The problem with rats, is that they are such stoic animals. By this I mean they don't show that they are in pain. But they really are. Rats are such a small animal that if they showed they are weak, they get attacked or eaten by a bigger animal. That's why it's your duty to watch out for your ratty friend's health. The chance is that when your rat is curled up in a corner of the cage, not wanting any food or water you offer, quietly squeaking, poor thing is in real pain. That's why it's so important you look out for these signs.

Top Tips: Signs of illness you should look out for: -Red mucus (prophylin stain) around eye and nose. It looks like blood but it isn't. The rat is feeling cold, or very stressed out. Check if the environment the rat is in is suitable and check the body for any unusual signs.
-Fluffed up fur. If the rat is feeling bad their fur will stand up and becomes fluffed up. Keep warm and offer plenty of water and water. 
-Dirty backside for diarrhea. Just lift the tail gently and see if the bum is clean. Cut on fresh food and try adding some non-flavoured or non-fizzy electrolytes in water, available from chemist. This should help water absoption. 
-Lumps and bumps could be mite bites, abscess or tumor. Have it checked properly for suitable treatment. See below to learn how to check the rats for lumps. If it's a visibly big lump, rush your rat to a vet.
-Bald patch can be due to stress, allergy or excessive protein. It could also be a skin infection.
-Sneeze could be the beginning of respiratory disease to cold to allergy to softwood (pine / cedar) bedding.
-Losing weight very quickly, ask you vet for help
-Heavy breathing as if the rat is trying to breath with a whole body. Make sure your rat's bedding is NOT softwood (such as pine, cedar) and change it to hardwood (aspen) or even newspaper, kitchen paper for time being. If the rat is squeaking as he breathes heavily then rush him to a vet.
-Stinky ears ohh, these ear infections. Get some antibiotics or ear drops from your vet. Don't even try to clean it with cotton buds. You'll make it worse.
-Head tilt can be either an ear infection or stroke. You should have it checked ASAP with your vet. Give antibiotics and the head tilt gets better then that's an ear infection, if not it's a stroke which can be treated in some cases.
-Walking in circles see head tilt.
-Limp hindlegs Happens often in rats who had stroke, or an old age and arthritus type of symptoms are kicking in. The rat would seem to have difficulty moving it back and forth to move. A substance called glucosamin / chondroitin had helped my rat with this arthritus type of problem for a little while but unfortunately it's not a miracle cure. If you suspect stroke, make sure you have it confirmed witha vet. Some rats make a miraculous recovery if they are still young.
-Hunched up, when was the last time you gave your rats some fresh veggie or seen his poops? Sure your rat isn't constipated? Stomach ache!
 

If you need any emergency advice on rat health, feel free to e-mail me. I can reply to you promptly during the weekdays. 

I'm not a vet but I can point you to the right direction!

For information about different disease and medicine, try checking  Rats & Mouse Gazette for further details.

---

How to body check a rat for lumps and bumps.
- Place a rat on your lap belly down, making sure he is relaxed and happy.
- Still in the same position, hold the back of the rat's neck gently but firmly, without pulling
- Start stroking a rat very gently running your index and mid fingers on one side of the rats' body and your thumb on other side of the body. 
- Firmly run your finger against the rat's skin but not too hard! In particular you should carefully be examining under the chin, around the jaw line,  around the back of a ears to the neck,  armpit, side and bottom of the belly around the breast area, and the base of the thigh.
-If you find any lump or bums, do not squeeze it too hard!
-if the rat had enough and wants to go, and let him go with a small treat. If the rat has been good and stayed til the end, give them some treat and praising!
 

SDA and Sendai virus, is my worst nightmare of a rat disease. It's almost like HIV virus but almost airborne. It will wipe out your pack of rats or colony (or empire whatever you call your furry family). Most rats seems to get infected through a newly joined rat or mouse from a pet shop. The symptom can be reduced by vigorous anti-biotics treatment at early stage. 
To avoid this, make sure you quarenteen the newby for at leaset 2 weeks and see if the newby develops any flu like symptoms. Make sure you wash your hands properly, and change any clothing that has come in contact with the newby. Many people pickup this disease through rat shows. I can't believe some rat lovers can be so irresponsible for bringing ill animal to a show knowing that it will spread. I know many rat owners who lost many of her rats. IS IT WORTH IT?

Respiratory disease, such as asthma and chest infection are very common, especially mycoplasma pulmonis (rat kennel cough). Nasty one this is. If you a human with mycoplasma P. you'll be lying a hospital bed with drips.   You will hear a rat sneezing very often and occasional wheezing and breathing heavily. You should keep the rat warm and take him to a vet immediately. It could be supressed with antibiotics treatment but the change of season or cold season seems to give rats hard time.

Glucosamine / Chondroitin
As your pet rats get older, he is more likely to have medical problems. My old rats Fuyume and Miyuki seemed to have suffered from an illness, very similar to arthritis when they were 22 months. Arthritis is a condition in which there is pain and stiffness in the joints. It also seems to get worse in cold and humid weather. In the case of my rat, Fuyume's hind legs seemed to have weakened, not having enough strength to move it back and forth. Then her front legs seemed to be stretched forward and stuck there. Her little front paws were clenched into fists, unable to hold her food. Eventually the muscles grows weak because she would stay lazing around for too long. This is what seems to happen to many older rats as they reach to their golden age. Mobility and flexibility is definitely lost as your rat gets older (http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oldrats.htm). However I never heard of rat arthritis, but I could see my rat was in a lot of pain and my vet was highly unlikely to give any treatment for rat joints problem. It got to a point when I was considering euthanasia, I accidentally came across this article. http://www.rmca.org/Articles/arthritis.htm And with my desperate attempt, I rushed to a chemist to buy Glucosamine / Chondroitin supplement. The formula I bought came in water soluble form so that I can dissolve in their drinking bottle. Carefully working out the dose that the article had recommended, (around 62.5mg of glucosamine, 52mg of chondroitin per lb (450g) day).
The results was shocking. The article said it showed the effect in 4 days. In my case, 2days. My rats is on it at the moment. She could not even if her head up to eat but now she is running around and climbing. She seems much more stable on her feet. People, this is worth trying as even a preventative measure for mobility problem in older rats. If you want to know more about it, feel free to e-mail me.

Get your rat insured
It is absolutely terrible feeling for any pet owner when your beloved ratty falls ill suddenly, grows a tumor or an abscess, and need a medical attention, but you can't simply afford it. For some reason, vets are very expensive, and some vet aren't that helpful or even ignorant about rat health but still charges you a lot of money. Isn't that infuriating?
Only the way to keep away from a high medical bill is to take out a health insurance. It has long been throught that there aren't one, but it no longer true. If you are in US, try Vererinary Pet Insurance, http://www.petinsurance.com/ as they do have a policy for rats under "exsotic animals", around $7 per month (the cost may vary between the states). You can even afford that with the pocket money. If you are in UK, Try Stoneways Insurance (22 Church St. Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1EW, Tel: 01483 426 966, www.stoneways.uk.com, although their site does not explicitly mention the word RAT) allows you to insure from rats to a race horse. It costs around £3.50 a month, and they give you 15% discounts on your second animal. For this amount of money, your rat can be conevered. It's worth joining.
 

Echinacea (pronounced "e-ki-na-ceaa") is a herbal liquid remedy given to many rats to alleviate the respiratory disease progressing. It's supposed to be an immune booster.I personally think it taste terrible, but my rats seems to like it. If you like Marmite (as any British person what Mermite is and they'll tell you) you might like this one. 
 
 

For details and information about different disease and medicine, try checking Rats & Mouse Gazette for reliable information.