Freedom from pain, injury or disease

All rats must receive immediate veterinary attention when they are sick or injured. In most cases unnecessary pain and injury can be prevented through regular visits to a veterinarian.

Did you know that there is a special law protecting animals?

This law is called the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act says that your animal has five groups of welfare needs. These are five groups of things that animals need to be healthy and happy. These five welfare needs are called the Five Freedoms.

Under the Animal Welfare Act all animal guardians (owners) need to provide these five groups of things for their animals. One of these Five Freedoms is: Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease. In this section you will learn about this freedom and how you can make sure your rats receive the right medical care, so they are always free from pain, suffering and disease.

Rats need to be registered with a local veterinarian

Rats are good at hiding pain

Daily health checks

Ask your parent or caregiver to help you examine your rats for signs of illness or injury every day.

Make sure this is done by someone else if you are away.

Consult your rats’ veterinarian immediately if you suspect your rat is in pain, ill or injured.

Eyes, ears and nose
These should be clear, clean and bright looking with no discharge (snotty stuff). If your rat is shaking their head a lot and scratching around their ears, this could be a sign of ear mites. You will need to take your rat to see their veterinarian.
Teeth
Rats’ teeth grow throughout their lives and dental problems are common. Make sure you provide your rats with adequate chewing material. Branches from trees such as gum, apple, pear, citrus or other untreated wood treats will keep their teeth worn down. Avoid trees which have been chemically treated or are close to sources of pollution. If any of your rats are showing hesitation to eat or drooling, this may be a sign of a dental problem. That needs to be checked out by your rat’s veterinarian straight away.
Breathing
Listen for different or strange breathing sounds such as wheezing, congestion, or clicking noises.
Injuries and Wounds
Visually inspect your rat’s body for bleeding, cuts, bites, and bruising.
Tail and Feet
Visually inspect your rat’s tail and feet for injuries and for symptoms of bumblefoot (feet) and ringtail (tail).
Movement
Remove your rat from his/her enclosure and watch him/her walk. Keep your eyes open for trembling, limping, tilting, circling, or weakness in its legs.
Body
Carefully and gently massage your rat’s body with your fingers checking for lumps, swelling, or areas of sensitivity that might indicate growths, swelling, or pain.
Fur and Skin
Watch your rat’s behavior to see if they are scratching excessively and check for any hair loss.
Look at the skin and fur for possible parasites. Fleas and lice are large enough to see. Mites are harder to spot but often you will see nits on the hair shaft or a characteristic scabbing around the rat’s shoulders and neck.
Odour
Sniffing your rat may help alert you to problems! Learn your rat’s “normal” odour. A “bad” smell may be a sign of an infection. A sickly sweet-smell could be diabetes.

See your vet straight away if you see:

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