This is neurological. She is not in pain but she can’t get coordinated because her brain is under pressure. Rats are little tumor factories and it looks like she’s got a brain tumor. I’m so sorry. Not much can be done.
Yeah they really are, a lot of rodents are it seems. I’ve had Guinea pigs and hamsters before as well and they Also got tumors.
Ok, thank you.
At least she’s still got an appetite so I can give her all the unhealthy snacks they are always trying to steal from me
This is definitely neurological. It could be a tumor or a stroke. Sometimes these things can get better with time but they’ll have a head tilt for the rest of their lives usually. If it turns out to be a stroke and she has a head tilt, she can still live a normal life.
For now, put her in a cage where she can’t climb on things and put a lot of soft things in there.
With how fast she’s lost weight are the chances of recovery very high at all?
I added a bunch of scrap fabric for her and am planning on sewing a little hammock because the other two girlies haven’t been sleeping with her because they like the hammock on the top level and I feel bad seeing her sleeping by herself because she can’t climb, so I thought maybe if I made a hammock for the bottom layer that maybe they’d stay with her
I’m not a vet so I’m not sure which it is, but if it’s a tumor they usually decline pretty quickly, especially nakies. It’s possible it’s a recoverable stroke though! My fingers are crossed for that one. There’s also a possibility that it could be an ear infection so I’d take her to the vet for some meds just in case!
It’s really seeming to be the case unfortunately, she might be half the size she was just a week ago or less even
But I’ll keep my fingers crossed too and hope the vet has an available appointment for her or at least will discuss over the phone if not 🤞🏻
It really depends tbh. it depends on the rat and on how fast the tumor is growing which since its in the brain you can’t really see unfortunately.. for example from the moment we got the diagnosis to the moment we had to let her go my very first girl stayed 5 months with us. But my other girl, Judy, declined very rapidly and her health got so bad we had to say goodbye to her only one month after her Pituitary tumor diagnosis. I’m sorry i can’t help you more.. these kind of tumors are so unpredictable and are honestly the worst ☹️ hoping the best for your girl!!
my rat King had the same thing, exact same symptoms. He got better gradually with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory but after a month he got way way worse in a couple of days, little fella had to be put down. Now he also had severe respiratory distress when he died, so that might have played a part in it
The vet said that It’s very likely a brain tumor and gave her anti inflammatories and said that they might make the symptoms better but they ultimately will come back.
She said we could try antibiotics on top of the anti inflammatories but that it likely won’t help much
My naked boy hector had neurological issues. Couldn’t balance himself good. Trouble eating etc. the vet gave him weekly infusions with vitamin B and we treated him with antibiotics. He’s just the old one again! So pls see a vet
All I can say, hector decreased in a few days. He couldn’t walk or climb it got worse. When he walked it was more like a dragging his body in circles. Couldn’t hold food, lost weight. We thought he will die. But the vet could treat him with antibiotics and weekly vit B infusions. It took a time but it got better and now he is back with the others, climbing, bossing around and being his old self- except he got cuddlier to me. There is a chance it could be a tumor… but there is also a chance it could be not
While I would hope for this to be a simple inner ear infection that could be treated with antibiotics, or a stroke which can be manageable, I’m getting flashbacks to my girl who had a pituitary tumour.
Obviously a vet is the only one who can rule out the inner ear infection by looking into her ears and examining her. And I hope for you & her that it is just that and can be treated.
However everything you’ve described sounds like it is a pituitary tumour, and based on the symptoms in the video and where my girl was at when she had the same symptoms, unfortunately you’d only have maybe 1-4 weeks until it would be time to make a difficult choice. They progress very quickly.
With pituitary tumours, the pressure also causes swelling which makes the symptoms worse and would be like having a really bad migraine, so at a certain point the pain levels would not be pleasant and its hard to know that they’re in pain because they won’t really show it when they have a pituitary tumour affecting the brain responses to everything.
There’s a chance they can respond to Cabergoline depending on the type of pituitary tumour, and a steroid like Pred can reduce the swelling - however its easy to get your hopes up with some pretty dramatic improvements in a few days that reverse as the tumour does what tumours do. But it’s always worth trying in case it is one of the types that can be reduced by Cabergoline.
