Brain Tumors in Dumbo Rats

Question
QUESTION: I am just heart sick of the death of our baby girl "Heidi." She was walking to one side, and what we thought were convulsions, and a protruding eye.  My son and I took her to the vet and she had a brain tumor, she was only 7 months old.  Please be honest with me, is it something we did or didn't do? I was told to clean her cage once a week, and I was late by a few days and the odor was pretty bad.  Did the fact that I did not do what I always HAD done but didn't do kill her?  This happened two days ago, and I am still crying over the fact that it was my probably my fault she is no longer with us.

ANSWER: Hi Jill

First of all, I am very sorry for your loss. Its never easy to lose them no matter how old or young they are.

It was absolutely and totally NOT your fault at all what happened to this baby rat, not a bit.  If anything, you can blame the breeder, who, (and I will probably get some heat for this but thats ok, I don't mind a challenge) if they would have paid attention to the history of the rats ancestors, this baby rat probably should have never been bred in the first place. It was at least 99 percent genetic and the other 1 percent was in Gods hands. The vet..how was he sure this was a brain tumor? Did he do a necropsy? Is he an exotic vet well versed in rats?
Was she put to sleep or did she pass on her own?

When it comes to rats and proper husbandry or "improper husbandry" the only thing that can trigger illness with a cage that is in dire need of being changed is mycoplasmosis that triggers respiratory infection and this is from inhaling the strong urine odor. This also wont happen just because you let the cage go a few days longer than usual. It would occur if you neglected her cage on a steady basis as this can aggravate their sensitive respiratory system.  
Keeping rats on pine or cedar can lead to liver disease later in life and also cause  respiratory infections; A diet high in protein can lead to kidney disease and of course a diet high in fats makes for a fat unhealthy rat prone to heart and lung disease among other things.
These are the things that we, as rat owners, can do to help our rat live happy and healthy lives to the best of our ability which again is:
Proper diet and proper husbandry but to slack off a bit once or twice will in no way cause a brain tumor to develop in your little dumbo girl so do not blame yourself one minute longer!!

I am an expert in rat care and have a rat that had to have an eye removed due to infection about  6 months ago. I lost a beloved dumbo rat a few months ago due to (get this!) Meningococcal encephalitis, and have yet another 15 month old dumbo who went from being a hyper active maniac to totally blind in both eyes having to live in a single story cage alone and we have no idea why or what went wrong to bring him to this state. If I blamed myself for any of this I would be a mental mess. We do what we can, educate ourselves to the best of our ability and love our pets with all of our hearts, from big dogs to small little rodents.  You did nothing wrong. I promise.



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

QUESTION: Dear Sandra,   Thank you so much for your speedy reply!  You have lifted a big weight off of me and I cannot thank you enough for that.  To answer your question:  The vet checked her eyes and said there was a tumor on the side of the brain where she had the protruding eye.  He works with small and regular pets and it sounded as though he has seen many rats.  We had Heidi put to sleep by the vet, and he said he would keep her for us until spring so that we can take her home to bury her.  I only wish I would have done my homework before getting her.  It was only today after reading some of your Q's and A's on the internet that I was aware that you should not get a rat from a pet store.  We bought her at PetSmart in August.  Should I notify them that Heidi has died?  Also, if we decide to get another Dumbo, how do I find a Good breeder in my area?  We live in Franklin, Wisconsin which is a southern suburb of Milwaukee.  Again, Thank You So much, Sincerely, Jill

Answer
Hi Jill

You and your vet did the right thing, and that was to keep her from suffering. That is very awesome that he will keep her for you until you are ready to take her to bury her. He sounds very compassionate, which is something you want your pets medical care provider to be!!

As for pet stores, I hate so much to say NOT to get rats from there and there are some, although few, that do take pride in providing top notch pets for sale, but its not a common finding in most pet stores, especially big chains!  A breeder that breeds for health and even temperament is the best way to go. A good breeder will not treat her Does like baby making machines and in fact they don't breed tons of Does at once, and this way, the breeder can spend alot of time with the new rats getting them socialized so when the time comes to find homes for the babies, they are already used to human touch and are usually not          skittish.  Anyhow, this is the only name I have come up with but I have several friends that breed who may know of more breeders

Here is the info I have on one breeder in your area:

         Wisconsin

Jessica Thorn

J&J's Cozmic Starz Ratz
South Milwaukee,  WI
(414) 570-0447  or (414) 526-2154

We breed for health and temperament first, and only one to two litters at a time.
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Hope this helps. I can try to see if I can find more for you later on too!