Is my rat just old?

Question
my sister found a rat, my parents said that they didnt want it so i took it and have treated it with all the love and care i can, i have had him now for 3 years, not sure how old he was when she found him. for the past 2 months or so he has started to lose alot of weight, i feed him the right rat food plus treats every now and then such fresh fruit and meat. he looks very old too, he has lost alot of fur too, which may be from mites which i treat him for everyday, i also keep him stimulated by letting him run around the home and explore. he also seems to not have any testicles any more, they have disapeared!

do you think he is old and its time for him to go?

Answer
Hi Elisa

Yes I think your rat is an little old man, but is it time for him to go? If you mean to die, thats impossible to say. To me your describing signs of old age as far as fur loss goes but I am curious as to what kind of treatment you are giving him for mites that is done on a daily basis and how long has he had the mites for?
Also, is he getting around ok?  Sometimes older rats develop an arthritic condition just like older humans do and it can cause problem with their mobility.

He is a grand rat, your boy, and he deserves all the love and respect you are giving him. To live to be over 3 means you have done a good job loving and caring for him. As he ages, keep him comfortable and provide a senior cage for him, which would consist of a single story and nothing he can climb and possibly lose his balance on and be injured during a fall of some sort.  His diet should consist of a big of higher protein than normal (a hard boiled egg once or twice a week would make him happy or you can scramble an egg in a bit of soy milk or 1% milk if needed. I prefer the scrambled egg over the hard boiled. Sometimes the chalky yolk can make them gag.

His testicles?  They probably draw up into his scrotum for various reasons.  Male rats have an open Inguinal canal which allows the male to draw their testicles up and appear as if they are gone.

You can read up on how to care of the older rat on my website, here:

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



Hope this helps