1 minute paralysis??

[vein]

Our boys are now 2y5m and aside from a few minor health issues in the past, they are both in really good shape.

Today, however, I thought one was having/had just had a stroke. I thought both were trying to get into a single tube (they will squeak at each other when one starts climbing on top of his brother) and told them to behave before I looked up and saw that the boy squeaking was in his tube alone. He was obviously distressed, got out of the tube, and was obviously not very coordinated so I quickly reached in the cage to make sure he wouldn't fall off the balcony. I noticed that one of his back legs was not down as normal, but it was up at his side.

At that point, he stopped squeaking and was just sitting in the corner where he let me pet him a bit. A minute or so passed and he walked (with all 4 legs) to the other side of the cage closer to me and let me pet him a bit more, and acted more normal. I put him on another larger level on a blanket, took out the tubes just in case, and later on he had a french fry. He's acting totally normal now, no sign of weakness in his leg, he's eating and drinking normally.

Doing a search for paralysis in rats didn't get me very far - it seems like the common things (spinal cord injury, arthritis) would have likely shown symptoms earlier and wouldn't have simply gone away so fast, and it seems odd that he would have gotten back to totally normal in such a short time if it was a stroke. From the time he started squeaking to when he used his leg again, it couldn't have been more than a minute.

Any ideas on what it could have been?

[Dearpie]

How strange ..... I wonder if rats can get leg cramps??

[menagerie]

I was thinking either leg cramp or maybe he was laying in a position that pinched a nerve.

[Blue Steel Rats]

Was he shaking his leg at all?  Or did it seem almost like it was "asleep"?  Perhaps his leg had a cramp, or maybe it was neuropathy.

Have you ever seen him do this behavior before?  In any event, I'm glad he's acting normally now.  

[vein]

Yeah, when my SO got home and I told him about it he said maybe a leg cramp.

It was just totally bizarre.

I don't *think* it was asleep, as it wasn't just hanging, as would a human leg or arm that was asleep - it was up against his body.

He's never done it before and hasn't even so much as favoured that leg before. He's still thankfully totally normal today - both of the boys are sleeping on each other in their wodent wheel since I didn't want to put a tube back until today. Silly boys.  

[Blue Steel Rats]

Hmmmm.....  Maybe it was just a leg cramp.  

Or... maybe one of his buddies stepped on his little toe (or foot, for that matter) while in the tube and got out befor you could look up  to see the two in there together.  Maybe he stepped on his buddie's toe (or foot), his buddy squeeked "OOOW!", his rattie mind said "Ooo, better get out now before Mom gets mad!" and he boogied out of the tube before you could see him in there!

The fact that it didn't last long, you haven't ever seen it before, and that he's fine now is a good indication all is probably well.  Maybe keep an eye on him, but don't sweat it too much.