Caring for The Elderly or Sick Rat

Sadly, pet rats have a very short lifespan, the average being 2 – 3 years, and old age often sets in very quickly. By the time a rat has reached around 18 months of age, he is thought of as being elderly or even old, although not all behave as such. However, this is the time when many ailments may begin to set in. Heart disease, arthritis, tumours, kidney disease, and degenerative loss of mobility are all conditions that many elderly rats may experience, and you may need to be prepared to nurse your rat through to the end. Rats are very courageous little animals and will try to soldier on without showing any sign of weakness. In the wild, any sign of illness or weakness would leave them wide open to attack.

Mobility may become impaired and a degenerative paralysis of the hind quarters in not uncommon in elderly males, and certainly not unheard of in elderly females. You need to make cages and favourite areas more accessible to an elderly rat. Remove any high perches or walkways to prevent falling, and if the cage is multi level, you may want to consider making the lowest level into a kind of Granny Flat. A dark, comfortable nest area is very important for the older rat as  he may spend a lot more of his time sleeping. You could even make a home for  him on the floor somewhere, under the sofa or bed, as my beloved Morpheus has here. He was nearly 4 yrs old in this photo, with very limited use of his hind quarters, heading off to use his 3-sided litter tray - by himself. Dignity and independence is very important  to an elderly rat, and try to allow him to do as much as possible for himself. You will soon recognize when he needs your help. Sadly, Morpheus died not long after this was taken, but he was at homes, in my arms when he died.

Be sure that water bottles are positioned so that your rat can reach them with ease, and that feeding bowls are heavy and low rimmed for easy access. If the doorway in and out of the cage is too difficult for your rat to climb over, you could make a shallow step or ramp, both inside the cage and on the outside. If possible, you could construct a false floor for the cage, lifting the access to one level. I’ve done this by filling the cage base with old books and covering with a piece of wood, and covering that with vinyl flooring or cork tiles (easier to grip). All that is then needed is a shallow ramp on the outside of the cage. If your rat is having to pull his back end around, you need to make sure that all surfaces are soft enough and have some grip to them. Cork tiles or place mats give good grip to a weaker rat. You may also need to make sure that nests, litter trays etc. have absolutely no threshold that your rat may not be able to pull himself across. You could construct a litter tray with only 3 sides for ease of access (see Morphy's litter tray - above)

Hygiene could become a problem to an elderly or sick rat, and you may need to help him by washing his bottom or places that he can’t reach. If his hind legs are affected it will make it impossible for him to scratch himself and you could help by doing this for him, either with your hand or a soft toothbrush. A daily massage or stroking will help his circulation and is a lovely way of keeping personal contact with your rat. Bedding in the nest may need to be changed more often if your rat becomes incontinent. Never let him spend time in a wet and smelly bed. Apart from being very uncomfortable, any ammonia from the wetness will irritate the respiratory tract and could burn the skin. You could give your rat a wash down with a damp face cloth of towel, and a cotton wool pad makes a perfect rattie face cloth. Try to let some fresh air into the room, but make very sure that your rat is kept warm and out of any drafts. Dignity is extremely important at this stage, and a rat may become very depressed if he loses his self-respect.

 Nutrition is very important to an ailing rat and you may find that you need to change his feeding regime. It may be difficult for him to hold his food in his hands to eat, or to sit up and eat. He may have particular difficulty with hard grains. A complete liquid food, such as Complan, or baby soymilk formula (Wysoy) can be a life saver - literally. Baby foods or mashed foods, which are high in calories and nutrients – such as avocado and banana – are also beneficial. The majority of sick rats will lose weight so that calorific foods shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Morpheus loved his porridge, and it's a great food for an elderly or sick rat. I mixed it up with soya, or rice milk. If your rat won’t, or can’t, eat from a bowl, you need to feed him by hand or from a spoon (preferably a rubber baby spoon) A rat that is too sick or disabled to eat this way can be fed by syringe (without the needle!) You need to be very patient with this method and don’t force it! Make sure your rat is taking in lots of fluids. If he won’t drink water you could try flavouring it with honey or juice. Mixing Complan or Wysoy quite thinly will ensure he takes in fluid. Wet foods, eg. Cucumber, grapes, apple and pear, will also add to the fluid intake. If your rat has diarrhoea you need to cut down the fruit and green vegetables for a while, but add a little sugar and salt to his drinking water to prevent dehydration.

Medication can be tricky to administer and you could add a liquid medicine to a dab of olive oil or jam, or a small piece of his favourite food. If this isn’t acceptable, smear the medicine around his mouth and he will lick it off. Pills and  tablets can be crushed with the back of a spoon and the powder separated into the required number of doses. Cover the remaining doses with cling film and store in the fridge. The powder can be added to a dab of olive oil or a small amount of his favourite food. Capsules can be pulled apart and the powder separated into doses as above.

This is a typical hospital ward on my bed, where I can be on hand even in the middle of the night.

Hygiene is something you may have to help your rat with. If he has lost the use of his hind legs, he will not be able to lift his foot to scratch or wash himself. Use a soft toothbrush to scratch him wherever he can't reach, behind the ears is somewhere they can't reach. You will also have to help him wash, particularly his bottom and private bits. A male rat may need you to gently wipe around his testicles, where dirt may accumulate, and his tummy, to prevent urine burning. Urine burning can be very painful and a male rat will automatically wee on his tummy if he has little use of his hind legs. A soft face cloth, dipped in warm water, is usually enough. You could dry his with a little talcum powder, which also helps prevent urine burning. It's also important to keep his bed and litter clean and dry. You'll find you have to change his bedding more often as he won't be able to hold his water. If you leave it too long he'll be lying in a wet, smelly bed, which is the last thing he needs at this point. 

You must be prepared to give your rat a lot more of your time, and more of an effort, to help him through his old age. Please don't give up on him. Don't cast him aside or abandon him at a shelter. Moving from his home, the security he knows, at this stage in his life would cause immense stress and distress. Rats have short life-spans and age quickly. It's not a lot to ask, is it? If you answer yes to that - you really shouldn't keep rats. Go for something bigger with a longer life-span. Or, better still, don't have any animals. They're for life, not until they grow old and bore you!

Dignity and Self-respect are all important to an elderly rat. Without this, he may well give up on life. Rats are very independent and even an elderly or sick rat will try and do as much for himself as possible. Of course, there will be many things he can't do alone, but try and make every assistance you give him as dignified as possible. Doesn't he deserve it?

Morpheus, as I remember him - waiting for the does to arrive! 

An elderly rat may spend more time sleeping away the days, so a dark, cozy  nest area is essential.

Be sure to remove any high perches and walkways to prevent an elderly rat from falling.

Hygiene
An elderly rat may not be able to clean himself properly, and you may need to wash his bottom and other areas for him. Self-respect is very important!!

If your rat is unable to feed himself, you will have to feed him by hand or off a spoon. Good nutrition is essential for his well-being.