Rat emergency guidance: contact a vet now

This guide helps you get urgent veterinary help quickly and safely. It can't diagnose an emergency or replace what your vet tells you. Rats are prey animals, and the RSPCA notes they don't show outward signs of pain and may suffer greatly before you realise they are hurting. So when a rat does show you something is badly wrong, act on it the same day, and for anything on this page, act now.

What to do while you call

Ring first, then do these things while you wait for instructions. Don't delay the call to try to fix the problem at home.

1. Say what happened. Tell the practice which rat is affected, what you saw and when it started. Say if it is getting worse.
2. Move away from danger. Move the rat away from an immediate hazard, such as a chewed cable, a spilled product or a hot spot, if you can do so safely.
3. Contain the rat calmly. Put the rat in a small, quiet carrier or box with soft bedding and a hide, so it can't climb, fall or run off. Lift it by scooping under the body with support over the shoulders, never by the tail.
4. Keep any evidence. If poisoning is possible, keep the packaging, plant or substance and take it with you only if that is safe.
5. Give nothing yourself. Don't give a home remedy or medicine, force food or water, or attempt a procedure unless a vet tells you to.

Events that need an immediate call

Each of these needs a vet now, not tomorrow. The table gives what to do in the minutes before you leave.

Breathing difficulty

Struggling to breathe, open-mouth breathing, loud rattling or a rat working hard with its sides to breathe is an emergency. Call now, keep your rat safely contained and follow the practice's instructions. Milder signs such as sneezing, wheezing or a little discharge from the eyes or nose still need a vet, but usually within a day or two rather than this minute: our guide to rat respiratory infection covers those, and rat hiccups or breathing changes helps you tell the difference.

Collapse or severe weakness

Collapse, severe weakness or a rat that is not responding normally needs urgent veterinary help. Tell the practice what changed and when, whether the rat has eaten or drunk, and anything new in its cage, food or room.

Possible heatstroke

If your rat may be overheated and is unusually weak, collapsed or breathing abnormally, move it to a cool, shaded place while you phone the vet immediately. The RSPCA's summer advice is to move the animal somewhere cool and shaded, wrap it in a cool, damp towel and phone a vet straight away. Don't delay the call while trying to cool the rat at home, and don't put it in cold water. Our rat temperature guide explains how to stop it happening again.

Heavy or ongoing bleeding

Heavy bleeding or bleeding that does not stop needs urgent veterinary advice. Keep the rat calm and contained, and ask the vet what to do next. Don't apply a home product or attempt a procedure unless instructed.

Seizures

A seizure or repeated seizures needs an immediate call. Keep the surroundings as safe and quiet as you can, move hard objects away so the rat can't hurt itself, and follow the vet's instructions rather than trying a home treatment. Note how long the fit lasted, because the vet will ask.

Suspected poisoning

Move the rat away from the source if it is safe, contact your vet immediately and keep the packaging, plant or substance if you can do so safely. The RSPCA poisoning guidance says never to watch and wait, and never to treat or medicate a rodent yourself. If a product is on the fur or skin, stop the rat licking it and ask the vet whether to wash it off; the RSPCA's advice is mild shampoo and water, a good rinse and thorough drying. Keep the affected rat apart from other animals so it doesn't spread.

For chocolate specifically, see can rats eat dark chocolate, and for everyday foods check what rats can eat.

Choking

If you think your rat is choking, call a vet now. Choking in rats often doesn't look like it does in people. The Rat and Mouse Club of America describes a choking rat as drooling, pulling its head down in a gagging motion with its chin to its throat, and flattening its ears. Most of the time the rat can still breathe, and the club says most clear the blockage on their own within one to four hours. Peanut butter is the most common cause it names, along with other thick or sticky foods and dried fruit.

• Watch the chest and nose: is air moving?
• If it is breathing: keep the rat calm and somewhere quiet, ring the vet for advice and watch closely.
• If it is not breathing, or is getting worse: ring an emergency vet now.
• Give nothing by mouth, including water.
• Don't attempt a manoeuvre unless the vet talks you through it.

Serious injury or a fall

After a serious injury or fall, call the vet and describe what happened and when. Keep the rat safely contained for transport. Don't try to straighten, splint or otherwise treat an injury at home unless directed. A fight wound between cage mates also needs a vet if it is deep or won't stop bleeding.

How do rats call for help?

