# Sick rat won't take medicine



## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Last week I rescued two rats (2 yrs old) from the local rescue. They both settled in well, and have been enjoying lots of floor time in the evenings. They've also really taken to my husband, and will sit on his shoulders for hours.

Last night I noticed that Captain Kirk was breathing very heavily, and it was causing him to rock forwards and back. He had also not had anything to eat or drink for a while. When we gave him a treat, he just held it in his mouth for a while, then dropped it and showed no interest. He was sleeping oddly, with his head hanging off the edge of the hammock, and was acting very lethargic.

When I came downstairs this morning, I noticed he hadn't moved all night, and still had his head hanging over the hammock, and still rocking with his breathing.

I took him to the vets as soon as it opened, and the vet said that, though he is breathing heavily, there wasn't much air going into his lungs. She said that it could be fluid in his lungs, or a more solid lump, like a tumour, preventing air getting in. Though, because it has only come on suddenly in the last 24 hrs, it was unlikely to be a tumour.

She gave him an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic injection, and sent me home with more antibiotics and some critical care formula to help him put on weight.
She has given me some syringes to use, but Kirk won't open his mouth when I tried the critical care earlier. He is still not eating much, though he briefly nibbled a tiny bit of corned beef earlier, and still hasn't had anything to drink.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to give Kirk his medicine without causing him too much distress? He will happily sit on a shoulder, but hates being handled so I worry that I won't be able to get his medicine into him and then he has no chance of getting better.

I don't know what Captain Picard will do without him


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Aww they are both gorgeous, I miss Bertie my naked boy.

Right, have you tried wrapping him in a towel and then putting the syringe in the side of his mouth and squirting it in that way?
Or put the dosage amount on a tea spoon with some chicken paste or cheese spread for him to lick off?

I find feeding cooked chicken, egg, sardines etc better than the critical care that I was once given for one of my rats, who also had fluid on his lungs. He however had been left to suffer for months before I got him. He was skin and bones. 
Eventually he was that I'll he had to be pts.

It sounds like he's got a severe respiratory infection to me, did your vet not give him oxygen?
It could also be his heart?
He really does need fluids though otherwise the outcome won't be a good one.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

I've tried mixing it with food, putting it on his favourite treat (the sponge from a jaffa cake) and I tried to wrap him up but he started squealing and it was really awful. I'll just try giving him chicken and egg, because the syringe is clearly not working for him with the critical care.

I don't need to give him the antibiotics until tomorrow, so hopefully the injection will have some effect by then and he'll be a bit happier, but I will probably just have to ask husband to hold him while we give it to him.

He wasn't given oxygen, but I will pop him in the bathroom when husband has his bath tonight and hope the steam will help.

He's still fairly meaty, and it's only just come on, so I'm hopeful that - assuming I can get the antibiotics and fluid into him - he'll get better.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

I'm at a point now where I don't know what to do with him :/

He won't take the critical care, but he won't eat anything. Egg, chicken, baby food, chocolate. I've tried it all. 

I think we will really have to force the antibiotics in him tomorrow, and some food, but I just wonder whether he's at a point where it would be easier on him if we asked the vet to put him to sleep. 

He's over 2 years, and it just seems cruel to force medicine and food into his mouth when he's so distressed. Maybe I could ask if the vets would consider giving him the antibiotics via injection every day? It would be a lot less stress for him, as the vet is only just down the road and wouldn't take anytime at all, rather than trying to get medicine into him bit by bit. It's just a horrible situation to be in, and he's clearly not happy. It's really awful seeing him just hanging his head over the hammock, not eating or moving


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Usually if any of my pets have stopped eating and drinking and are refusing foods etc then I pts once ive tried everything possible.
However I'd be inclined to try the antibiotic injection daily for a few days to see if he perks up a little. Seeing as you've not had him long he needs all the help he can get, he deserves a chance. 
If after a few days he's not improved then I'd ne looking at letting him go.
Hugs to you, I know how you must be feeling xx


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Some good news. Kirk is still sleeping most of the time, or attempting to, with his head propped up on the edge of the hammock. I've read that it might be helping his breathing.

When I got home I mashed up his antibiotic with 2 slices of banana. It was a bit of a half-hearted, last resort idea, as I was assuming we would have to go to the vets, but I didn't want to say I hadn't tried. 

