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Vets provide the proper antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, and any surgery that may be necessary, to save your pet's life.
A rat may also need injections to rehydrate them, as they dehydrate quickly and may be lethargic and unwilling to drink anything.
That said, here are some tips to help with nursing a sick rat back to health.
**The following comes from my experiences in helping Ceres through an Ear Infection.**
... --Pedialyte and Ensure can be given to rats. It's definately helpful. I've heard that you can make little frozen pops
out of these in a ice cube tray to give to rats.
...--Babyfood. You can mix liquid or powder medicines into a bit of this, and make sure they eat it all to get their
full dose. It gives not only nutrition, it also gives moisture.
If they have trouble eating solid foods by themselves:
Stock up on the Babyfood! These can be licked up out of a small cup/bowl or a lid to an old jar,
or if they won't take it that way, you can put it on your finger for them. Get a wide variety of types, if this is likely
to be their main diet for a while.
...--mixed veggies
...--"dinner" style with meats
...--mixed cereals, or rice cereal with applesauce, etc
...--fruit mixes
The variety is necessary. If they only get veggies, they will get diarrhea, which will worsen their illness (and also stinks
since they can't clean or take care of themselves.
Crush some rice chex cereal or other cereals, or graham crackers, and mix it into the babyfood where it will soften and add
further nutrition.
You can help them to eat their solid food by holding it for them, if they are having trouble holding it themselves (as happened
to Ceres during her ear infection). They have to have the will and the energy to try to eat it, though, for this to work.
If they're unstable on their feet or having trouble getting around:
...--Temporary new home.
Move the rat to a smaller, one-floor cage (I use
a "my first home" hamster cage for this, and push the little ramp up out of the way by setting its bottom propper up on a
teddy bear).
...--Remove all "furniture".
Eliminate any hard-to-get-to litter trays by
just lining the whole floor with litter. Provide a water bottle, but beware of any open water since it doesn't take much
to drown in--so take out any open water dishes. Pile food in a corner where it's accessible but not likely to get soiled
quickly; replace it each day though.
...Then, put lots of fabric scraps and bedding material in there, and hang a big hammock or something similar along the top
of the cage, letting it hang down low enough to provide further insulation and darkness needed for rest. I use a pair of
old jersey shorts as both a hammock and as hanging insulation in the little cage.
A small cage with fabric as insulation makes it easy to lift the fabric back to check on the rat, and to lift them out when
you need to.
...--Be watchful at all times
Make sure that the other rats have a chance to
visit regularly, which can be done by setting the cage on a bed or couch and opening the door, and letting the other rats
on the bed/couch. Keep a close eye on your ill rat, however, as if their balance is uncertain, it is very easy for them to
fall off of the furniture. Even while feeding the rat in your lap, be alert that they may tumble out of your lap.
...-- and most of all:Be there for them.
It can improve your rats'
mood dramatically to have them with you often. I took a length of fabric-remnant fleece to be her blanket while Ceres was
sick, and would wrap her in it and let her sleep in its folds while I sat watching TV or was on the computer. I was able
to keep track of her and know when she needed food or attention. The blanket caught any drips of babyfood when I fed her
in my lap. I returned her to her little cage regularly so that she could releive herself and take a nap alone, but she preferred
me to be with her.
I kept the little cage on the bed with me at night, and checked on her first thing in the morning. I'd talk to her softly,
sing a bit, to remind her that I was still there for her, so that she wouldn't get lonely. Being in close proximity to the
cage can also force you to know exactly when it needs an airing out or cleaning--which is beneficial to the rat as well!
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