ground caused debris to get in her eye and although I replaced the bedding with cloth and have been flushing her eye with saline solution I fear she may lose it. She seems to have gotten progressively worse throughout the day. She ate very little today and is now refusing water. I guess what I'm wondering is if she has a chance at healing or if I should have her put to sleep. She's only about six weeks old so it breaks my heart to see her like this. I rescued her from a feeder rat bin about a month ago so she was very small at the time but has adjusted wonderfully and is extremely affectionate.

ANSWER: That is SO very sad!  I really hate bringing bad news to you, but it is very difficult for a rat to break her spine and highly unlikely.  From the symptoms you describe, it sounds like a genetic neurological defect.  The red discharge around her nose is not blood but porphyrin, which is a sign of stress.  Your baby is in a lot of pain and suffering.  If I am correct about the defect, it is not something she will recover from and she will continue to suffer and it is likely to end in death.  I do suggest you have her put down to end her suffering.  I know that is an extremely difficult thing to do.  I empathize as I recently had to make a decision to put one of my girls down as she was dying a slow death from tumors (she however was old and towards the end of her life, but regardless, heartbreaking for me nonetheless).

I commend you on saving your baby from the feeder bin.  It sounds like you have a huge heart.  The thing about feeder rats however is that they are bred on rat farms with no attempt to breed for health.  They often have medical issues, all different kinds.  She may not have lived a full long life even regardless of this problem.  If you love rats and want to have them for a long time, I always highly recommend adopting from a very reputable breeder.  They are not hard to find really, you just need to know what to look for and the right questions to ask (because there are a good number of bad breeders out there too).  I can help you locate one in your area if you like...just let me know if and when you are ready.  

You didn't say if your other two girls were also from the feeder bin.  Even if so, it's not to say they will for certain have health issues, just much more likely than well bred rats.  If they are from the feeder, just brace yourself that you might have to deal with health issues.

Again, I am so sad for you and your little baby...it is heartbreaking to see these little helpless creatures suffering.  Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your advice and concern. She died yesterday and it wasn't until then that I began calling around to see about having  her put down. I spent most of the weekend caring for her and was holding out on the hope that she might recover as she seemed to start looking a little better at one point. My other two rats aren't feeders, I got them from Petco to be companions for Lux. I'm not sure where they get their rats from and the employees didn't seem to know but I'm hoping they'll have better health. They're not near as affectionate as Lux was but I'm hoping they'll warm up in time as I haven't had them very long. I had two male rats for four years, both of whom suddenly died within a week of each other but they were older and it came on quite suddenly so I never considered having them put down. When I called about Lux yesterday it was over a hundred dollars. Is that standard? I would like to get another little girl at some point.

Answer
Oh my gosh I am so sorry for you!  That poor little baby, but at least she went quickly and didn't suffer for more than a few days.  You bring up several points in your question, so I will address each one seperately.

Regarding Petco, I DO know where they get their rats from: rat farms.  A rat farm is where rats are bred by the hundreds simply for profit, with no attempt to control health or temperment.  They are then sold to pet stores.  The pet stores usually separate the "prettier", friendlier and more unusual looking ones and sell them as pets, while the rest they sell as feeders.  So basically pet store rats and feeder rats are one and the same.  I hate to bring you this news, but it is the honest and very sad truth.  I never, ever recommend buying rats from any pet store.  

Now, sometimes, you can get lucky and end up with a super friendly rat that lives a good 2 years or more.  But even so, at about that age, they (girls) often develop mammary tumors...extremely common especially if the rats come from a pet store.  A friend of mine's daughter has had female pet rats throughout her young life.  They always buy them in pairs from a pet store, and they are always cute and friendly, but notoriously, between 18 to 24 months, they develop tumors, and my friend has them put down.  They then turn right around and buy another pair, and go through all this again and again.  I've tried to suggest using breeders to my friend, but they just go for the convenience of the pet store.  This is why I believe most people, unfortunately, do get their rats from pet stores.  Working with a breeder takes a little more effort and patience, but is truly well worth it in the long run.

That said, you didn't say how long you've had your other 2 girls, but if it's not that long, and they are not that friendly, and you are not attached to them, you might consider giving them to a rescue (please...not to a pet store!).  This is only a suggestion, but I just cringe thinking about you losing them early to health problems, not to mention the vet bills along the way.  Vets are very expensive.

Regarding your male rats....4 years!! That is amazing that they had such a long life.  That is very rare and you are lucky.  Then again, males don't often have issues with mammary tumors.

Your last question about the euthanasia.  $100 is about right if it is done correctly and humanely.  If you were to get a substantially lower price quote, I'd question that they are not doing it humanely.  The humane way is to anesthetize the rat completely, as if they were to undergo surgery (sedation is not enough), and then to administer the lethal injection either into the heart or abdomen.  A lower price would sound like they are trying to save on costs of anesthesia and would directly do the injection...causing pain and suffering to the rat.  I myself paid $96 when I had my girl put down a few weeks ago.

Whether or not you keep your current girls or give them to a rescue, I am offering my assistance again to you in helping you find a good breeder.  I have good resources and some connections.  You would just have to let me know what city you live in or one that is closeby.  With good breeders however, there is not always a litter available, because they don't breed for profit but for enhancing the health of their lines and sometimes for producing show-quality rats.  So you might have to go on a wait list with one or more breeders until they have a litter.  One or two litters a month is common, so you really wouldn't have to wait all that long.

One little extra piece of advice: keeping 3 rats at all times is the way to go because if one were to die suddenly the remaining ones would still have each other.  

It sounds like you have a love for rats like I do, and I would love for you to be able to adopt loving, sweet and healthy rats that would be with you for a long time.  Let me know if you'd like my help going the breeder route.