How to health check your rats
Daily checks
The first step in keeping an eye on your rats is to really get to know them. This sounds a bit silly but the best indication of the health of a rat is the rat itself. Know how your rats behave at different times of the day, how they feel, even how they smell and you’ll be a long way to spotting health issues creeping in. In addition to just spending time with your rat each day there are a few simple checks that can be done as part of your normal handling routine. I do these automatically pretty much any time I pick up my rats, or other peoples for that matter, as it’s very much part of me saying hello and is now pretty much subconscious as it is for many owners.
- Quick hello (normally a scratch or stroke and verbally hello to let them know I’m there) – I’m checking here for normal alert response and there typical way of greeting me whether than be a lick of hello, flinging themselves at me or grabbing my fingers for a proper sniff to see what I’ve been up to. I look out for any lethargy or lack of response. At this time I also give them a good visual look over, noticing anything off about the parts of their body I can see, like their face and eyes which should be clear of porphyrin (red discharge) and nice and bright. Their ears and nose should also look clean and normal, no discharge or crusty bits.
- Pick up and stroke – I then pick them up out of the cage for their morning cuddle, during this time I stroke them all over (including holding them briefly hanging in my hand and stroking there body downwards like you would a ferret). This checks for any lumps and bumps that might be abnormal. It also smooth’s their fur down, any fur that continues to stick up or lie oddly should be checked, this can often hide scratches or minor wounds. Whilst you’re up close and personal it’s worth looking at the condition of the fur. Fur that looks dull, dandruffy or particularly greasy/coarse can hide issues. These can be dietary or hormonal but it can also indicate some level of lice or mites too, so if you see this it’s worth doing a better check. This can also indicate itchy or dry skin, this can be helped by adding oil to the diet but it may indicate something more complex that needs looking into. At this stage I also give them a good scratch all over against the fur, most rats (especially bucks) love this. During this I feel for any changes in the skin, it’s often where I pick up tiny lumps and scratches that would not be visible otherwise. You also get a feel for their ‘right weight’ and if you notice them feeling skinny or a bit chubby then it’s a sign for you to investigate a bit more (or put them on a diet).
- Put down for free range – Let them move around and play as normal. You’re looking for any signs that there movement is different to normal, maybe flat footed, stumbling, circling or even just generally being less active than normal.
Ratty MOT
Around once a month, or more accurately before my rats go anywhere unusual (such as a show or on holiday) I give them a more detailed look over. This checks there overall health and for any obvious common problems which might affect them. This is also the kind of checks carried out by pet judges and health checkers at the shows. It is relatively easy to do and should only take a few mins in addition to the daily checks listed above
Head
Body
In addition to point 2 on daily checks;
Fur and skin
In addition to point 2 on daily checks;
Breathing and condition
Head
- Check their eyes are bright and not stained, or sore looking
- Check their nose is nice and dry and clean, no crusty bits or porphyrin staining, they may sneeze occasionally but this shouldn’t be frequent.
- Check their ears are a nice even colour and not scratched or inflamed (looking into the ear channel too) and the edges are not crusty or ragged.
- Check their teeth are the same length, and generally opaque with a nice uniform colour (typically yellow-orange, top and bottom teeth often differ in colour, but should be matching in their pairs.
- Check their mouth looks healthy and pink with no excessive drooling or unevenness.
Body
In addition to point 2 on daily checks;
- Check the rats loose skin along the arm and leg pits and side, rolling the skin between your fingers checking for any lumps (typical place for mammary and fatty lumps to occur).
- Hold the rat up to your ear, listening to their chest (across their back is often easiest). Listen for gruntiness or noisy breathing. A bit of very light sneeziness in an otherwise very well rat (especially if they have been exposed to a stressful situation) on its own only needs keeping an eye on, however heavier noises should be investigated. If they are moving a lot (which can make it hard to hear) you should also be able to feel if they are chesty whilst holding them, feel for grumbles or vibration in their chest as you hold them, this is often more reliable than listening.
- Check the underside of the throat for any swelling and around the jaw, again looking for unevenness is a good idea. The glands under the throat can become swollen when an infection is present, it is also a common place for abscesses
- Body tone is nice and even, no very boney bits. A lack of muscle over the haunches is normally an early sign of hind leg degeneration or a general slowing down.
