EDIT:All better now! Rat turned Antisocial?

[Curiousratlover]

That is interesting. All my cats are either loving or tolerant toward the rats and are all aware of the biting end if they play too rough. Patches loves them, they were his only source of furry attention when his old cagemate died. I always found it odd though that mousers aren't automatically ratters. My cats are just selective I guess. They are all indoor cats, will all bring dead mice they catch as trophies but then lay down and cuddle with the rats. :lol: But then again who knows, may be scent based as well.

 

[VacantEyes]

That is interesting. All my cats are either loving or tolerant toward the rats and are all aware of the biting end if they play too rough. Patches loves them, they were his only source of furry attention when his old cagemate died. I always found it odd though that mousers aren't automatically ratters. My cats are just selective I guess. They are all indoor cats, will all bring dead mice they catch as trophies but then lay down and cuddle with the rats. :lol: But then again who knows, may be scent based as well.

I'm always so jealous when people have pets that get along. I can't have a cat because my dog would swallow it. I never used to be able to have small furries when I had cats because they wanted to swallow them :sad3:

Luckily my dog just sniffs the rats and tolerates them now. Occasionally he licks their tails if they're hanging out of the cage but they generally nip him on the nose if he gets too interested in them. Never would I allow them out together though, no doubt it would be a disaster :sad3:

 

[jennifervb]

Regarding Billy. Did you check his incisors to make sure that they were not growing like crazy?

I had a similar thing happen with my boy, Jerry. I came home and found him comatose on the bottom level of the cage.

He had been having serious trouble with malocclusion and had had his incisors trimmed just 3 weeks prior.

The vet had scheduled a follow up appointment for the very day I found him comatose. She had said that 3 weeks would not allow the incisors to run amok enough to harm him... she was wrong.

Jerry's lower incisors had shot up, practically overnight, and stabbed up into his brain. I had to have my baby euthanized.

Jerry's symptoms are exactly like the ones you describe. He was comatose and limp but his breathing was normal. :sad3:

 

[Curiousratlover]

I don't think I checked his teeth specifically. It's been a very long time since then though I do remember checking his body and his mouth but that was for pinkness. Unless it is possible to be more subtle/mild than the pictures I've seen I believe I would've noticed the teeth but he was part of my first pair of rats and I was not as educated as I am now for sure. I am positive he never had malocclusion issues previously however. I just kept hoping he'd wake up or the vet would open in time but he died and I buried him.

Thanks for the info though. I suppose I'll never know for sure.

 

[jennifervb]

I don't think I checked his teeth specifically. It's been a very long time since then though I do remember checking his body and his mouth but that was for pinkness. Unless it is possible to be more subtle/mild than the pictures I've seen I believe I would've noticed the teeth but he was part of my first pair of rats and I was not as educated as I am now for sure. I am positive he never had malocclusion issues previously however. I just kept hoping he'd wake up or the vet would open in time but he died and I buried him.

Thanks for the info though. I suppose I'll never know for sure.

That's ok. I was not as informed, as I am now, either. The vet did say that the injury only caused very brief pain to Jerry. I took some comfort in that albeit very little.

It took me forever to heal from that and it still haunts me sometimes.

What matters is that I now know what to look for. After Jerry... all of my boys got regular peeks into their mouths. They didn't like it... but I didn't care. Better a pissed off, but healthy, little rat man than a mortally wounded baby I can no longer save. Tough love but such is life. :love6: