Any help?

Kiri

I was just wandering if you can tell the age of a rat? Im asking because im afraid mine does not have long left Sad

and being a rescue i dont know how old he was when i got him.

I got him off a friend of a friend my who said he was going to 'get rid' of him. Which i thought was totally outrageous and really angered me because you should not have an animal if your not prepared to look after it Sad

Anyway he is a lovely rat and very friendly. Always awake and alert if he hears me walk past the cage ready to come out for a run. He used to be very energetic and would spend a lot of time running round my room, however in the last couple of weeks ive noticed he looks thinner even though he is eating normally and he feels somewhat weak when i pick him up. Ive also noticed that his black fur is turning a sort of silver grey. Ive nearly had him year now and he was fully grown when i got him. I know rats live between 3-5 years right? Are these signs that he's getting really old or something else? Should i take him to the vets? I would just like to know what you all think because if he is getting old i want him to be as comfortable and happy as possible as i know he hasnt been treated right in the past.
Thanks guys

ilyanimals4evaa

i have had a tleast 6 rats in my life and heres your answer theres alot of info so start reading a pregnant female will give birth approximately three weeks after
being inseminated if she was in estrus at that moment.
Rats can't see worth a darn, but their other senses, particuarly their
senses of smell and hearing are a whole lot more sensitive than ours.
Baby rats are born deaf and blind; their eyes don't open until about two
weeks of age; but they can hear and smell well within their first week.
They will continue to suckle (drink momma's milk) for several weeks; and
are generally ready to leave home around the age of six weeks.
Their brains are most receptive before 6 weeks; this is the time the
breeder (or you, if it's your litter) should handle them frequently to get
them accustomed to the way humans smell, sound, and feel.
They should also remain with their little brothers and sisters until
at least 6 weeks of age. Rats which are removed from their litter too
soon frequently grow up to be snippy and fearful of humans.
This will also occur if the person raising them does not handle them
regularly beginning around a week after birth until 5 or 6 weeks of age.

Rats reach sexual maturity at about five weeks; but on occasion females have
been known to become pregnant by older males at less than 4 weeks of age.

Your rats will grow very fast for several months, then slow down until six or so
months. The males eventually reach a weight of about one to one-and-a-half
pounds; the females are about 30% to 50% smaller - although there are exceptions.

The average life expectancy of a domestic pet rat is between 2 and 3 years.
Some may live a little shorter period; while some have reached 4 years and
beyond. Their environment plays a big role in how long they'll live.
If they're treated well, given a big cage, some rat-mates, and a proper diet,
they tend to reward you with a longer life.

Kiri

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone else have any suggestions pls? Im really worried about him so any answers would be greatly appreciated
thanks

nahatalie

A rat's life expectancy is actually only about 2-3 years, though sometimes you get the odd one living past this. If his health has delicined in only 2 weeks, I would suggest a trip to the vets. From my experience of one rat reaching 2.5 years, she declined very gradually over a period of months. I just noticed old age bringing a clamness to her and she began to get a bit stiff in the joints and started to need lifting out of the cage as she found it hard to climb out. Personality wise though, she never changed and was always eager to come out for a play.

Does he seem stiff at all? Take longer climbing out of his cage? Maybe this could indicate old age. Also, about the greying hairs...do you know what variety of rat he is? If he is a roan (white sides, coloured back like a wide strip and sort of badger-markings face) this variety does fade in colour as they get older. My Maya is a roan and as a baby she had very distinctive markings on her face but now she is 8 months old her face is nearly all white, and greying all the time, and her once-black strip on her back is turning brown. It's just how the variety ages. In old old age she may even become completely white!

Remember that because rats are prey animals they may not show symptoms of illness very well as this would be a sign of weakness to the preying animal. Therefore, if they do have something wrong with them you can never really tell how bad it is even if they alright in themselves.

Even if your rat is ok, which I hope he is of course, it might be worth a visit to the vet just to give him an MOT anyway.

I suppose if you've had him for a year and he was fully grown already, he must be at least 18 months old, so should have another year in him. But perhaps he is older than that, there isn't really an accurate way of telling as far as I know.

Have you ever thought of getting him a buddy? They do so love to have a friend to play with/snuggle up to!

As I suggest with all posts I read about rats, as well as this excellent forum, there is one especially dedicated to just rats which fantanstic and there is a very large, active community on there. It's very rat spefic and I've learnt a LOT from there! It's www.fancy-rats.co.uk

Kiri

Hiya thanks for the info!
He doesnt seem to be stiff i mean he still as eager as ever to come out of his cage and climb on top for a cuddle. I know he is dumbo rat and ever since i have known him he has been completely black. Its only recently his sides have began turning this colour. Your advice has really reasured me and i will book him into the vets tommorow so he can get checked over.
Also he lives with three other male rats and they all get on brilliantly. They especially like to squash themselves together in their hammock and their bed lol
Thanks again for your help Very Happy

nahatalie

He he he....glad he has friends to be in rat pile with! My girls love sleeping in strange positions on top of each other...soon to be joined by my neutered rescue boy who will take up the bed space! (once he stops being grumpy with them and starts being friendly!)

I mean, it probably is just old age, but always better to be safe than sorry, and if there is nothing wrong with him, it won't be a wasted visit because a) he'll get a bit of a check over, and b) getting the all clear will set your mind at rest!

Good luck with him, let us know what happens after the vets!

Kiri

thanks
ill keep you updated on what happens and post some pictures soon of him and the others.

Hope your new rat settles in soon Smile

ilyanimals4evaa

im sorry kiri did my info not help you well if thats so im very sorry and i hope you found the right info

Kiri

No your info was brill and gave me some info i did not know before Very Happy

which has also helped me greatly
thanks

poppydog83

the only reason i know my rats ages are because i was told that when the boy (that i got them from) got them they were 6 months old and when i got them he had only had them 7 months. other than that you cant really tell. I do know that when i got my hamster he was 2 months old,so he will now be 15 months old,

Kiri

hey all just a quick update so tell you that i took him to the vets and there is nothing wrong health wise it is just that he is getting on in life.
He is very happy and atm is alseep in his hammock at the bottom of the rat pile lol. Thanks again for all you help guys!

nahatalie

Aww, glad he's ok. I'm sure the warmth from the rat pile will help to sooth the aches in his joints he he