My rat is lethargic, getting fat and losing his fur

Question
QUESTION: I am concerned about my pet rat. She is a 1 year old dumbo rat. She has always been very active since I had her at 8 weeks old and hasn't had any health problems before. She has been very sleepy for about 3 weeks now. She wakes up for a few mintues a day and then goes back to sleep. I have witnessed her sleeping pattern day and night as I do shift work. She used to be awake from about 10pm till 4 or 5 am running around her cage playing with her other rat companion. Now she sleeps constantly and she has put on a lot of weight also. She eats the same amount as my other rat and hasn't changed her eating habbits. Then last week I noticed she has a bald patch on her neck. I took her the vets and they said she would treat them for mites just in case but I haven't witnessed any scratching from them at all. The vet checked her completely and couldn't notice any lumps or anything else abnormal. My vet says to keep an eye on her. Personally it sounds like an under-active thyroid to me but I am not too experienced with rats. Can you tell me what you think could be wrong with her? If you agree about her thyroid can you give me any more information about under-active thyroids in rats? I have never heard of it in rats before is it commom? Thanks Nicola

ANSWER: Rats usually do not have problems with their thyroid gland.  

I have a few things to ask first:


Is she urinating ok?

Drinking normally, not much or more than usual?



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

QUESTION: She is urinating fine nothing different and the same about her drinking habit.

Answer
Rats can have hormonal problems that can actually cause loss of fur in areas.  This is often caused by polycystic ovaries. usually though there are other signs of problems such as vaginal bleeding and weight loss or weight gain, one extreme or the other.

Diet can play a role in skin and hair problems too. Even if she has been on the same diet for months, it can still start to take its toll as time goes on.  High protein is often the problem when it comes to fur loss, but it is also associated with itching and even some scabs and sores are found.  Even if she eats the same thing the others eat, one rat can be more sensitive than the other.

Dry skin, another factor. Thats easily resolved by offering the rat some olive oil on a bit of cracker twice a day for a week or two.