Not eating

Question
Over the past few days, our hairless rat is not eating.  She has been dry heaving, making a lot of squeeking noises.  We tried hand feeding her and she starts to eat and then seems like she is gagging.  She has lost a very noticeable amount of weight, she doesn't seem to be drinking either.  Please help!!!

Answer
Gagging, or struggling to breathe? If she has a lot of noise coming from her chest area, she may be struggling with an upper respiratory, and when rats have to pick between breathing or eating, usually they pick breathing. Try giving her soft, easily swallowed foods she doesn't have to work on -- baby food, yogurt, pudding, etc. -- to encourage her to eat. Then get her to a vet as soon as possible to get some antibiotics. Good luck!