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My rat cant walk2007-11-24 22:13:45

I've had my rat for about a year and hes a year and a half old. about a week ago he just quit using his back legs. I think that its just because he never does anything and he lost the strength in his muscles but im not sure. my m om thinks he was parallyzed but he never does anything to be parallyzed. Please if you have any idead on how to help or what could be wrong, tell me.

Answers:

Many rats begin to lose function in their hind legs as they get older. This may be due to trauma or degeneration of the spinal nerve. It is a gradual process and is more common in males.

The first thing to do is make sure your cage is only one level. Your rat can no longer fall safely but may still have the ability to move up and possibly hurt itself. You'll need to trim their back toenails once every week or two - be VERY careful and be sure not to cut into the quick (the opaque white tip inside the nail). Also, once a week, you should use a qtip to very gently clean the inside of its ears, because it can no longer clean its own ears with its back paws.

You might have to make changes in the cage as well -- water bottles may have to be lower and the bedding might need to be changed to something he/she won't have to 'swim' through, like VetBed bedding (get it at your pet store). It's really important to keep your rat clean - every day or so, use a warm wet washcloth to really gently cleanse their genital area and the bottom of their cage to loosen and remove any fecal matter or urine staining. You must also be changing the cage more often.