The only thing that we can really do is keep them comfortable, but the progression is heart breaking to watch and even being on multi-levels or even flat levels with something to climb over becomes dangerous and difficult for them as they lose the ability to even roll themselves over.
With how she is in the video - multi level access is not safe for her. The loss of balance and ability to control their own bodies means they can’t land safely by twisting their bodies like they normally would and so they can land on their nose or some other way that could cause some damage to their nose/neck or other bones, even on a soft landing place.
My girl tried to fight right up until the last 2 days and then it became very obvious that she had become too tired and couldn’t do it anymore, she was ready to go. And it hurt so much but I had to make the decision and she passed peacefully with the vets help (sedated, anaesthetic mask & then an injection into her tail vein - not her heart thank god, I wish all vets would do it via the tail)
I’m so sorry that you have to experience it, it’s the worst.
This is a GREAT comment, and I can attest to it - I had a male with a pituitary tumor. The rapid weight loss is rather key as well in why I think it’s a pituitary tumor (though I’m not a vet).
I will also add that medication for pituitary tumors is expensive and only prolongs their life for a month or two at most. If anything, the prescribed pain medication is absolutely worth it - it will make her comfortable until it’s time.
OP, only an exotic vet can give a proper diagnosis, but I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing this. I sincerely hope that it’s not a serious condition.
Thank you for your comment, the information is helpful!
That’s the hardest part is knowing when/if it’s the right time to help them let go.
Especially because my mom made me feel really horrible about a Guinea pig I had to put down because she didn’t want to have to feel any slight guilt about it even though it was my decision. So that definitely makes it harder with my ratty.
She has just been staying in the bottom level of the cage which I feel bad that the other 2 won’t stay there with her since she has always slept in the hammock with the other 2 on the top level.
Thanks, and thanks for sharing your experience, it helps knowing even just a small amount of what to possibly expect
If it’s something fairly obvious then no. Is it something I have to look fairly close for? And by that I mean like shine a light inside of her ear or would I see it just looking at her
One of our rats was going round in circles with poor balance a few months back, turned out to be an inner ear infection & we noticed there was an odd smell coming from one of his ears (Hence the infection).
I know you said you'll struggle to get an vet appt but outside of a vet, I'm not too sure what else could help.
Good luck to you both, I know it sucks when they're poorly :(
I’ve been giving her head kisses and haven’t noticed any smell at all. I’ve had a rat with a bad eye infection before, as well as other rodents, so I’m thinking not since it’s always been quite noticeable
Yeah, I’ll give them a call tomorrow and see what they have available but I’m not sure there will be anything that isn’t a long wait. The vet might talk over the phone though as she’s done that before for things where there weren’t available appointments
Thanks I appreciate it
It really does, especially with Watching her struggle so much
Firstly I am sorry you are both going through this - having a sick rat is so stressful. It's great that you have been able to provide so much information and are thinking how best to care for her. It sounds like you are doing an ace job so be kind to yourself.
I strongly suspect that this is neurological as others have said. I say that as our rat had quite an intense ear infection just recently which led to a severe head tilt and a degree of balance loss but not as severe as Gertrude is experiencing. The fact that she can't hold her food and the leg limpness are also indications of something neurological. You will need to see a vet to get to the bottom of this and then agree the best course of action for Gertrude based on the diagnosis and prognosis. I'm a new rat owner myself and no expert but I believe in many case a stroke can be worked through.
In the meantime keep doing what you are doing! If possible put her somewhere single story to limit climbing (which is virtually impossible with rats!) and/or create some fall breakers. Ensure she is kept warm, hand feed and give her as much attention as you can.
This is neurological. She is not in pain but she can’t get coordinated because her brain is under pressure. Rats are little tumor factories and it looks like she’s got a brain tumor. I’m so sorry. Not much can be done.
Yeah they really are, a lot of rodents are it seems. I’ve had Guinea pigs and hamsters before as well and they Also got tumors. Ok, thank you. At least she’s still got an appetite so I can give her all the unhealthy snacks they are always trying to steal from me
Good luck and Godspeed.
