Mentally challenged baby rat??

[Joanne]

Very interesting little boy you have there. I'm glad to hear he can easily eat and fight with his siblings for it too. Right now he seems full of energy and obviously loves his human mommy.
How old is he now?

 

[spazzytazzy]

Yes he's definately a special little guy <3

lilspaz68, here's a video of taz eating:
http://youtu.be/wpvMHqgD-Os

please let me know what you think!
i spoke with a vet tech about him (who has had many many rats) and she thinks that he is just special but healthy? i showed her a video of him weaving in and out of the bars on his cage and she seems to think that the fact that he can hold himself up there and balance without falling is a sign of good health. i dont know though, it sounds like you have a lot of experience with hydro babies so please let me know your thoughts!

 

[spazzytazzy]

and his actual birthday was august 26, so he is exactly 7 weeks and one day old today

 

[Fidget]

I think it's very unlikely that his issues are due to oxygen deprivation at birth and if so, it will worsen with age as well.

I won't argue that there's another cause for this kid other than this, but I dispute vehemently that 'issues due to oxygen deprivation at birth will worsen with age'. That's totally wrong! The damage is done at birth, after that the kid has whatever abilities it has for as long as any other critter of it's type has theirs. And it's not dimished, it's just different, and a rat's greatest strength is adapting. Brain-challenged kids aren't the 1st to figure out a problem, but they adapt to their environment as well as any other kid. And critters are more accepting of differences in others than humans are.
As I said, Basil was not the smartest rat I ever had, but he was was one of the most loving, and he was no different than his 4 brothers at all - He didn't worsen with age any more than any of us do.

 

[lilspaz68]

He's got definite neuro issues, see the involuntary headlifts while he eats? But he chooses well and eats well and seems agile and well...a baby rat on super speed. I think just enjoy the little bean for every special day he is with you, because he may only be around a few weeks, or he may be around years...you just don't know. Now its up to you to keep him as healthy as possible...you will want him on a very high quality diet of lab blocks (how does he do with hard objects he needs to gnaw on?), and lots of healthy veggies, and a little fruit. Seeds only as treats if possible as they won't help him in the long run...

Taz is absolutely adorable and I hope he;s a real fighter with a fantastic immune system. :heart: :heart:

Keep posting, I would love to watch him grow up :thumbup:

 

[EDK]

Defiently post more vids, despite his little issues, he's so cute and acting with full life in him! You're so lucky to have him!

 

[Joanne]

Yes, we would love to follow his life!

 

[spazzytazzy]

Thank you I will keep posting updates on my little man!
I never had a problem with him being different (he's actually the one that I kept from the litter), I've just been so worried that I'm going to lose him so soon. I'm glad that there is still hope that he might live a long life, but either way I am going to love and cherish all of the time that I have with him. We have such a strong bond. He's doing so well too and I'm curious to see if he will grow much bigger and what he's going to be like when he's older (finger's crossed). He's so special to me <3
As for his chewing on hard objects, he did good when I bought them a "snackshack" which is pretty hard..and he loves hard food (like the consistency of dog food) so I think he's good for that. Plus his teeth are well kept so that's probably a good sign too lol
Thanks again for all of your replies! I'm new to ratshack; but I like it a lot already

 

[EDK]

We like you too lol! Lets see vids of your sweet boy, I think I have a little crush on him :giggle:

 

[crumbilina]

His behaviour reminds me of the stargazer rat. It is a genetic mutation.

Take a look here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8778837

Also here: http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/7650898 ... UbrPd8Es.0

I also have some journal articles about it. If you/anyone would like them, shoot me a pm with your email and ill send a couple to you.

 

[lilspaz68]

I think Jenny has nailed it...i think you have the stargazer gene you are dealing with.

 

[spazzytazzy]

wow that sounds exactly like him! it describes his smaller body, his frequent "stargazing" neck arching, his spontaneous tail chacing/spiraling, and most of all his hyperactivity! It says that other than lower total triglycerides concentration and lower aminotransferase activity (and the higher calorie use), the mutation leaves them normal health wise! Im so glad you found this, now I have something more concrete to research on and see how probable it actually is to have a"stargazing" mutation in a rat. I can also get the full copies of the research articles from the data bases in my university account.
so excited to find more out about my special Taz!
I will definitley post more videos soon!

 

[EDK]

So glad you found something out for this rattie boy! And looking forward to the vids

 

[Kwewu7]

I haven't read all of the responses to your post, sorry if this has been suggested before.

It's a possibility he could have intestinal parasites. I would have your Vet deworm and do at least 2 fecals.

 

[Joanne]

His behaviour reminds me of the stargazer rat. It is a genetic mutation.

Take a look here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8778837

Also here: http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/7650898 ... UbrPd8Es.0

I also have some journal articles about it. If you/anyone would like them, shoot me a pm with your email and ill send a couple to you.

How great you have this information - I have learned something totally new today!
And great for the little bubber!
I guess he'll just need LOTS of food to keep him going

 

[spazzytazzy]

yes i am so happy that there is hope for him! and it is really interesting to know that there are different genetic mutations for rats too. he actually does eat a lot too (since he burns everything off from his hyperactivity lol). i have more videos of my happy little guy that i will post once i upload them to youtube

 

[EDK]

*Waits Anxiously* lol

 

[Fidget]

That 'stargazing' sounds just like my Basil too. He was walking in circles, tilting his head up, his adopters thought he might be contagious.
June '04 there was little I could find on the net about his condition. Now there's a name for it? But I'm SICK to think what experiments they did on kids just to put a name to it. My kid & your kid are perfect, just different. How many of these perfect but different kids have they tortured with god-knows-what motor/brain/nerve/sensory experiments? ..... how many 'normal' kids have they tried to induce it in for comparison...
It's very simple, the kid has weird mannerisms that don't affect anything else in it's life. If they'd had my Basil or your Taz in their lab they'd have tortured them to death with tests when they are just perfect but 'different' kids. Have they ignored what they've leaned about autism? They could check the whole body when they've died naturally but that holds up science. Neither Taz or Basil helped in that 'stargazing' name. Thankfully. but when are we going to stop isolating, depriving, & tortuing those that we see as different. Use a hug instead of a scalpel? when are we gonna accept that differences are normal?

 

[spazzytazzy]

I completely agree. Although it's a relief to have a name for what Taz and Basil may have (and what to possibly expect), it's horrific to think of what may have been done to determine that. I am 100% baffled to think that people can/could have experimented on rats when they are such amazing, smart, loyal, affectionate creatures full of personality. It's horrific to think that any creature could be tortured by us. Like you said, there are other ways to find things even if they may take longer to get answers. So sad, I can't imagine any of my rats being anywhere but in a safe and loving home (except in the wild, but without preditors and in a comfortable environment lol).

 

[spazzytazzy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV4Dyu6WxWQ

here's a video to melt everyone's heart i have never seen taz so calm when eating, but he really loved trying this boiled egg out! <3