UMM, A sudden change would indicate injury either to her spine or hips even if you did not witness or a possible stroke. A gradual decline in hind legs would be normal for an aging rat, although more common in boys it can happen to girls.Best bet take her to vet to verify.The Best you can do is keep her comfy with nice soft spots to lay, and watch for any other changes that may have suddenly appeared.

A tumor in the belly area could also do it I have seen that happen but it usually involved the Kidney area, but it sounds like an injury. Did you check for dehydration? With the wet poos that could make her weak as well. Pinch the scruff of her neck gently of course and if the skin lays back quickly then that is not it, if it is slow to return then she could be dehydrated as well. With wet poos I would hydrate her well none the less. Poor baby. I hope she gets better fast.

My old girl Lucky started with a wobbly back end, and eventually was diagnosed as PT...it sounds like it runs in the family.
good luck at the vets!

(not meant to scare you, I'm just telling my personal experience)

I know exactly what you are talking about! This happened to my rat on the 7th of November this year. I took her out and played with her (I watched her the WHOLE time)...then I put her back into her cage while I did my hair....and I came back into my bedroom and called for her and she wobbled/dragged herself out of her fleece cube. Her spine was kind of up and her back legs dragging while her stomach was sunken in and her ribs sticking out. I cried hysterically when I saw her like that.

I finally got a hold of a vet and took her in....the vet said she might have felt a tumor on her kidney area and asked if I wanted x-rays. I said no to that becuase I noticed my lil' Fayl just laying there breathing very heavily and flopped onto her side with her tail wagging like a dog. The vet asked if I wanted to try treatment and I said no to that too. I knew it was time I had to have her go to rattie heaven. You may be asking why I didn't give her the chance....well...becuase she wasn't normal and I felt it was time for her to go to rattie heaven. The vet said she may have had a stroke or a tumor on her brain which obviously was affecting her neurological system.


I don't know if your rat is doing the same things, but if so...it's very hard to see.


I hope she is going to be okay!

Exactly....that's what happened with Lil' Fayl. She was of course....fine one moment then on her death bed the next. I picked her up to put her in the box to bring her to the vet and she was normal again! Then she started doing the back flopping thing and her legs wouldn't work. Then towards the end of the vet visit she got really bad and that's when I had to make the decision to send her to rattie heaven. She was..eh...one and a half years old....and a pet store rat. I hope everything goes okay with her!

By the time we had our vet appointment yesterday, Clover was pretty sick.   The Vet said she had Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).  I was not expecting that but see now from the Rat Health Guide that she had all the symptoms including the hind legs being weak.  She only showed that a couple of times though then seemed to recover from that. The lump I felt was actually edema swelling.  She was getting cool to touch, would not eat or drink, sleepy all the time and she was breathing heavy.  http://ratguide.com/health/cardiovascular/congestive_heart_failure.php

The Dr. said there was nothing we could do but keep her as comfortable as possible.  We decided to let her pass at home. 

This morning my daughter spent some time holding her but we knew she was not going to make it much longer.  My daughter had to leave to go take her college SAT's and within 10 mins of her leaving, Clover passed away.  She would only let my daughter hold her.  If my husband or I held her, she would try to get away but for my daughter, she stayed in her arms quietly.  That is her mommy and she knew that.

I never realized how quickly CHF comes on like that.  She was fine and then just like that, sick and dying!   Not quite 24 hours later.  She was 26.5 months old.

I'm very sorry about Clover . It's sad when they leave us like that...when they are fine one minute then horrible the next. I hope you and your family are doing fine

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry to hear about Clover. She was clearly a much loved rat.

Thank you all for your thoughts and kind words.   It has been a day of sadness.   We got a new girl (already planned before this happened and she was ready for pickup) so there is some good for the day. 

this is exactly what's happening to my innocentia... i just got home an hour ago to find her unable to walk properly, dragging her hind legs most of the time, with sunken sides. she was totally fine yesterday, even earlier today. and she's only twenty months old. i recently lost her sister to a tumor and thought i would have a little more time with my last girl of five... i don't think i can take this anymore.