Hairless Rat with cold body and swollen tongue

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a hairless rat which is around 18 months old, give or take a few months.2 Days ago he was fine, yesterday, my husband said he was fine.This morning i went to let him out of his cage and noticed he was looking funny, and when i got him out his skin was extremely cold, and he was bunched up,he seems to have lost weight , which is strange since i held him 2 days ago and he was fine.I tried to feed him some turkey, he was just picking at it, and a minute ago i noticed his tongue was very swollen and purple, which i think has some meaning with circulatory system, hence the coldness.The small town we live in has 1 vet and he said he wont see rodents.I have no idea what to do, if he may be having an allergic reaction or if he is just passing due to his age.

ANSWER: Oh heavens no, he is not dying of old age, he is only 18 months old. He has at least 2 years left.  A healthy rat can live well past 3 years old. He may have pneumonia and your right to assume the blue tongue is from lack of oxygen. It is called cyanosis. You may note his feet are purple as well as the groin area and his muzzle and tongue. His body temp is falling fast due to infection. He is probably dehydrated which accounts for the weight loss.  He will need a vet and I can help you find one even if your in a small town. You may need to drive out a bit but it will save his life and it needs done ASAP or he will pass.  Meantime while you are waiting for me to find someone, keep him warm, even if you need to hold him close to you wrapped in a nice soft blanket. Offer him fluids, even let him lick some baby food. Keep him hydrated best you can, even use a dropper and let him suck it from the side of his mouth, koolaid, water,soy formula or soy milk, even watermelon juice or melted popcicles.
Please let me know where your located at so I can go ahead and start searching for vets that will see him today.  



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

QUESTION: I just wanted to let you know that winston passed last night, a couple hours after I wrote to you, It seemed so sudden, just the day before he was fine.I would still like to know of a vet around my area that can see rodents if you could find one, my son was very upset, and i would like to get another one, but do not want to go through that again. we live in roanoke alabama, and the zip code is 36274. Thank you so much!

Answer
Oh no...I knew it the second I read your message which is why I said he needs to see someone fast or he will pass.  Being cold like he was is a sure sign that they are dying as well as the signs of cynosis *blue tongue* and the little guy was surely hypoxic.

I am really sorry.  :(  I know its hard to lose them esp when its so sudden but sometimes its a blessing they go fast rather than suffer for days and days before finally passing.
I will look for vets for you now and get back with you..it would be a good idea to establish a client-doctor relationship before the rats get sick so this way you will have an emergency plan with the vet. If there are ER clinics that will not see rats in situations like this, at least your vet can instruct you what to do, perhaps he will even meet you at the office. I know vets that will come out to the office if needed.  

He was in definite need of oxygen and aggressive antibiotics but I am going to be very honest with you, what I think he had was pneumonia caused by mycoplasmosis but its nasty and aggressive and kills the rat within 12 to 24 hours of onset of symptoms. I have had rats recover from this but it was rough and even touch and go for a while, spending days in an oxygenated tank at the vets with medications given via a nebulizer and they were never really well after that. They had blistered lungs or scarred lungs that caused chronic respiratory problems and this usually is all caused by the mycoplasmosis bacteria that weakens the rats immune system.

If this is your first rat, please read over my website about mycoplasmosis and how to try to avoid it at all costs even if the rat is born with it.  

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/

I would also get a pair of furred rats rather than a hairless, but you should have a pair of rats, as they are less stressed out and less lonely. Rats are super social and need another rat to keep them company.