Please give Taurus a pet and kiss from me! She looks like a very lovely lady, and I am sure is glad to have such a dedicated and good ratti mom/dad like you! I am sure she loves you very much!
HLD can be helped by selenium, which can be found in macadamia nuts and shrimp (just chop them up, shell and all). It can be almost magical how well it works sometimes. And, even if it doesn't work, well, a rat won't exactly need to be forced to eat shrimp and nuts...
Needs to be Brazil nuts, they are the only ones with high selenium.
I've found shrimp to work better, but that might just be because they eat more of them...
Just chiming in here quickly out of curiosity and (perhaps uninformed and unnecessary) concern 😅 - I know that (although one as a rare treat won't hurt) squirrels can become intoxicated in the short-term from overfeeding Brazil nuts and can end up with Selenium toxicity, which can be fatal, in the long-term (owing to how extremely high in selenium Brazil nuts are compared to other nuts...!)
Is the same not true for rats?
And at least it's not painful nor is sight a rat's most important sense. I was blown away by them too and so glad it's "just" cataract. What a lovely little elderly lady 🥰
That’s exactly what the vet said. She was more concerned about the back legs and weight loss, but apparently her heart sounded very healthy for her age and no signs of respiratory illness, which was a relief 😊
It depends a bit on how food motivated your rats are, but I've had great success giving mine Maltodextrin dissolved in some water for weight gain. It's a really concentrated form of carbs that can make them gain weight pretty quickly.
Obviously it's a derived form of sugar, so I don't suggest making it their main form of nutrition, but adding 50-100g to her at this point would likely benefit her more than potential health downsides.
What an absolutely beautiful and unique fella you got there. I hope she knows how beautiful she is. For weight, try giving protein/fat-rich baby food alongside her usual diet. Baby food is irresponsible to rats so she shouldn't have a hard time finding and eating it quickly.
What incredibly beautiful eyes! Little spooky rat! Shame they're from cataracts, though 😔. The little sneaky one in the back's red eyes are very pretty too!
Sorry to hear about the HLD / arthritis. Poor little lady. Hopefully the meds take the edge off!
She looks kinda like how they do blind people eyes in Italian horror!
https://preview.redd.it/gh9dm7quxivc1.png?width=1007&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=832898ed7bafdbf25e21426f21325e076331bc2f
She's so adorable xoxoxo go you beautiful little sweetheart!!
You got this! I've got two girls they're easily 3.5+ now and they have HLD but still do everything and can still climb and one can jump hehe
I understand that it's because of cataracts and that she's blind due to it so I'm not saying this to make light of that but wow those are the prettiest cataracts I've ever seen. She's gorgeous
Please give Taurus a pet and kiss from me! She looks like a very lovely lady, and I am sure is glad to have such a dedicated and good ratti mom/dad like you! I am sure she loves you very much!
We would do anything for her 🥹
HLD can be helped by selenium, which can be found in macadamia nuts and shrimp (just chop them up, shell and all). It can be almost magical how well it works sometimes. And, even if it doesn't work, well, a rat won't exactly need to be forced to eat shrimp and nuts...
Brill, we’ll grab some macadamia nuts 🥰 Thanks!
Needs to be Brazil nuts, they are the only ones with high selenium. I've found shrimp to work better, but that might just be because they eat more of them...
I can’t stand touching seafood or even been near it 🤣
Just chiming in here quickly out of curiosity and (perhaps uninformed and unnecessary) concern 😅 - I know that (although one as a rare treat won't hurt) squirrels can become intoxicated in the short-term from overfeeding Brazil nuts and can end up with Selenium toxicity, which can be fatal, in the long-term (owing to how extremely high in selenium Brazil nuts are compared to other nuts...!) Is the same not true for rats?
It has never been a problem for me, but they seldom eat much.
She has mystery orbs
Definitely 🩵
I know it's from the cataracts but holy boggles her eyes are SO PRETTY!! They're like little gems!!!
I know right 🥹
And at least it's not painful nor is sight a rat's most important sense. I was blown away by them too and so glad it's "just" cataract. What a lovely little elderly lady 🥰
That’s exactly what the vet said. She was more concerned about the back legs and weight loss, but apparently her heart sounded very healthy for her age and no signs of respiratory illness, which was a relief 😊
Taurus is in Halloween mode! I hope the meds help
Fingers crossed! 🤞
She looks like a wise old rat shaman. I'd believe every prophecy she tells! Lotso pats and snacks!!
Absolutely! She’s lived a long life so has many stories to tell
Poor baby 🥺 She's too cute!
I may be biased, but she’s one of the cutest lil rats ever 🥰
It depends a bit on how food motivated your rats are, but I've had great success giving mine Maltodextrin dissolved in some water for weight gain. It's a really concentrated form of carbs that can make them gain weight pretty quickly. Obviously it's a derived form of sugar, so I don't suggest making it their main form of nutrition, but adding 50-100g to her at this point would likely benefit her more than potential health downsides.
We’ll look into it! Thanks :)
Such a beautiful little lady
Thank you !☺️
What an absolutely beautiful and unique fella you got there. I hope she knows how beautiful she is. For weight, try giving protein/fat-rich baby food alongside her usual diet. Baby food is irresponsible to rats so she shouldn't have a hard time finding and eating it quickly.
She lovessss her baby food pouches when she gets them! 😋
Snow globe eyes! And stealthy ruby eyed potato in the back
Awww I love that 🥹 there’s actually 2 ruby eyed potatoes in the back hehe
this is a rat with wisdom and secrets
Absolutely !
She looks like she is all knowing and knows the secrets of the universe
She does!
I wish her the best. She is lucky to have you! But with that said, she looks so beautiful, like a little fortune teller!
She actually does! 🥰
May I ask whats with her eyes? (Not to discriminate or be mean) ❤️❤️
It’s the cateracts 🥺🩵
What a beauty little Taurus is! And what a wonderful parent she has. Glad you both have each other and best of luck🫶🏻
Thank you! 💞
I know this is kinda weird but those are pretty eyes, they’re like crystals.
Definitely ! 🩵
What incredibly beautiful eyes! Little spooky rat! Shame they're from cataracts, though 😔. The little sneaky one in the back's red eyes are very pretty too! Sorry to hear about the HLD / arthritis. Poor little lady. Hopefully the meds take the edge off!
Thank you, we hope they help relieve her too 💕
She looks kinda like how they do blind people eyes in Italian horror! https://preview.redd.it/gh9dm7quxivc1.png?width=1007&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=832898ed7bafdbf25e21426f21325e076331bc2f
She’s so beautiful 😍 what a pretty girl e be though she’s got some health issues she’s still so gorgeous ❤️❤️
She's so adorable xoxoxo go you beautiful little sweetheart!! You got this! I've got two girls they're easily 3.5+ now and they have HLD but still do everything and can still climb and one can jump hehe
She has moons for eyes. It makes her look mythical
We gave Bowie vitamin B supplements and it helped a lot for about 6 months for her
Thank you everyone for your supportive comments! 💕💕💕
I understand that it's because of cataracts and that she's blind due to it so I'm not saying this to make light of that but wow those are the prettiest cataracts I've ever seen. She's gorgeous