Waflle the Rat

Question
QUESTION: I'm having a hard time deciding when the best time to put my rat to sleep.  He's been getting sicker and sicker lately, but he's still eating and drinking.  I don't know for sure if he's suffering or just getting old.  I've had him almost 3 years and I understand that rats don't live long.  I just don't want to assume that he's suffering and put him to sleep if I still have time for him.  Please let me know what you think.

ANSWER: Hi Heather

Why would you put him to sleep?  How is he getting sicker, and sicker, what is wrong with him that he is sick?

If he is drinking and eating, he is still happy and has quality of life.  I have had rats live to be close to 4 years old, just recently I lost my Holly who was just a few months shy of her 4th birthday and many other rats live to be way past 3.

Are you sure he is sick or just old?
How is he acting?  Often older rats have problems with their back legs and lose their use, but still manage to get around other ways. They sleep more than they have before since they are older, but because he is still eating and drinking, he sounds like he is ok to me. A rat that is suffering would not eat and drink. They become very lethargic and do not respond to anything. They sit in the corner with their fur all puffed out, labored breating, eyes squinty, possibly losing control of their bladder which may be common with age too, and of course showing no interest in food or anything at all.  If he isnt doing those things, he is ok.

Tell me what he is doing that makes you think he is sick and we can determine if he is simply just showing signs of old age. This way you can be sure he is ok and not suffering. Again, rats that are suffering withdrawl from everything and dont eat or even move for that matter.

Hope this helps


Regards

Sandra

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

QUESTION: Well to be more specific about his problem.  He's had a tumor for half of his life and it really hasn't effected him much that I have ever noticed.  It seems like his balance is off; if he try's to sit up and clean himself he usually falls back down unless he uses me to balance him.  He's also calmed down a lot since a month ago.  He used to get really hyper and use me as a jungle gym, now all he does is sleep or eat.  I'm just confused because I can tell something is wrong but I don't know what.  Lately he's been shaking his head a lot and scratching at his ears.  Could this be an ear infection? How do I fix that?  I want him with me as long as he can but I don't want to be selfish by keeping him around if he is suffering.

Thanks,

Heather

ANSWER: Hi Heather

Where is the tumor located? Obviously its benign or he would not be alive this long so thats good and obviously you take care of him or it would be infected. In fact it may be a cyst instead if it hasn't grown gigantic! Do you have a good exotic vet to see?
Ear infection symptoms are usually head tilt walking in circles or spinning, and a foul discharge from the ears. The head tilt is so bad it looks like the rat has his head cocked sideways. Treatment works though so no worries that he will suffer and need put to sleep. The treatment, which consists of antibiotics for at least 30 full days to prevent relapse and also steroids for the swelling to help with head tilt and the marked dizziness.  He may simply itch from allergies. Often an older rat can have allergies to many things in the air that never bugged him before.  I would take a sniff of his ears (he will probably think your weird but oh well!  LOL!!)
Is he chubby?  My males are like roly poly bears when they groom their bellies and fall backwards and roll around like little porkers to get up again.  
I think to be honest, your male is slowing down due to his age.
If your really worried, a vet visit wont hurt to rule out heart disease...Has he been sick recently?
I am not a vet of course and cannot say for sure, but to me, he simply sounds like he is an old man that is showing signs of aging but I am curious about the tumor and where it is located etc...



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

QUESTION: His tumor or bump is located on his chest and is about the size of a quarter.  He doesn't like it touched but other than that doesn't bother him. No he's not fat, he's actually been loosing weight.  Any other ideas??  He's actually been dealing with rodent lice, which is really weird since he can only catch it from other rodents and he's never been around any his entire life.  He does sit in his cage and fluff up with his eyes squinty, but he perks up for awhile if I get him out of his cage.  See the confusion.  

Heather

Answer
Hi Heather

First of all, the tumor...is it fur covered or open like a sore? Does it drain?
The rodent lice....yes your correct that it is species specific, being passed on from rat to rat only and not giving it to others such as dogs or cats or humans. However, a rat that lives alone can indeed be prone to catching lice, especially if they have a compromised immune system. Lice comes in very often right inside the litter you buy from the store for your rats. Eggs can be found in the litter or even live lice. Many rat keepers that have had bad luck with mites and lice freeze the litter for 24 hours first before using it. This ensures that any louse or eggs die. Also, eggs and live parasites can come in right on your shoes, so even though he lives alone,even if its one rat or 20 rats, there is a source first.  Same for viruses. There are several deadly viruses that can be found in pet store rats, one being SDA, another is the deadly Sendai virus. These nasty viruses can adhere right to a human beings clothing, shoes, even being inhaled into our nostrils or picked up on our hands. They can live up to 3 hours on fomites. What can happen is, when say, a rat keeper is at Petsmart admiring the rats and one happens to have SDA, we may pick up the virus and carry it home. If we do not remove shoes and wash up, or even blow our nose (and how often do we do that when we are not sick?) we can carry the virus straight to our existing rats. This is why quarantine of any new rat, regardless of where you obtained it from, is vital and needs to be done for 3 weeks. I discuss this in detail on my website which the link can be found on my profile.
Sorry to go so far off topic but I wanted to explain how your rat can have lice even though he lives solo.
This explains why he is shaking his head and scratching more often than usual. What are you treating him with? The vet can give him medication to help kill the lice safely since its not safe to use sprays or over the counter remedies on rats. Ivermectin injections are usually the best route but again, I am not sure if he has seen the vet lately and do you have an exotic vet for him?
His weight loss is probably due to age as well. What kind of diet does he have? Normally rats should be on a low protein and low fat diet but for an older man like him, it wouldnt hurt to increase the protein just a bit more.
How is his breathing??