He's eaten about half of it - it's taken about 2 hours - but at least it's going down. I'll keep on trying every 15 minutes to see if he'll eat more and I'm going to try and get him out at about 7pm (their usual floor time) as he tends to be more awake then, and see if he will eat anything then.

Picard is leaving him alone completely, usually they fight when treats, especially stronger smelling treats like banana, are put in the cage, but he doesn't seem to be bothering Kirk at all.

He's eating it slowly off a tiny coffee spoon, which seems to be easier for both of us than the syringe. If I can get the rest of this down, I won't try the critical care/more egg tonight as it was just awful trying to get him to have anything even vaguely solid. Even the egg mashed up was a nightmare.

Hoping the mushed banana is liquidy enough, as he's still not drinking. I've moved the bottle to where he's sleeping, and also holding the spout by his mouth, but he's not having any of it.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

He's eaten the banana with the antibiotics, plus some more banana, some chicken, a tiny bit of beef and some Jaffa cake. We are all over the moon! 

Still no move to the waterbottle, so we are going to buy some cucumber tomorrow and give him some of that to try and get some more liquid in him. 

Still very heavy breathing, but he's less lethargic than before - though still sleeping a lot with his head up when he's in the cage. 

He's currently curled up on my shoulder, I can't hear any noise when he breathes, though he is chattering his teeth occasionally. I'm not sure what that means - my old rats used to do it when they were happy, but kirk doesn't seem overjoyed right now.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

Do hope he continues to improve Bless him There are several powders with vitamins and minerals in which can be mixed with water and put in a water bottle my boys went mad for it.

Have a look here
Vitamins and Supplements : ratRations.com

or here
The Rat Warehouse - The Health Aisle

Best wishes to you Picard and Kirk great names:thumbsup:


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

That's great news.
Cucumber has a lot of water in it so if he eats that then that would be good.
Sometimes rats grinding teeth is a comfort to them as well as being happy. Along with the eye boggling.
He could be happy though as he's on your shoulder comfortable.

Here's a link to signs of pain in rats.
Health Guide: Signs of Pain in Rats


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

The day wasn't so good today, he's only had half his antibiotics, and small bits of banana.

He has lost a lot of weight very suddenly, and he still isn't drinking - he has refused the cucumber completely.

Me and my husband have been discussing a deadline, so that if Kirk hasn't got any better by the end of it, we know that it would be kinder to have him pts. My husband is much better at getting him to eat, and is very patient, but even he struggled to get him to eat today, so unless tomorrow is a complete turn around, I think he will fade very fast at this point.

Thank you for all your help and support - it's been very strange to have had him such a short time and for all this to happen so suddenly. I was very lucky with my previous rats that they never had any health problems until they were very very old, then they lost the use of their back legs. I think I would have been stumped without this forum.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Aww bless u.
I'm so sorry he's not picking up.
I think you've done all you can for him and you have to think whats best for him now.
Xx


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

It's unbelievable how something so small can worm their way into your heart so easily. I don't have rats now but still have a poster above computer which says
Though ratties are small unspectacular things
Their spirits are huge with magnificent wings. 

So true.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

cava14 una said:


> It's unbelievable how something so small can worm their way into your heart so easily. I don't have rats now but still have a poster above computer which says
> Though ratties are small unspectacular things
> Their spirits are huge with magnificent wings.
> 
> So true.


So very true  I love rats.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Kirk is still holding on. Eating little bits and he came out for some floor time last night. He walked round the sofa for a few minutes before going back into his cage.

He's not passed any solid waste for a few days, but he is getting all his antibiotics, plus nibbling on tiny bits of chicken. He's now mostly on baby food as it's easier to lick off a spoon, and it's a bit more liquid.

I don't want to give up on him when he still moves around and eats - even if it's just a tiny bit every couple of hours.

How long would you expect to wait before the antibiotics started to make a difference? He's not any worse than when he first got ill, but there doesn't seem to be any improvement. I'm worried that he might be like this for a really long time, and that's no quality of life for him. It seems to be affecting his cage mate too. He's not ill, but he's not as friendly as he was when he first arrived here.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I'd say a week before you see any improvement.
And I'd be giving him 14 days to a months worth of meds too.