- Feel each of the legs and feet for any swelling or hot spots that might indicate a sprain or infection. Check the soles of the feet are a nice even colour and there isn’t any rough skin or swelling.
- In male rats check the area just above the groin, running your finger over checking for any swelling or unevenness where the perpetual glands are located (a common place for abscesses in bucks). Check there testicles for uniformity of size, shape and colour and heat which might indicate an infection or lump forming.
- In female rats check the groin area (especially between the groin and tail base where mammary lumps are very common) for any unevenness and check for any discharge from the vagina.
Fur and skin
In addition to point 2 on daily checks;
- Where coat condition allows it blow gently against the lay of the fur around the back end of the rat. This should part the fur and give you a clear view of the hair shaft and skin. Look for tiny little orange rods or white dots which may be lice. Note this can be confused for dandruff which can vary from orange to white. The difference is lice move (and hopefully dandruff doesn’t) and they are rod shaped rather than flat flakes. Their eggs (white dots) also don’t come away from the hair shaft with simple brushing, they are stuck firmly. Check in several places and if you find anything treat with ivermetcin (though personally I now treat preventatively before I go anywhere with my rats, prevents them passing on something I’ve missed and picking up something for around 3 weeks).
- Check for scabs around the shoulders of the rat, this is the typical place where they would scratch enough to cause wounds if they have itchy skin or mites. It is also a typical place for other rat bites to show.
- Check the tail for any bites, overly dry scaly surface or unevenness and sores. These can indicate infections or just poor skin health (may be dietary). Bear in mind that some rats are born with a kinked tail (or it grows this way due to genetic factors) so don’t panic if it seems bent or kinked but the tail doesn’t look sore or swollen.
- Is the fur patchy or uneven or missing. It’s worth noting that rats can trim their own fur or that of their friends (barbering), this feels like short cropped hair (even bare skin often has a light fuzz to it) often in lines, thinning or patchy hair feels and looks weak and wispy. In some varieties of rats this is a normal part of growing older (like rexes) however in smooth coated rats this could be a sign of skin, dietary issue or more systemic problems (such as kidney problems or ageing).
Breathing and condition
- Looking at the overall rat do they look well and happy in themselves?
- Do they appear to be breathing normally or is it deep or laboured. Are they sneezing excessively or grunting?
Rat Diagnostics
The final kind of health check I do for my rats is one where I essentially try and work out what’s wrong when my gut feeling tells me something’s not right, but nothing stands out. I will say here though that 9 times out of 10 the owners gut feeling is right, sometimes rats do have off days and there is nothing to worry about, but often your gut feeling hinges on something (or many things) you have observed sub consciously so it is well worth getting it checked out. However often when you turn up at the vet with a ‘gut feeling’ and a rat who has suddenly decided to act perfectly normally it can be frustrating for both you and the vet. Carrying out some general checks yourself in the rats natural environment needn’t take long and can mean you going to the vet with much more information helping your vet diagnose and treat your rat better.
In addition to the checks above I also do the following;
In addition to the checks above I also do the following;
Checking for Pain
- Holding them gently manipulate all their limbs one at a time (including the tail), move them around within their normal range of movement gently, check for any squeaks or flinching which might indicate they have a sprain or other damage (note: often swelling is present too, but not always).
- Put gentle pressure all over their body note any flinching or squeaking when certain parts of the body are touched.
- Look at the rat overall when resting, do they sit hunched up and or have their fur fluffed up. Do they look miserable. Are they breathing deeply from their abdomen instead of normally. Does it seem jerky and harsh. Are they turning down food they normally love or just less active than normal (note all of these signs can be linked with them feeling unwell too but they can show systemic pain).
Balance and Coordination
- Put the rat so all four paws are on the palm of my hand and encourage them to stand there, feel for any unevenness of how they put their weight down and hold their feet. For example if the lean to one side, or site on their back feet, or lean heavily on their front feet. This can highlight injured limbs (not weight bearing on one foot) or weakness on one side or front and back (strokes, HLD and other neural problems).
- Set the rat down on a smooth flat surface with a decent amount of space (a table top or floor works well), get so your eyes are level with them and watch them move. The watch them from above. You are looking for any tendency to circle or pull to one side (could indicate and ear infection, stroke or brain issue or an injury). Also watch for a change to their normal gait. Do they move in a jerky fashion (could indicate pain or arthritis), do they stumble (this could mean a possibility of neural problems or weakness) or walk in a flat footed or waddley gate (could just be overweight but may be starting with HLD).
