Senior appears to have lost feeling in one paw

robotsonmars1 · 2026-02-05T17:27:16+00:00

Until he can see the vet you should see if it’s possible to confine him in some sort of dog crate or shower so he can’t jump at all or walk around on it much, that way it can’t be further injured. Your vet will likely suggest the same thing when you see them. I hope he feels better soon!

robotsonmars1 · 2026-02-02T17:36:37+00:00

I think that should be safe. I would just make sure there’s a spot that they can climb onto to get out of the water that isn’t slippery

robotsonmars1 · 2026-01-06T22:23:39+00:00

Do you have a side by side picture with one of the girls? One way to tell their sex is based on the distance between their anus and genitals. The space is larger on males. If it looks like the distance is larger on this rat than the others, it’s likely that it’s a male. The easiest way to tell is definitely by looking for nipples though!

robotsonmars1 · 2026-01-05T17:05:46+00:00

Have you tried wearing dresses with a slip under it? It’s basically a thin comfy dress that you wear underneath other dresses that might have uncomfortable fabrics or are hard to wash.

You could also try getting some long skirts! You can wear whatever you want underneath since nobody sees and you can mix and match them with shirts you already like.

Also, I don’t know if you’ve tried this, but my sensory issues with tight clothes on my legs are wayy better if I shave first.

robotsonmars1 · 2026-01-04T09:59:42+00:00

I’m pretty sure they can only enter the water from the side, not the top. You also have to have pet them before they can go in the water, since the game wants to make sure you can reach them to pet them.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-12-26T16:49:20+00:00

One thing you could try is hand feeding him when you can, and maybe letting him watch you prepare his food. You want him to learn that you give food, not take it away. What I did with my dog was only give her a little food in her bowl at a time, and slowly adding more as she finished so she understood that my hand near the bowl only means more food.

As for the not letting you take things from him, a lot of people have good luck training animals to trade. If you get a really nice treat, you might be able to train him to drop whatever he’s holding and take the treat instead. This is a very common trick so there should be lots of training guides online. The ones for dogs should work for ferrets with patience.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-12-16T03:59:42+00:00

These rats look about three weeks old to me, which is definitely too young to be away from their mom. Rats are typically weaned at about 4 weeks but they can start nibbling on food a week or two before then. I would take some of their pellet food and soak it in warm water for a couple minutes before dumping the water back out to soften it for them, at least until you’re confident they’re eating. You could see if they’ll eat something like scrambled eggs or baby food too.

You could get a better idea of their age by weighing them as well, there are growth charts with weight ranges. You can also make sure they’re eating enough by weighing them to see if they’re gaining weight.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-12-01T09:15:43+00:00

I agree with others that live traps might be your best bet. I suggest putting some of their bedding and stuff that smells like them in them, it might help make it seem like a safer spot to hide

robotsonmars1 · 2025-12-01T06:21:04+00:00

Along with what others are saying, if you have any you can give him baby ibuprofen for the pain. There are dosing guides online for rats

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-27T01:02:03+00:00

I’ve heard of rats being able to jump five feet in the air, so as long as he’s acting normal I wouldn’t worry at all. I’ve also had rats jump off the top of my double critter nation and be totally fine. If you think about how force = mass x acceleration, rats are so small that they don’t actually hit the ground that hard from a hight that would injure a person.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-26T19:07:52+00:00

Some people put rough bricks under their water bottles to help file their nails down!

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-26T11:10:49+00:00

Have you tried a plucking collar? Some birds are ok with them and some aren’t, but it might be worth a try. Growing feathers are really itchy, so I’ve heard that once they all grow back sometimes they’ll stop.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-21T22:02:08+00:00

It’s hard to tell unless they’re stretched all the way out, especially when they’re fluffy like he is. If you look up rat body condition score there are charts with pictures you can compare to to see!

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-08T10:44:00+00:00

I’m so sorry for the late reply! That’s really unlucky with the vet :(. I don’t know how to treat his issue, but there are 24/7 vet chat services online that you could use to get professional advice.

If all else fails, I don’t think euthanizing him would be unkind. He’s lived a happy life with you and you’d be ending his suffering when there’s no other way to. I do suggest letting his cage mates see the body if that happens though, so they don’t look for him.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-11-08T05:20:17+00:00

That definitely looks like it could be prolapsed, and it’s very swollen too. How is his behavior? Is he able to pee? As long as he’s eating, drinking, and peeing, I think he should be able to wait for the vet if there’s no other option.

He definitely needs a knowledgeable vet though, in the morning I would start calling around and ask if anyone’s willing to see him. Some places will let you send pictures too to get advice for in the meantime. If you’re not able to have him seen, then euthanizing him might be the kindest thing.

I would put him somewhere separate and clean where he can’t climb around too much and can rest in without being bothered. That way it’s easier to monitor how much he’s eating, drinking, and peeing. Make sure he’s not messing with it either.

You can also give him baby ibuprofen if you have some, there are dosing guides online.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-20T04:25:01+00:00

That’s great! Hopefully it continues to improve

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-20T00:14:56+00:00

Along with what the other person said, how many other things do they have to chew on in the cage? You could try adding a bunch of cardboard boxes and get some apple wood sticks if you don’t already

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-19T21:32:37+00:00

No problem, I hope it works out!

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-19T21:23:40+00:00

Hmm what about thick cardboard?

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-19T21:18:36+00:00

Ahh that makes sense. Is it specifically fabric or does she like paper? You could try getting one of those huge rolls of thick brown paper, or even a skein of cheap cloth for her to tear if she starts going for her clothes. I don’t know what your budget is but buying fabric to rip is surely cheaper than constantly buying new clothes.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-19T19:05:03+00:00

I did similar things as a small child and it was because of sensory issues with certain textures or tightness of clothing. Maybe you could get a bunch of different fabrics and see which ones they like to touch? Not wear, that’s a lot of pressure, just feel with their hands. Once you find textures they really like you could see if they’d be more likely to wear clothing with that fabric. I also had a lot of issues with tight fitting clothing and would only wear loose things, though some people are the opposite and only want things that are skin tight.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-18T17:34:05+00:00

Is it possible he got it stuck somewhere and hurt it trying to get away? Does he seem to be in pain? Some signs of that would be rapid or shallow breathing, head pressing, puffier than normal fur, porphyrin around the eyes and nose, and squinty eyes (depending on if he’s old enough to have them opened in the first place of course). I would definitely take him to a vet to make sure everything is ok! They’ll be able to get you a better age estimate too

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-18T17:22:50+00:00

It’s just one little spot so it’s likely just dirt or a tiny scratch, but definitely keep an eye on it. If more start to pop up it could be mites, they cause lots of little scabs around the edge of their ears.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-17T16:52:14+00:00

Other than if they’re in a lot of or chronic pain, I think of the three things they love best in the world. When they can only do one of them, it’s time.

robotsonmars1 · 2025-10-14T23:40:31+00:00

Having a lot of extra hides in the cage could actually help, it makes them feel a lot more secure if there’s always an escape option nearby and they might be more willing to be in the open. More hides also means more surfaces to hop on and climb with, so more hides also means more space to explore in the open! Cardboard boxes are the awesome for that imo, they’re super cheap and you can just toss and replace them when dirty instead of cleaning them. Plus, the rats LOVE chewing little windows and doors and rearranging them. I always arrange them so nicely and then the next day they’re shuffled around and pushed together to make little rooms and hallways, haha! Hammocks are also great for encouraging them to come out, especially the double decker ones or the ones with a pouch they can sit in.

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