Update - Pickle and Ellie

Question
Sorry if I am not going about this the right way, but wanted to let you know that since my question yesterday the girls have slowly brightened up.

They are not completely back to themselves yet, but are 100 percent better than they were.  Pickle jumped from the cage to the sofa this morning and had a good explore and happily rode on my shoulder exploring objects and surfaces as I paused and passed by!  Ellie is still a little subdued but definitely interacting more than she was.

I still have no idea what caused the problem, but am hoping that whatever it was is now over with.  Thanks for being available and taking time to read my emails.  Sorry if I bothered you unnecessarily.  I was quite anxious about the girls and now feel very relieved to see things improving and my girls getting back to their cheeky selves!

Answer
Ok....just got to this response....I just asked you how they were.  I think they were scared by the scent of the cat.

At our house we have a dog, a huge Boxer to be exact. The rats smack her in the nose when she gets too close. They have no fear of her at all. As I stated in my last message, I was out of town for a few weeks with my daughter, who has a cat, and we kept the rat cages in the room where I slept and kept the door shut. The cat got in just once and my rats played possum, not moving an inch, terrified for their lives!  The poor cat didnt even do anything but sniffed around and when I caught him in there he ran.  My boys wouldn't even move and finally when I reached in for them they ran into their hidey huts and were literally trembling with fear. They would not come out to play in the room except for three times and all three times they were scared to go far from the cage!   They know what their natural enemy is, thats for sure!