It's good that's he's eating little bits of food, if he wasn't eating at all and he was lifeless then I'd he Looking to pts but your boy seems to be doing ok.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

Well done Captain Kirk Glad to hear he's a bit brighter.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Thank you for replying! I was worried that it was supposed to be fairly quick and therr wasn't much change yet. 

I am still worried that he's eating so little and only when we hold it on a spoon for him. We're both out from 8-5 and he goes long times without eating for himself. Do you think he will still be ok without eating as much as usual? I don't know how else we can do it other than offer him little bits every hour when we're at home because he doesn't eat lots in one go. 

He's been grooming himself today though, so that's good!


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## Britt (May 18, 2014)

I never had rats but usually when an animal is bright and cleans himself, it means that he's OK. Maybe he prefers to be fed by the hand. He must appreciate the attention


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I suppose just offer him food before work and then when you get home every so often before bed.
Do you mix the baby food with a bit of water? That way you know he's getting some fluids in him.
See how he goes.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

Just wondering how Kirk is getting on?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Sorry for not updating - I've been on a school trip this week, long residential type with a big bunch of children! I've not been able to phone home as much as I'd like, but I managed to get hold of husband today and he's said that Kirk is still improving slowly. His breathing is still laboured but he is now drinking from the bottle if my husband holds it to him. Husband has mentioned that kirk seems more and more reluctant to do anything for himself - though te signs are there that he is getting better. He's eating a lot more, drinking and grooming, but he's still only eating when the food is brought to him, and he has stopped moving round his cage. We're out of antibiotics tomorrow as we ended up wasting some by mixing it with food he wasn't interested in, so I'll phone the vets when I get home tomorrow and ask about getting some more!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Can Kirk actually hold food in his hands?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

He was holding some cooked pasta the day I left, and he held some banana the other day, but he prefers not to. A lot of the time he holds it for a bit then drops it so it falls down into the bottom of the cage or underneath himself - he won't look for it then, so we have to try and get it out from under him and hold it for him to eat.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I'm wondering if he's had a small stoke?
Health Guide: Stroke

Or a pitutary tumour?
Health Guide: Pituitary Tumor


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

He's eating and breathing better. Not 100% but getting there. Today he even held the food himself! 
He's not at all interested in the rat food, but has been chomping on the gerbil's food instead. He's obviously going for the sunflower seeds first, but he's so so skinny that some fattening foods should do him some good!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Is he fed a good rat mix? By that I mean rat rations or a homemade rat mix with various nuts,seeds,cereals,dog kibble,rabbit food etc all mixed together.
Far more interesting and healthier than nuggets.

But its good he's eating and trying to hold it.
Are you still feeding him baby food?
Have you tried a good quality cat meat?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

My old rats were on a mix I made myself, but these two have been on nuggets their whole life so I'm introducing things slowly to see what they'll eat. I've been putting in some cat biscuits and pasta, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and some cooked chicken. He's no longer eating the baby food - he's more into solids now thank goodness!

He's moving round lots more, and drinking himself, so now we just need to fatten him up a bit! Any ideas on what would be good fattening foods? Breathing not 100% but not as bad as it has been. 

He does have some sores on his tail from not moving as much, and I've been replacing the fleece every day, but he still seems to be getting red on the tail. Any suggestions as how to treat that?

He did pass solids last night though, so that's good!

I also had a look at him when he got out. He's lifting his tail fine and he's eating more by himself, so hopefully not a stroke!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Nuts,eggs and advacardo are good fattening up foods but peel the skin off and only give the green inner piece and not the stone.
Should be nice and soft when ripe.
Nuts to give can be walnut, almond,hazel and macadamia.

As for the sores could you take a pic?
It maybe worth showing him to your vet?
Is he still on antibiotics?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

There's still a few days of antibiotics left so keeping him on it for the time being. If he finishes the antibiotics and his breathing is still not normal, then we'll go back to the vets.

I tried it get a photo, but he's not particularly co operative at the moment, especially when I was trying to lift his tail!

He's just got a couple of red and peeling bits - I've been cleaning it with warm water and a cloth a couple times of day and it seems to be clearing up this morning. I've put a tiny bit of olive oil on it when I oiled the hairless rat, and it seems to have created a barrier between his tail and the urine on his hammock. 