- Encourage them to walk along a reasonable thickness branch or pole (such as a broom handle) are they more wobbly than normal or struggling to balance at all (note if your rat isn’t used to balancing don’t expect them to be brill).
- Can they accurately grab a treat from you, or seem to struggle to locate it. This could indicate ear infection, neurological problem or sight issue.
- Can they grip with their paws properly, especially the front paws (watch them holding and eating something and see if they can grab and hold the cage bars). This can indicate neurological tumours, infections or events.
Breathing
Eating, drinking and Weight
- Are they drinking more or less than normal (try overall as a cage then putting them in a small cage or carrier for a few hours on their own)
- When you pinch the loose skin at the back of the neck does it immediately spring back or slowly return to normal. A slow return indicates dehydration
- Are they eating more or less than normal.
- Has their tastes changed (so previously loved something they now ignore or actively avoid), this can be linked with neurological problems or something making them feel nauseous such as a stomach problem or kidney failure.
- Do they appear to eat in a strange manner, pulling faces, pushing items around, avoiding hard bits or having a sudden aversion to certain textures
- What is their weight doing? Rapid gains and losses should be investigated. Note if you actively weigh your rats make sure you do so at the same time each day (in relation to when they are fed and active), also more often than once every 2-3 days may not be very accurate. A one off reading showing it to be massively different is not indication in itself, however weight loss of more than 20g a week maintained for 2 weeks or more is enough to be cause for significant concern.
- How do they feel compared to normal, have they lost body tone, feel much thinner or light weight (a sign of weight loss and/or inactivity) or suddenly feel much firmer after weeks of feeling gradually thinner (can be linked to fluid retention later on in an illness).
Behaviour and Personality
- Has their activity levels changed, was this sudden or gradual - a sudden change can indicate an injury, fast progressing illness or a neurological event like a stroke, a gradual change is more likely to be caused by a slow progressing problem such as HLD, heart issues, respiratory problems, tumour or other illness.
- Has their personality changed, so a previously happy go lucky rat appears withdrawn or nervous, a previous licky gentle rat starting to bite or be territorial etc. This could indicate a hormonal issue, them experiencing pain or feeling unwell and grumpy or a neurological problem.
- Do they appear confused or unfamiliar with their surroundings, a littler lost or just generally upset (typically linked with neurological issues, but could be related to them feeling uncertain with a recent change too).
- Are they pulling funny faces (more so than normal rats), is this when they are relaxed or doing something. This could indicate some level of facial paralysis which may be associated with a neural problem.
- Are they grooming excessively, blinking lots or not at all (can be a sign of eye/ear irritation or neurological issues), or shaking their paws lots (can be a sign of numbness or tingling in paws).
Other useful checks
- Put them in a clean carrier or show tank with some kitchen roll on the floor. Leave them long enough until they urinate (more than just marking) and check for any redness or swirls of colour in the urine.
- Are they urinating or passing droppings more or less frequently than normal (this can be a good indication of amount they are drinking and eating as well as how well they are working overall).
- If you keep in urine dipsticks encourage them to wander around a clean none absorbent surface until the urinate properly (again not just marking), check for protein, sugar and blood content above normal ranges. Try and check this more than once to confirm any readings.
- Check their droppings, are they dryer and more rough than normal (could indicate light constipation or dehydration), are they not passing anything (constipation) wetter than normal (can be a stress reaction, a reaction to new foods, more protein or fibre than normal or a sign they have a stomach problem) or is it a funny colour (similar to the last one, however do check that they haven’t ingested anything brightly coloured like a pencil crayon or bright food, these can dye their droppings very funny colours).
- Check how your rats smell, some illness can be identified by a change of smell, a sweet smell can be associated with diabetes, a foul smell can indicate an abscess somewhere. This is particularly useful to check their mouth and ears. If they have squishy wet droppings this also generally has a strong smell about it and is normally what I spot first).
- Are all extremities such as their tail and paws a nice even pink colour and generally not cold (note if a rat has been running on cold surfaces they probably will be without it being a problem).