M0onkist
Well-Known Member
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but never let it be said that rats aren't intelligent creatures.
A few of you know that a couple of weeks ago I was on a daily and nightly vigil for Chance. He had (and likely still has) all the signs of PT, failed the Cheerios test miserably (as a psychologist, I would say he rejected the premise of the test by not even trying to grab it with his front paws). At the lowest point he kept falling over, had to be dropper fed Ensure (and most of it wound up on him instead of in him). He did seem to perk up a bit about nine days ago, and didn't want to eat by dropper, preferring to lick it up in a bowl, so my boyfriend Tim (who is an angel), and I decided I should still go up to my grandmother's for her 93rd birthday (never knowing how many more birthdays she will have), and leave it up to Chance whether he'd go or fight like a little demon monkey.
Well, Chance is a demon monkey, without doubt. I thought I could detect some learning in his behavior - he was trying to compensate when he would clean his belly or his lower back by his tail, though most of the time he wound up falling over anyway. He was definitely learning with regards to the Ensure - able to lap it up instead of having to be dropper-fed.
I come back tonight, and what do I find... Mr. Honeycomb, sweet and devoted nursemaid that he is, of course tried to climb up the infirmary cage walls when he heard me come in - and Chance stood up on his hind legs, completely unaided!
Later, I figured I would try feeding him a fresh wild blueberry (brought some from Nana's) - and wouldn't you know it, he held it in his front paws, sat high up on his hind end, and ate it!! He appears to have developed a totally different way of sitting up or standing - his tail is a much heavier balance now, like a kangaroo's when it's not hopping around, firmly planted against the ground. So the result is he stands very tall, whereas most rats would be sitting, but their profile while eating would be very low to the ground. He's able to groom very well too - still has a bit of trouble with his back near the tail, but it's a stellar improvement...
Now he's trying to eat lab blocks too - and he's holding them!! I'm dancing for joy, I can tell you! I know it doesn't eliminate PT as the source, and that he will probably decline at some point, but he's doing so amazingly well right now... I just had to share the joy!
A few of you know that a couple of weeks ago I was on a daily and nightly vigil for Chance. He had (and likely still has) all the signs of PT, failed the Cheerios test miserably (as a psychologist, I would say he rejected the premise of the test by not even trying to grab it with his front paws). At the lowest point he kept falling over, had to be dropper fed Ensure (and most of it wound up on him instead of in him). He did seem to perk up a bit about nine days ago, and didn't want to eat by dropper, preferring to lick it up in a bowl, so my boyfriend Tim (who is an angel), and I decided I should still go up to my grandmother's for her 93rd birthday (never knowing how many more birthdays she will have), and leave it up to Chance whether he'd go or fight like a little demon monkey.
Well, Chance is a demon monkey, without doubt. I thought I could detect some learning in his behavior - he was trying to compensate when he would clean his belly or his lower back by his tail, though most of the time he wound up falling over anyway. He was definitely learning with regards to the Ensure - able to lap it up instead of having to be dropper-fed.
I come back tonight, and what do I find... Mr. Honeycomb, sweet and devoted nursemaid that he is, of course tried to climb up the infirmary cage walls when he heard me come in - and Chance stood up on his hind legs, completely unaided!
Later, I figured I would try feeding him a fresh wild blueberry (brought some from Nana's) - and wouldn't you know it, he held it in his front paws, sat high up on his hind end, and ate it!! He appears to have developed a totally different way of sitting up or standing - his tail is a much heavier balance now, like a kangaroo's when it's not hopping around, firmly planted against the ground. So the result is he stands very tall, whereas most rats would be sitting, but their profile while eating would be very low to the ground. He's able to groom very well too - still has a bit of trouble with his back near the tail, but it's a stellar improvement...
Now he's trying to eat lab blocks too - and he's holding them!! I'm dancing for joy, I can tell you! I know it doesn't eliminate PT as the source, and that he will probably decline at some point, but he's doing so amazingly well right now... I just had to share the joy!