Will definitely try some avocado today - he HATES eggs with a passion. Last time I tried them he bit my finger when I persisted trying to give him some. It's really odd! I'll have a look in my supermarket for some nuts - I think I saw some almonds in there 

Thank you so much for all the advice you've given me over the past couple of weeks - It's been totally invaluable.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

No worries, I'm glad I could help 

How come you out olive oil on your naked boy?
I never had to do this with Bertie.

I'd put some salt in the boiled but cooled down water and bathe his tail as that's a good way of cleaning the area.
I do this when my have abcesess and it cleans the wound really well. I've had to deal with one on ronny and floyd this week and last week which have healed amazingly, In fact Floyd's has healed completely. His went necrotic and stunk I had to gently peel off the black dying skin and it was deep! Now 2 weeks later it's healed up and the hair has grown back. 

Rats heal very quickly.
Hopefully kirks tail will soon be healed.
But yes if he's still struggling to breathe I'd be asking the vet for another 2 week course of abs.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Picard gets super dry skin, he gets really flaky without a quick dab of olive oil once a week. Plus he really enjoys the attention 

I'll try putting a little salt in the water when he gets washed tonight and hopefully he'll do fine.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

Glad he's perked up a little! 

I would think as he's been so lethargic he's got urine burns from weeing in his sleep etc. If there particularly bad I think your vet can give you a steroid cream I have used it on rabbits, in the mean time a little Vaseline will protect the area. 

A little watered down ribena with the antibiotics normally gets them drinking from the syringe. 

Small pets can be very suseptable to stress when moving homes so any underlying conditions get worse.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Kirk has improved a little, though I think his age is against him. Our plan is to see it through to the end of the antibiotics, then make him as happy and as comfortable as possible. Try and fatten him up if we can, but he's become picky and won't feed himself. 

If he gets much worse again we will take him back to the vets, but we don't want to continue force feeding him medicines at his age.

We've also just had two young females dumped on us, and he's certainly perked up with them in the room, but they are going to need so much work, and we have no idea where to start with them. My house is far too busy these days!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

How's the little man Kirk doing?


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

That is so weird!! I was just going to search for thread to ask and up it popped.

Hope Kirk is doing ok


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Thank you for checking up on him - you're both lovely!

Kirk is much better! We don't think he will ever be 100% again. He was old anyway, and this has really taken a lot out of him and he's showing his age now. But his breathing is better and he's starting to put the weight on. 
He's now feeding himself again - My husband decided one day to put some vegetables, warm, just in the cage and leave him to it. At first he climbed to the platform we used to feed him on, and he stared at us, so we just left the room for a while. When we came back they were both eating and he's done fine since then. He was playing us for a while I think! Lazy boy!

Thanks again for the advice you have given me while he was sick 

Now I can go onto worrying about the new additions, who haven't been socialised by previous owners!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

This is great news, I'm so happy for you both.

How old are the newbies?
Is it just that they've not been handled much?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

They are about 6 months old. They were bought in a pet shop, returned, adopted out - then the woman (well, teenager) who adopted them realised that they weren't going to just sit on her lap and behave without some major hard work on her part, so she put them up on a local Facebook page. I know that the page is frequented by a couple of reptile owners looking for cheap snake food, so I quickly got in touch.
When she dropped them off, the previous owner said that she was going to be getting two baby rats ASAP from a local fancy rat breeder that I'm friends with, so I got in touch and let the breeder know that the young woman wasn't responsible enough, and the breeder has removed her from the list. So hopefully that puts an end to that :/

There's an albino and a hooded dumbo, both female, and both very scatty. I've only had males before, which are much more docile, so this has been a challenge already!
After a couple of weeks, Snow is happy to sit on my shoulder or curl up inside my hoodie and go to sleep at the moment, or have a run around the sofa. Red still hates everything and everyone and will leap from any hight and hide underneath the nearest furniture. She's totally uncontrollable. She can't wait to get out of her cage, so if I opened it up she would run out. She's not nervous in that sense. But then she would fling herself off the bed/sofa and get underneath something heavy. I'm terrified of letting her out at the moment because she just pegs it. It took several hours the other night to catch her after she hid under an oak cabinet. I'm at a loss with her!

