rats

[bunny]

My friend has a pet rat her name is kaboomikis. We all love his rat It sleeps in a smallish plastic tub that has holes in the top she is about 2 years old now and lives on my friend, in his jumper mostly. About a month ago he noticed that she tilted her head to one side and ever since then she's never been the same, she is still the same friendly courages rat but always has her head tilted two one side and lyes on her side when in your hand. We have come to the conclusion now that this permanent and must be some form of brain damage she still walks fine however anyway i was wandering if this was a common thing in rodents?

[alanmcn2]

the same thing happened to my little mate mikey at around 2years.i asked a vet who said rats are prone to brain tumours at that age. he died about 2-3 weeks later.sorry.

[Gibbo]

get the poor little thing to a vet pronto, he could be in a lot of pain!

[Snappy]

It could be a stroke. She needs a vet but i dont think there's much they can do!

[jocasta]

This happened to my rat, he was fine and lived for another 18 months..

[honkytonkman]

Sleeps in a plastic tub with holes in it?? Your friend should buy a proper cage for the rat to live in at night time!! The poor little thing. Doesn't sound like your friend is capable of looking after it properly.

[FP]

The rat should have been attended to as soon as she was ill. It does sound like a tumour or stroke. And as for sleeping in a plastic tub with holes, this amounts to cruelty. It would be kinder to put the rat to sleep - she is quite old for a rat now anyway - and if your friend decides to keep another animal he should learn to look after it properly.

[bunny]

i would just like to say thankyou for your advise and that the plastic tub she sleeps in is fine, it's small but not to small she likes it anyway.

[FP]

I hope things work out OK, bunny.

[peachy_puss]

that happened to my mouse....

[cranberry85]

as far as i have read this is quite normal and common in albino rats. i think it is to do with poor eyesight and not a brain tumour at all. albino rata have particularly poor eyesight and i think, though i cant remember, it is because they are trying to focus. it is on the internet somewhere because it is common. hope that helps