Rats rarely make it obvious. Because they hide pain, the signs are usually quiet ones, and the RSPCA advises checking your rats every morning and evening, when they are usually active. Look out for:

• Not eating or drinking, or refusing favourite foods
• Sneezing, wheezing or breathing strangely
• Large amounts of red staining around the eyes and nose (porphyrin, which the RSPCA says can indicate a severe problem)
• Sitting hunched or stiff, sleeping much more than usual, or hiding away
• Walking strangely, poor balance, or guarding one part of the body
• A fluffed-up, scruffy or ungroomed coat
• Diarrhoea, or sudden weight loss or gain
• A loud squeak when touched, or squeaking while sitting still

Any of these with an emergency sign above means ring now. On their own, they mean book a vet soon. Our guide is my rat sick? sorts the signs by how quickly to act, and rat sounds and noises explains which squeaks are normal chat.

What if my rat is weak?

Sudden weakness is an emergency: ring the vet now. Weakness is one of the signs the RSPCA lists for rat poison exposure, and heat, infection and injury can all cause it too, so the vet needs to see the rat to find out why. While you wait, keep the rat in a quiet carrier at a comfortable room temperature, away from cage mates that might climb on it. Don't force food or water; a weak rat can inhale liquid. No home remedy should replace the call.

Weakness that has crept in over weeks, such as an older rat struggling with climbing, is not usually a this-minute emergency, but it still needs a vet appointment. Our guide to caring for rats at every age covers adjusting the cage for older rats.

Prepare for transport

Follow the practice's transport instructions. The RSPCA's advice, in order:

1. Use a secure carrier. Choose a small, secure, chew-resistant carrier with familiar bedding, clean nesting material and a hiding place. PetMD advises never using a cardboard carrier, because rats chew out. Our rat carrier guide covers what to choose.
2. Keep it stable. Secure the carrier in the car so it can't slide or tip.
3. Shield the rat. Protect it from bright light, noise, vibration, heat and cold. Cover the carrier if that keeps the rat calmer, but keep it ventilated and out of draughts.
4. Ask about a companion. If the rat normally lives with a cage mate, ask the practice whether that companion should travel too. The RSPCA suggests taking cage mates to reduce stress and avoid fighting when they are put back together.
5. Take the shortest route. A quiet car is better than public transport. On short trips, the RSPCA says a piece of fruit or potato can stand in for a water bottle, but don't push food on a rat that is choking or very weak.

What to tell the vet

• The rat's name and which rat is affected
• What happened, what you saw and when it began
• Whether the signs are changing and what the rat was doing at the time
• Recent food, medication, environment or cage changes
• Relevant health history and current medicines
• The packaging, plant or substance if poisoning is possible and it is safe to bring
• Anything you have already done before the call

What vets commonly do

Knowing what to expect makes the visit less frightening. The vet will examine the rat, ask the questions above, and treat the cause and the rat's comfort, which can mean pain relief, help with breathing, warming or cooling, wound care, or treatment for a known poison. That is why the packaging matters: it tells the vet exactly what they are treating. For a choking blockage that won't clear, the Rat and Mouse Club of America describes a vet sedating the rat and clearing it with a tube. The vet will tell you what they recommend, what it involves and what it costs before going ahead.

Prevent avoidable emergencies

• Keep houseplants, pesticides, cleaning products, human medicines and other hazards away from cages and supervised exercise areas. Pick up fallen leaves and petals.
• Keep cages secure and supervise rats whenever they are outside the cage. Our free-roam safety guide walks through a room check.
• Keep the cage out of direct sunlight and away from rooms that get very hot or very cold. The RSPCA's ideal is 19 to 23°C (66 to 73°F), and the MSD Veterinary Manual warns that above 30°C (86°F) rats can get heat exhaustion.
• Give shade, fresh water and ventilation without a direct draught. On hot days, a frozen bottle wrapped in a towel can sit outside the cage for the rats to lie near.
• Spread peanut butter and other sticky foods very thinly, and watch rats that bolt their food.
• Check each rat regularly for changes in breathing, appetite, drinking, movement, grooming, posture, eyes, nose, weight and social behaviour. The RSPCA suggests weighing them regularly.
• Arrange routine care with a vet who is comfortable treating rats; PetMD suggests a check-up once a year. Keep the practice's emergency route easy to find.

The RSPCA rat health guidance, RSPCA poisoning guidance and RSPCA summer guidance cover these prevention points. For a week-by-week routine, see our guide to rat health problems and signs to watch, and for everything else, the pet rat care hub.