I've been trying to pick her up as much as possible, get her out for short amounts of time, talk to her, scritch on her head and shoulders, give her treats, but she just wriggles and wriggles until she can run behind the dresser. She doesn't squeak or squeal when I come near her, or put my hand in the cage, or pick her up anymore. So there's been tiny progress, but getting her out has been a nightmare!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Sounds like you've made great progress so far!
Do you have a room where they could be let out safely and where she cant get under anything? Does she let you pick her up in the cage and then carry her?

I'm glad you stopped the teenager from getting rats off the breeder friend.
Although I'm sure if she was determined to get babies she may have gone elsewhere 
Even with baby rats they still require lots of handling to keep them silly tame!

Today I had to say goodbye to one of my boys, floyd blue hooded.
He had severe respiratory infection and no meds were working anymore.
He was 24 months old. My other 3 said there goodbyes as I popped floyd back in the cage one last time.
Floyd is now buried amongst my flowers in the garden along with my other past ratties.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

I'm so sorry to hear about Floyd and I'm sending good wishes your way. He was such a handsome looking rattie. How are the others doing without him?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Thanks Hun, at the min they are snoozing in there cube beds, hammocks and sputnik separately.
I will see how they are later but at least they got to say goodbye to floyd.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Kirk passed away this afternoon, curled up in his house with Picard.
He never really recovered from his illness, and I knew this morning that he wouldn't last the day. I made the decision to leave him in the cage with Picard, rather than take him to the vets again, and I'm glad I did. I'd rather he passed away with his brother than in a strange place with a strange person.

It feels very surreal, and Picard is not ok. I don't really know what to do to help him.

Thanks for all your help with Kirk while he was unwell, he had a lot of care and love and attention in the last few months, and lived like a king!


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

So sorry to hear that but what a peaceful way to go bless him and you for being so good to him:Nurse. As for poor Picard do you want more rats? If so maybe try a couple of babies so they will be company for him but have each other to play with. He may not ever accept other rats though my first boy didn't after his brother died at 39 months. 
Is Picard healthy if he isn't and you don't want more rats it might be better to either let him live out his life alone or have him pts. I know that sounds awful but I did that with my last rat after her sister died. She was 30 months had lumps and it was done after speaking to both her very good breeder and my vet.

All the best whatever you decide but wait for Blade 100's advice


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oh Hun I'm so sorry for your loss I know exactly how you are feeling, after finding one of my other boys dead in his house next to tuts aka Walter. 
I lost two rats within 2 weeks floyd and ronny, so I'm left with just two boys now and will be in the same predicament as you soon!

Is Picard healthy?
How old is he?
Do you have a spare one level large cage like a ferplast Mary?
If so and you want to keep on having rats (I know you've got girls) then maybe finding a good breeder and get 2 young babies (8 weeks old) to intro to Picard?
Do you know how to do intros?

If you don't want anymore boy rats then this is a tough one and I will be having to decide this too but could you either 
1) foster an elderly or young babies whilst you have Picard and then when he's passed away either give the other boys back to the rescue or keep them.
2) leave him on his own and spend lots of time with him.
3) rehome him to a good rat owner who will intro him to their current rats.
4) pts but only if he's very poorly, depressed and you don't want anymore rats.

Cava14una gave very good advice too 

I think it depends on the rat that's left and how they would cope with babies or being alone. 
Both my two remaining I'm sure would cause problems if I tried to intro newbies as it was tough when I had my naked boy left and had to intro him to the younger group, back then they were only 4 months old but coley and tuts were not amused.
I would have to see how the one alone takes to being kept alone and if things weren't great I'd prob rehome him to a very good rat owner as I am hanging up my hat with rat keeping. It's been a great 17 years of rat keeping good and bad times and I will miss the beautiful clever little creatures. So loving and friendly.

So Hun give Picard a cuddle from me poor little man.
Is his cage near the girls cage?


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Picard is really super healthy and active, so I really wouldn't think to have him PTS right now. It just wouldn't be fair when he's clearly got so much time left. I'm not sure exactly how old he is - over 2 I think, but he's still very spry.

