Urgent question about my pet rats health!!

Question
Hi, i have just come back from a two week vacation, my rats have been looked after by my family, as soon as i got back i got them both out of there cage, however while one of them was perfectly fine, the other is extremely ill - he appears to be bleeding from the nose, and looks to have bled alot, he also seems to have lost ALOT of weight, he cannot move any of his legs much, and is struggling to move anywhere, te only thing he seems able to eat is soft fruit, however i don't wannt to give to much of it, he is also acting very unresponsive.

I am taking him to the vet first thing in the morning, as its too late now, but i just wanted to know what it might be, and what i can do to look after him for tonight, i'd really appreciate it if you can help me out with this,

thanks

luke

Answer
 It's really hard for me to say exactly what has happened without seeing him, and even then it can be difficult.  The 'blood' from his eyes and nose may be porphyrin, which is the red-colored mucus that rats normally have.  If you are seeing a lot of it it means that he is stressed or ill (or both), and it is usually not a symptom in itself, just a side effect of other illness.  If your rat is older he may just be succumbing to his age, but if not my guess would be either an internal tumor or a stroke.  Your vet will be able to tell you much more than I can.

 For now, keep him comfortable, eating, and hydrated.  Baby food is a good thing to give an ailing rat, as they can easily lick it and it contains enough nutrients to keep them going.  The kind that has meat and a vegetable in it is best.  If he won't drink water, try offering him Gatorade or a similar sports drink to keep him hydrated.  If you can, remove the levels from their cage so he won't try to climb up them and get hurt, or move him to another cage entirely where he is safe.  There isn't a reason to separate your rat from the healthier one, if he has something contagious the other rat has already been exposed, and if you separate them it may stress them out further and cause him to get worse.

 Well let me know what happens at the vet, I hope he is all right!