No legs?

Question
hi i had a baby rat born with no back legs and it is eating and healthy, i was wondering if it is going to be healthy as an adult...i kind of got attatched and now want to keep him or if i should have him put down, also my rats eat everything i eat and they are big , healthy and breeding like crazy, my female has raised litters of 24, 27 and 19, is this due to diet or is she just having big litters?

Answer
Well, for one, quit breeding your female. She's probably dog tired after raising that many babies! Rats burn out the same way human parents do. Separate by gender and if you do wish to breed, breed selectively and with purpose (i.e; to better the variety, not simply to create more lives). You're putting your female in harms way by overbreeding her -- and those are HUGE litters!

Rats should have a selective diet. While a lot of table food is decent for rats, even so, it can be unhealthy (too much sodium, sugar, fat, etc.) and a fat rat is not a healthy rat, even if they appear healthy. Fat rats are prone to health and respiratory problems, just like people. Instead, I recommend making a homemade grain mix like the one created by a woman (a breeder, I believe) known as Suebee (google "Suebee's Rat Diet").

That being said, I doubt diet has anything to do with her having large litters - a good diet of course makes for healthy mamas and healthy litters, where a malnutritioned or underfed mother will produce a smaller, weak litter - but it should have nothing to do with the size.

As far as that baby goes -- is he able to eliminate waste? Of he can urinate and defecate on his own then I see no harm in allowing him to live provided he doesn't seem to be in pain or suffering and if you can make special accommodations for his handicapped nature regarding lowering water bottles/food dishes, padding ramps and shelves, providing a lip to keep him from rolling off of a shelf or ramp, etc... If his quality of life begins to dip or if he appears to be suffering/in pain, you need to do right by him and euthanize him.

Good luck; let me know what happens. I'd be interested in seeing pictures, too!