Pet rat mobility issues.

Question
I recently visited a friend with a pet rat and they have been concerned because she seems to have some mobility issues. She is a bit off balance and her head tilts to the side. This has been happening for a while and I thought i'd find out if there was anything serious happening. She doesn't seem to be in pain and is quite happy, just quite a bit unco-ordinated. I asked about diet and they said mainly just produce, nuts and grains. They have a cage with metal wiring (like a bird cage), not a solid bottom and I have a theory that this could be the issue as i've heard this type of cage could mess with a rat's feet. So perhaps her feet are the issue? I don't know... I'm sorry I can't offer more information, but i'm hoping you might be able to offer an explanation...

Answer
HI Anna

Thanks for writing and for your concern for your friends rat. If you telephone them up and give them advice on her care, will they listen to you? I hope so, because the little rat needs to see a vet right away, especially if this has been going on for several days or even weeks.
Sounds like she has an inner ear infection. The pressure from inflammation in the inner ear will press on the 8th cranial nerve in the brain which is what controls the equilibrium. This should explain why the little one is leeaninng to the side and is off balance. Does she still have the use of her front paws to feed herself?

Also, her diet needs to improve or she will not be healthy. What kind of "produce" are they feeding her?  Rats are not birds and they cannot and do not survive well on nuts and seeds. In fact, a diet high in protein and fat, such as a seeds and nuts, especially peanuts, are super high in protein. This is very taxing on the kidneys and can contribute to kidney disease later in life so its a good idea to have your friends check into another diet.  You can find out what foods are good for rats and even collect recipes for homemade rat diets by going to my website and going to the page about proper diets and forbidden foods:
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/index.htm

In fact, there is a link right below the rat diet page and ironically enough, it is a page on my site I wrote all about head tilt and proper treatment as well.  Please be sure to look it over.
He will need oral antibiotics for the infection and will need something for inflammation which is usually a long acting steroid but oral NSAIDS such as metacam can be used as well.

As for the wire flooring, it is pretty much a myth that wire flooring can cause trouble with their feet other than possibly getting them caught and twisting their foot or toes.  What used to be said about wire floors in cages is that it can cause bumblefoot, which is a nasty infection that causes callus like sores on the bottom of the rats foot.  With the internet as a rat keepers gateway of information, it became realized after more research that even rats kept on solid plastic cage floors can develop. The real cause of bumblefoot is infection from a less than clean cage floor, a chubby rat and an itty bitty cut in the rats foot.  If the rat is constantly standing in  soiled litter, urine or feces etc...and has even the smallest cut on his foot, this causes pressure sores. Its often seen in chubbier than  rats of normal weight but it can happen in either size. These sores become large blisters and are pretty painful and nasty and also can be hard to treat depending on the culprit. It has been found to be caused mostly by a staph bacteria, but some are even caused by a fungal infection too and if the vet treating this is not aware of the possibility of it being a fungus, he will often miss prescribing the right medication and it can go on and on and keep the rat misrable. Having a good vet well versed in rat care is so super important for many reasons, and this being one of them.

ALso, last but not least, does this little girl rat have a cagemate?
I did not hear you mention there being one.  Rats are super social animals and love being with their own species.      

Anyhow,please read over the info on my site about ear infections and the right way trat them and check out the diet page too and  let me  know if you have any more concerns.