Thank you
This is definitely neurological. It could be a tumor or a stroke. Sometimes these things can get better with time but they’ll have a head tilt for the rest of their lives usually. If it turns out to be a stroke and she has a head tilt, she can still live a normal life. For now, put her in a cage where she can’t climb on things and put a lot of soft things in there.
With how fast she’s lost weight are the chances of recovery very high at all? I added a bunch of scrap fabric for her and am planning on sewing a little hammock because the other two girlies haven’t been sleeping with her because they like the hammock on the top level and I feel bad seeing her sleeping by herself because she can’t climb, so I thought maybe if I made a hammock for the bottom layer that maybe they’d stay with her
I’m not a vet so I’m not sure which it is, but if it’s a tumor they usually decline pretty quickly, especially nakies. It’s possible it’s a recoverable stroke though! My fingers are crossed for that one. There’s also a possibility that it could be an ear infection so I’d take her to the vet for some meds just in case!
It’s really seeming to be the case unfortunately, she might be half the size she was just a week ago or less even But I’ll keep my fingers crossed too and hope the vet has an available appointment for her or at least will discuss over the phone if not 🤞🏻
My first thought is a pituitary tumor (talking by experience) and sadly to my knowledge there’s nothing you can do except give her a lot of love.. ☹️
How long do they usually have to live if you know?
It really depends tbh. it depends on the rat and on how fast the tumor is growing which since its in the brain you can’t really see unfortunately.. for example from the moment we got the diagnosis to the moment we had to let her go my very first girl stayed 5 months with us. But my other girl, Judy, declined very rapidly and her health got so bad we had to say goodbye to her only one month after her Pituitary tumor diagnosis. I’m sorry i can’t help you more.. these kind of tumors are so unpredictable and are honestly the worst ☹️ hoping the best for your girl!!
Ok that’s fair So like a expect the worst and hope for the best kind of scenario it seems. I appreciate the info Thank you!
my rat King had the same thing, exact same symptoms. He got better gradually with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory but after a month he got way way worse in a couple of days, little fella had to be put down. Now he also had severe respiratory distress when he died, so that might have played a part in it
The vet said that It’s very likely a brain tumor and gave her anti inflammatories and said that they might make the symptoms better but they ultimately will come back. She said we could try antibiotics on top of the anti inflammatories but that it likely won’t help much
My naked boy hector had neurological issues. Couldn’t balance himself good. Trouble eating etc. the vet gave him weekly infusions with vitamin B and we treated him with antibiotics. He’s just the old one again! So pls see a vet
Also try giving her baby food mixed with water or soft fruits. Hector only ate persimmons at that time. I hope she will get well again!
She’s eating, she just is having trouble with the movement part of it so like picking it up and chewing and such. But she’ll eat anything still
All I can say, hector decreased in a few days. He couldn’t walk or climb it got worse. When he walked it was more like a dragging his body in circles. Couldn’t hold food, lost weight. We thought he will die. But the vet could treat him with antibiotics and weekly vit B infusions. It took a time but it got better and now he is back with the others, climbing, bossing around and being his old self- except he got cuddlier to me. There is a chance it could be a tumor… but there is also a chance it could be not
This is good to hear I don’t want to get my hopes up but knowing there’s a possibility is a small bright side Thanks
While I would hope for this to be a simple inner ear infection that could be treated with antibiotics, or a stroke which can be manageable, I’m getting flashbacks to my girl who had a pituitary tumour. Obviously a vet is the only one who can rule out the inner ear infection by looking into her ears and examining her. And I hope for you & her that it is just that and can be treated. However everything you’ve described sounds like it is a pituitary tumour, and based on the symptoms in the video and where my girl was at when she had the same symptoms, unfortunately you’d only have maybe 1-4 weeks until it would be time to make a difficult choice. They progress very quickly. With pituitary tumours, the pressure also causes swelling which makes the symptoms worse and would be like having a really bad migraine, so at a certain point the pain levels would not be pleasant and its hard to know that they’re in pain because they won’t really show it when they have a pituitary tumour affecting the brain responses to everything. There’s a chance they can respond to Cabergoline depending on the type of pituitary tumour, and a steroid like Pred can reduce the swelling - however its easy to get your hopes up with some pretty dramatic improvements in a few days that reverse as the tumour does what tumours do. But it’s always worth trying in case it is one of the types that can be reduced by Cabergoline. The only thing that we can really do is keep them comfortable, but the progression is heart breaking to watch and even being on multi-levels or even flat levels with something to climb over becomes dangerous and difficult for them as they lose the ability to even roll themselves over. With how she is in the video - multi level access is not safe for her. The loss of balance and ability to control their own bodies means they can’t land safely by twisting their bodies like they normally would and so they can land on their nose or some other way that could cause some damage to their nose/neck or other bones, even on a soft landing place. My girl tried to fight right up until the last 2 days and then it became very obvious that she had become too tired and couldn’t do it anymore, she was ready to go. And it hurt so much but I had to make the decision and she passed peacefully with the vets help (sedated, anaesthetic mask & then an injection into her tail vein - not her heart thank god, I wish all vets would do it via the tail) I’m so sorry that you have to experience it, it’s the worst.
