Rats, like other pets, are animals that require proper care to maintain their he alth at an optimal level. By providing a balanced diet and adequate accommodation, and going to the vet for routine check-ups, you will be able to prevent multiple pathologies. However, in some cases, domestic rats may be affected by pathologies of various kinds that will require proper diagnosis and treatment. In case you detect that your rat does not move, it may simply be sleeping or, on the contrary, there may be some pathological cause that is causing that immobility.
If you are wondering why your rat is not moving, we recommend that you read the following article on our site in which you we explain what the causes may be.
Sleep
Rats are nocturnal animals, so it is common to find them sleeping for much of the day. Sleep periods can last up to 4 hours, therefore, in principle, we should not worry if we find our rat motionless and with its eyes closed, since it is most likely simply sleeping. You will know your rat is asleep if it is in one of these positions:
- Ball-shaped: when they are alone, they usually sleep with their head between their legs forming a kind of ball to maintain their temperature bodily.
- Stretch: When the ambient temperature is high, they often stretch out completely to sleep. In this way, they maximize their contact surface with the fresh ground and get cool.
- In a group: When we have more than one rat, it is common for them to huddle together to sleep and maintain their body temperature.
Dream as a symptom of illness
However, if you find that your rat remains motionless for a long time, or if other signs appear together that may be indicative of disease, you should suspect that there is some pathological cause that is causing your rat not to move. It should be noted that one of the first signs of disease in rats is the appearance of a reddish-orange discharge from the tear ducts and nose (called "chromodacryorrhea"), which indicates a drop in defenses in the animal's body.
First of all, we must ask ourselves if our rat:
- He is not moving because he has a Decreased level of consciousness (lethargy or stupor). You will know this because the rat is in a more or less deep sleep state in which it responds with more difficulty to stimuli, or in more serious cases, it does not respond to stimuli of any kind.
- Despite being alert (with a normal level of consciousness) he does not move, moves less or moves with greater difficulty. In this case, the immobility may be due to paralysis of your limbs or a painful cause.
Digestive diseases
The most common digestive disorders in rats are usually caused by intestinal parasites (protozoa and nematodes) orbacterial infections (such as salmonellosis). These processes can be asymptomatic, but can also cause severe diarrhea which, in turn, can lead to weight loss and lethargy in rats. Therefore, if you detect that your rat is lethargic accompanied by digestive signs, it is most likely that the cause is an infection or intestinal parasitosis.
Respiratory diseases
murine respiratory mycoplasmosis is a respiratory pathology caused by a bacterial infection, specifically by the pathogen Mycoplasma pulmonis. Rats suffering from this infection, in addition to presenting respiratory signs such as sneezing, runny nose and respiratory distress, may also present general signs such as lethargy, rough coat, weight loss and loss of appetite. In addition to Mycoplasma, there are other bacteria and viruses capable of causing respiratory infections in rats that present similar symptoms. Therefore, if in addition to lethargy you detect that your rat shows respiratory signs, it is most likely that the cause is a respiratory infection.
Spinal cord pathologies
The degenerative pathologies of the spinal cord can cause anything from weakness (paresis) to paralysis (plegia) in the hind limbs or in the four limbs. Rats suffering from this type of pathology will present a greater or lesser degree of movement difficulty, depending on the degree of involvement of the spinal cord. In these cases, the rats will not move well or will not move at all, but they will be alert, that is, they will respond normally to stimuli.
Kidney pathologies
glomerulonephrosis is a common disease among older rats characterized by degeneration of the renal glomeruli (structures intended for the filtration of blood plasma). Rats with this pathology usually present polyruria (increased urine production) and polydipsia (increased water consumption), but may also present general signs such as lethargy or weight loss.
Neoplasms
Rats are highly susceptible animals to the development of tumors. mammary fibroadenomas are one of the most frequent tumors in rats, both male and female. These tumors can appear throughout the entire abdomen of the animal, from the chin to the inguinal area. Although they are not usually malignant tumors, they can reach considerably large sizes that hinder or completely prevent the movement of animals.
In short, as you have seen, there are various causes that can cause your rat not to move. In any of the cases, it is important that when you detect this sign alone or accompanied by any other symptom of illness, you go to yourtrusted veterinarian as soon as possible so that can start a diagnostic protocol and establish the most appropriate treatment in each case.
