If you can get her in within a day or two, that would be best. It's not something you want to wait a couple of weeks on. It could be nothing, but I wouldn't want to take the chance. If you got her from a store, you might call them to see if your purchase includes a free vet visit or guarantee of health.

I don't think you're over-reacting.  When you see fur that if fluffed, its a sign that they're not feeling well.  And the fact that she's not eating as much as she usually does is another sign.  Rats can hide their sickness until its VERY serious and when they start showing symptoms, its almost too late.  So I would really suggest that you get them both into the vet to be checked ASAP.

Deb

Definitely!  Please let us know how the vet visit goes. 

Deb

Thanks for the advice.  Due to their age is there anything they shouldn't have?  They are probably 6-8 weeks old. 

I have my appointment in an hour so any information quick would be greatly appreciated! =)

Sweet!  Where in Minnesota are you?  Maybe I can steal your vet?? =)

The vet ended up saying it was URI (no suprise) he put both my girls on some pink peptobismol looking stuff.  I'm only supposed to give them a drop 2x a day.  He seemed very knowledgable about what he was saying and went over a bunch of basic care stuff with me.  He also talked about spaying them. 

Should I keep them under some heat? Peeka doesnt seem to want to eat, anything I can give her?  I tried crushing up and soaking some lab blocks, but she would have nothing to do with them. 

Thanks!

Peeka, Boo & Kayla

The pink stuff is probably either TMS (trimethoprim sulfate) or amoxicillin. Either is a fine med to start with. If she's not showing improvement in 3 days, call the vet back and let him know. He should offer to add another med or change meds.

You can help her by making sure she's staying warm and hydrated. To check hydration, gently pinch the skin over her shoulderblades and release. It should snap back. If you can count "one thousand one, one thousand two" she's dehydrated. You can compare her to her cagemate to see if they're different. Offer her ensure, flavored pedialyte or watered down gatorade (a small jar lid works great for this) to get more fluids into her. Dehydration can make a big difference in how a rat feels.

For warmth, give her lots of fleece to snuggle in with her cagemate. If she's still cold, you can add a heating pad to one side of the cage (make sure they can't reach it to pull it into the cage). I used a heating pad made for reptile enclosures.

I'm in a suburb of Minneapolis and my vet is Dr. Barb Leppke of Shady Oak Vet Clinic. Other good clinics (although pricey) are Como Animal Hospital in St. Paul and Cedar Pet Clinic in Minneapolis.

If she's taking it willingly and eating and drinking on her own, there's no reason to force the ensure. Glad to hear she's feeling so much better.

And glad to hear you've found a super vet! We have a local group here in the Twin Cities (we'd love to have you join us):

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/midwestmischief/

There's a place on the website for vet recommendations - you might want to add yours!

usually vets are really helpful if you call and ask them that stuff.. it's really important when using antibiotics to properly follow the schedule they give you because infections can come back if you skip doses or quit early. 
I usually give my rats stuff like broccoli or oranges, stuff with extra vitamins when they are sick just to boost their immunity.  Not scientific or anything, just seems like the right thing to do.  good luck!

Your babies are adorable. I hope they get to feeling better. My Chunk just got over his URI, and it was icky. He sounded awful, like stuffy trying to get it out. It's good to know that the guy gave you a reimbursement for the vet visit. URIs can get very serious, so as soon as you hear it, go. It's nice to hear such a loving new rat mommy doing so much for her babies. That's how I was with mine, just brought Cheerio to the vet when I first got him just because I saw porphyrin and didn't know what it was lol. Needless to say, I now know a little bit more, but the board is a great place to get help and reassurance. Congrats on your new little girls. More pics when they're feeling better please!