I would get Basil to the vet- a couple of weeks ago Cedric's balance seemed a bit "off" at playtime. (playtime is at night) Checked him the next day after work and his balance was much worse and off to the vet we went. Didn't see a tilt but he was definately having trouble. The vet thought inner ear infection and put him on Baytril for a couple of weeks. I saw improvement within a day. His balance is now almost perfect and he does tilt a bit to the side when he is on the balcony reaching his head out of the cage for a treat but other than that he is perfect. The vet said we were lucky to catch it so quickly.

We lost Terrance last night to his ear infection. He had it drained twice, but it moved so fast I don't think the antibiotics had time to take effect. He was only five months old

Naturally this makes me all the more upset that his brother Basil seems to be following the same path. The emergency vet flushed his ear and put him on Baytril (oral and otic) yesterday. I dropped him off at his regular vet today, and the diagnosis came back "unknown." Given how fast Terrance's condition worsened, the vet didn't want to "wait and see" put has put him on Vibramycin, otic Baytril, meclazine (for his imbalance), and even gave him a dose of ivermectin in case it's related to parasites.

Unlike Terrance, who had outward symptoms of infection (goopy eye, sneezing), Basil seems strong and otherwise healthy. He is readily drinking formula from a syringe. His most distressing symptom (to me, and I'm sure to him) is his uncontrollable rolling, which makes him hard to handle.

I'd be interested in any perspectives on this sad situation, including nursing advice for my poor, corkscrewing boy.

Thanks, Arlene, for the kind thoughts and words, which we definitely need right now. I forget whether you have any of the Petco rescue group? I would be very curious to know whether any other rats from that "club" have had similar problems. The myco is to be expected (unfortunately), but it is very bizarre to have the same thing break out in two brothers within a week of each other. (My other rats seem to be fine so far, thank goodness).

I hope April is OK--poor little girl. I've never had rats get ear infections before--it's very distressing to see them try to deal with the imbalance.

*hugs* I'm so sorry for your loss.  So quick and young ... so very, very difficult.  I'm glad the vet is being aggressive early with the medication.  Hopefully it will take care of the situation.  My vet always says to give antibiotics for a full two weeks after the last symptoms disappear, so 4 weeks minimum.  Ear infections are one of the most difficult things to treat and get rid of completely. 

I hope your heals quickly.

I have Mercy, Timmy and Walter's mommy. She's never even so much as sneezed and seems very healthy. Thank Goodness!

As for little April, she doesn't seem off balance, just doesn't seem right. It's like she is aging more rapidly than the others, muscle tone is not as good and she's thinner. I just don't know.

I'll keep sending healing to Basil!

BTW, how is Mia doing?

I dropped Basil off again at the vet today for "day care" and boarding while we're away for Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday). It may be my imagination, but he seems to be showing a tiny bit of improvement. He's still "corkscrewing," but he seems more "with it" and can arrest his spinning with his hands and teeth. He has a very good appetite and can grab onto the syringe when I feed him, and is grooming a little bit.

We're going to stay on this course of treatment (Vibramycin, Metacam, Meclazine) through Friday. The doctor also put him on a steroidal eye cream to prevent the eye he's lying on from getting ulcerated. If he shows no improvement by then, I figure it will be time to try something else.

I may be faced with a hard choice before the start of next week. He can't eat or drink by himself in his current state, and I'm sure he feels frustrated and generally awful. I can't stay home to take care of him, or take him to work, or continue to pay the vet $50/day for hospitalization. I truly hope we see some improvement soon...

A week has gone by since Basil's collapse, and I am glad to say he has improved, even if it's only a bit. He can stabilize himself so he doesn't spin, and is starting to circle a bit more than just roll over and over. I noticed today that he was grooming while lying on his side, so I gave him a little cube of watermelon and he ate it. He stopped a couple of time to brux--so happy with his achievement (so was I). I hope he continues to make progress; I am starting to feel cautiously hopeful.

Thanks, Jen! Of course, now that he can eat a little on his own, he is being very stubborn about drinking from the syringe! I'm glad to see him feeling stronger but I am already a little nostalgic for how he drank 4 syringes full of Ensure just this morning...

Mandy, I wish I could give more good news  Unfortunately, Basil left us last night. He'd been doing so well, but on Sunday he started to resist eating, and last night he was keeping his mouth clamped shut, as if he already knew it was over. When I went in to check on him at 3 AM, he had passed--quietly, by all appearances.

Thanks to everyone for their moral support. The whole situation is very confusing to me, as they both fell ill with very fast-moving illness right around the same time. They did both have a history of myco so perhaps that was part of it, but they were very young. (More on Rat Tails, with pictures if anyone is interested.)