The two cages are very close to each other, so him and the girls do interact, but the girls do occasionally start to show signs of aggression after a while, if he bothers them too much. He hasn't been out of his house today though. 
He seems friendly enough, and really laid back with the girls, so if I could get a spare rat cage I would consider doing an introduction. I've not done it before with rats, but plenty of times with gerbils and cats. I'm assuming it's fairly similar - swapping them round and eventually putting them in a neutral place to meet properly.

I can't rehome him - he's been passed from pillar to post for ages, and my husband would be absolutely devastated. This has hit him really hard, and him and Picard have really bonded. Ultimately it will need to be my husband's decision, but I will hopefully convince him to try a pair of young males.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Aww he sounds like he's got plenty of life left in him yet! 
I bet he would love some grandkids!

Intros with rats needs to be done carefully and not rushed.
You need a spare rat cage or large hamster cage on one level.
Empty with just couple of water bottles and scatter dry food so there isn't any guarding of the food bowl issues.

Before the cage intros start by putting the babies on neutral ground either a bed or bath tub. Then put Picard in with them.
He may chase and pin them down to sniff what you don't want is him biting and his fur being all spikey like a hedgehog. Ninja back kicking to the side isn't good either.
After half hour to an hour of bath tub intros and all is going well move them to the spare cage.
If they are being nice and sleeping in one big pile this is a very good sign.
Leave them like this for pref a week.
Once you feel all is going well after a week then move them to the main rat cage but it needs to be thoroughly scrubbed down and left bare with just water bottles and scatter feed. Put some of the substrate from the spare cage into the main rat cage so it smells of newbies and Picard.
Leave them like this for a day.
If all is going well then add 1 item to the cage everyday and do this until it's full or to how you want the set up. If things go hairy and they start scrapping revert back to the spare cage and take it slower. Then back to the main cage abd go from there again slowly.

Usually babies and adult intros go really well.
Goodluck Hun xx


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

Thanks for the advice - sounds much much easier than cats and gerbils, with their split caging and needing their own rooms! I shall definitely ask my husband if he wants to give it a go. I might let him have a couple of days first before I suggest new pets though. He was really attached to Kirk, far more than to any of our other pets, and I don't want him to feel like we're replacing him.

With introducing new rats, Picard doesn't have any fur, so what should I look out for with him if he's unhappy as spike fur won't help?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oh lol, sorry.
Erm side sidling up to the babies and grinding his teeth in annoyance.
And trying to bite them.
Lunging as well at them.
But don't get confused with the eye boggling and bruxing (grinding teeth) noise when happy. 

I know what u mean as regards separate rooms for cats as we've just had a kitten and he's got his own bedroom although he does come down where Tilly is (17 yrs old) and she's not too amused. Hissing at him or swiping if he comes close.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

G r eat advice from Amy:Cat Wonder if it would be possible to find a spayed female to keep him company? What do you think Amy?
We need a mouse/rat emoticon beaver won't do!!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

cava14 una said:


> G r eat advice from Amy:Cat Wonder if it would be possible to find a spayed female to keep him company? What do you think Amy?
> We need a mouse/rat emoticon beaver won't do!!


Yeh we seem limited on icons now it's changed.

Thanks Anne,

Yeh speyed female sounds good then when Picard passes away you can intro her to your girls.
Intros would still need to be done with either sex.


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

There's not a vet over here who will spay rats, so I'm somewhat limited to getting boys.
I've spoken to my husband and he wants us to get one young male, because he doesn't want us to keep adding to the amount of animals we have! However, he understands that when another rat passes away we will have to introduce another one, which would be a pain. So I'm still slowly trying to push the idea of a couple. There's so few breeders here though, and I won't go to Pets at Home!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Yes two young babies is better than one. Babies need each other to have that playful interaction physical and mental stimulation. An old rat will get fed up with the young rat trying to play whilst he's trying to sleep. And as you say you will be in the same predicament as your in now only sooner rather than later.

Where are you located?


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

blade100 said:


> Where are you located?


I was just going to ask that


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## NelR (Mar 17, 2015)

I live on the Isle of Man - so very limited!


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## avatarkyia (Sep 28, 2019)

The best way I've gotten my rats to take liquid medication is by soaking it into a small piece of bread. They eat it right up!


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Old thread.:Locktopic


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