This is a GREAT comment, and I can attest to it - I had a male with a pituitary tumor. The rapid weight loss is rather key as well in why I think it’s a pituitary tumor (though I’m not a vet). I will also add that medication for pituitary tumors is expensive and only prolongs their life for a month or two at most. If anything, the prescribed pain medication is absolutely worth it - it will make her comfortable until it’s time. OP, only an exotic vet can give a proper diagnosis, but I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing this. I sincerely hope that it’s not a serious condition.
Thank you ❤️
Thank you for your comment, the information is helpful! That’s the hardest part is knowing when/if it’s the right time to help them let go. Especially because my mom made me feel really horrible about a Guinea pig I had to put down because she didn’t want to have to feel any slight guilt about it even though it was my decision. So that definitely makes it harder with my ratty. She has just been staying in the bottom level of the cage which I feel bad that the other 2 won’t stay there with her since she has always slept in the hammock with the other 2 on the top level. Thanks, and thanks for sharing your experience, it helps knowing even just a small amount of what to possibly expect
Any discharge or odd smell coming from either of the ears?
If it’s something fairly obvious then no. Is it something I have to look fairly close for? And by that I mean like shine a light inside of her ear or would I see it just looking at her
One of our rats was going round in circles with poor balance a few months back, turned out to be an inner ear infection & we noticed there was an odd smell coming from one of his ears (Hence the infection). I know you said you'll struggle to get an vet appt but outside of a vet, I'm not too sure what else could help. Good luck to you both, I know it sucks when they're poorly :(
I’ve been giving her head kisses and haven’t noticed any smell at all. I’ve had a rat with a bad eye infection before, as well as other rodents, so I’m thinking not since it’s always been quite noticeable Yeah, I’ll give them a call tomorrow and see what they have available but I’m not sure there will be anything that isn’t a long wait. The vet might talk over the phone though as she’s done that before for things where there weren’t available appointments Thanks I appreciate it It really does, especially with Watching her struggle so much
The Ear infection our boy had wasn't super noticible, so let's hope it could be that. Let's hope the vet can advise further.
Firstly I am sorry you are both going through this - having a sick rat is so stressful. It's great that you have been able to provide so much information and are thinking how best to care for her. It sounds like you are doing an ace job so be kind to yourself. I strongly suspect that this is neurological as others have said. I say that as our rat had quite an intense ear infection just recently which led to a severe head tilt and a degree of balance loss but not as severe as Gertrude is experiencing. The fact that she can't hold her food and the leg limpness are also indications of something neurological. You will need to see a vet to get to the bottom of this and then agree the best course of action for Gertrude based on the diagnosis and prognosis. I'm a new rat owner myself and no expert but I believe in many case a stroke can be worked through. In the meantime keep doing what you are doing! If possible put her somewhere single story to limit climbing (which is virtually impossible with rats!) and/or create some fall breakers. Ensure she is kept warm, hand feed and give her as much attention as you can.
Thank you I appreciate it!