How to do a proper health check

 I think it is incredibly important to know how to do a proper health check of your pet rats. You will want to do this on a weekly basis. This will help you catch any kind of health problems early- while you can hopefully still treat them. If you notice anything out of the ordinary while checking your rats, please consult a vet on proper treatment to get your rat back to health! Here is a list of what to do, and what you should be looking for. I will also be adding videos as I go -to show you exactly how you do this.

Weight:
Tracking your rats weight is important. You can see any weight loss or gain that could be attributed to an illness. It's also important just to make sure that you're rat is maintaing a healthy weight. You don't want any skinny minnies, or any super chubby ratties! In order to track your rats weight at home, you'll need to find a kitchen scale that measures in grams like this one:


You'll want to place them on the scale, some rats won't like this and won't stay on but you can entice them with a yummy treat. Try putting a tiny amount of yogurt or whipped cream on your finger or a spoon. This gives them something to concentrate on, but its not a treat that they can just grab and run off with.

Eyes:
Eyes are an easy one, just have a look at their eyes, they should look bright and clear. There should be no porphryin (a red discharge) around their eyes..although keep in mind that some rats don't clean it off right away after they sleep. But if you see it regularly that can be a sign of illness. There should be no spots in their eyes or cloudy areas on their eyes at all. Also, if your rats eyes are squinty a lot, that can be a sign of illness (don't mistake this for sleepiness or contentedness though!)

Ears:
You'll want to hold your rat securely and check his/her ears. You're going to be looking for anything out of the ordinary. Ideally your rats ears should look healthy and pink, no visible ear wax, dirt, or scabs of any kind. You may also want to take a whiff (gross I know) of your rats ears, you shouldn't be able to smell anything- and if you do, there's a problem!

Nose:
Nose is simple, it should be free of any debris or discharge. It should be nice and pink!

Toenails:
Check their toes and toenails. They should not be overgrown or curling under into their paws. Obviously they should have all their toes and make sure there is no damage to them. I have had a girl who had her toenail ripped off, honestly it didn't bother her at all, but you should always keep an eye on any injuries and take them to a vet if you have any questions.

Coat/Fur:
Their coat should be shiny and soft. Unless you have a hairless or rex rat, if you have a rex, their hair would be curly and sometimes more coarse then a standard rat's fur. If you have a standard furred rat- you shouldn't see any bald spots or thin spots in their fur. A good diet will also make a difference in their coat, so make sure you're feeding them healthy foods!

Teeth/mouth:
Their teeth should be a yellowish orange color, this means they're healthy! Your rat should NOT have white teeth! Their top and bottom teeth should be aligned and be perfectly straight on the top. Sometimes your rats bottom teeth will splay out in a v-shape. Don't be too alarmed! If you ever have teeth that a misaligned this can cause a lot of major problems :(. I've seen a rat with its tooth curled all the way around and digging into its bottom jaw. If you notice any problems PLEASE take your rat to a vet for a teeth trimming! Also their gums and tongue should be a healthy pink color. If it is a darker purple then your rat isn't getting enough oxygen!

Privates:
Yes you need to check your rats private areas too. I know it doesn't sound too appealing but if you don't do this, you could miss some very big problems that can be life threatening for your rat!

• females- your female's vagina should look pink and healthy, with no obvious discharge or odors. There should be no blood, swelling or discoloration. Sometimes when a female is in heat their vagina will open up (allowing for easier mating), so don't let that shock you.
• males- their penis should be INSIDE their body (unless mating of course). If it is sticking out, your risking infections. If you notice that your boys penis is sticking out, watch and see if it retracts on its own. If it doesn't you need to keep that area lubricated- some olive oil would work. You also need to check your boy for penis plugs. You'll need to flip your boy over on his back and take 2 fingers and gently press on either side of your boy's penis, this should pop it out. It should be pink and healthy looking. If you see any kind of waxy build up, you need to gently remove it, if left there it can block your boys ability to urinate or function properly - leading to kidney and urinary infections in your boy.

Tail:
You'll want to check your rats tail for any kind of cuts, abscesses, swelling, or  unnatural discoloration. I will warn you - MOST rats don't bother cleaning their tail. Their tails will probably looking gross an spotted, this is normal (see the picture to the right). You can clean your rats tail if you want (I don't) it to look nice. To do see just take some soap (baby shampoo is great), warm water and a soft bristle tooth brush. ALWAYS remember to clean their tail from butt too tip. Go with the scales of their skin, NEVER go against as it can damage the delicate skin on their tails

Body:
You'll want to thoroughly check their body. It should be free of any lumps, scratches, obvious wounds. They should be able to move all of their limbs freely and with no pain. The should have a normal walking and running gait with no limping, dragging, or favoring of any limbs.

Lungs:
You should make sure you definitely check your rats lungs! Rat's are prone to respiratory infections. To check this you do what all of us in the rat community call "the ratty telephone". Basically you want to pick up your rate and place its chest to your ear (it looks like a telephone!) and listen to their lungs. Rats breath faster then us, but you should not hear any crackling, whistling, wheezing, or congestion of any kind. You should just hear swift whooshes of air going in out of the lungs as they breath. If you hear ANYTHING abnormal, please consult a vet- rats can die rather quickly from respiratory infections if left untreated!

Internal/Feces:
Ok, Internal/feces I know you can't actually LOOK at your rats internal organs, but you can still check them. Pick your rat up and gently (VERY gently..don't want any eyes popping out..lol) squeeze your rats abdomen, basically you just want to feel if anything seems swollen or out of the ordinary. You also want to keep on eye on their poop, yes I know its gross. Sometimes rats can get diarrhea or loose stools. If you notice any, try and pinpoint which rat is doing it and monitor them. If they don't firm up after a short time, you should consult a vet as this might be a sign of illness or internal problem.

These are all the important things you need to check on your rat on a regular basis. These can be a matter of life and death for your rat if you can catch any problems or illnesses quickly! If you notice anything abnormal PLEASE consult with vet. Try and find a vet that is rat knowledgeable, if you can't find one- try and find one that is willing to learn! One mistake with these little guys and you could cause major problems!