Moogle Weight Loss

Question
My pet rat Moogle is a white rat with red eyes.  Shes about 5 months old and lives with her female roommate Mitski who is 4 months old.  We began to notice Mog losing weight a couple weeks ago, and thought it was because she wasn't being fed enough so we begin making food available to them at all times.  Within the last few days she hasn't been interested in food hardly at all and seemed a little feverish shivering a little.  Mitski is still thriving so we are worried.  We made water in a dish available hoping she would drink more, but she doesn't seem to be.  She is still somewhat active, but we have noticed she moves with more care and doesn't like to jump on things anymore.  I'm at a loss at what to do.  The vets in my area aren't very knowledgeable about fancy rats. I was hoping you may have some ideas to help my Moogle.  Thanks!

Answer
First things first, have you checked her teeth? If she has malocclusion, that would cause her to quit eating (because it hurts), and the subsequent weight loss. Other than that; I hate to hear hoofbeats and scream Zebra instead of Horse, but this sounds really similar to a lot of cases I've had of does with intestinal growths.. they begin to look drawn in and lose weight, still seem to be feeling okay but just "off", usually don't climb and jump as much as usual and a lack of interest in their diet. I'd be willing to bet Moogle may have something going on internally, either a tumor or benign growth. Other instances may be endoparasites or bacterial infections, or internal injuries if she recently had a fall from a high place or tussled with Mitski too roughly. Encourage her to eat soft, palatable foods: baby food (mostly proteins), soft cooked veggies and hardboiled egg, cooked pasta/rice, yogurt, sugar-free pudding, and pedialyte and Ensure. Even the sick-kid "BRAT" diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce & Toast) is a good route for a sick rat. I usually try to free-feed them Nutrical right off the end of the tube if they'll take it, which is good for putting calories into them (and can be found at any pet store, usually in the dog or cat section). If she doesn't seem to improve with some nummy high-calorie foods quickly (both in morale and weight), you should follow through and keep hunting for a knowledgeable vet.. although I recommend that course of action *anyway*, but for sure if the new diet doesn't help.

Good luck.