My female rat won't stop licking. Is she sick or just friendly?

Hi, and thanks for your question. Often this presentation is compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello, thank you for using Pet Coach. If she has no spots of hair loss/baldness and the skin looks normal then this may be normal behavior for her. That being said, she could have a skin parasite or allergies too. It is impossible for me to diagnose her over the internet. I suggest you get Cookie to a vet for an exam if this behavior persists or you start noticing bald spots or skin issues. Best wishes.

Rats have a gestation period of 21-23 days. Have her examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating pocket pets. He or she may be able to confirm pregnancy or diagnose illness or injury. Check her teeth to rule out overgrowth or malocclusion. Either could cause her to go off her food. The antibiotic (Baytril?) may also cause some GI upset.

Chronic licking is a common sign of nausea, as well as hypersalivation. Nausea can be caused by many conditions such as dietary indiscretion (eating things Bella shouldn't be), intestinal parasites, foreign bodies, and pancreatitis. If Bella is consistently doing this, it is worth it to rule out the conditions above. Your vet may recommend bloodwork, x-rays, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound. I hope all is well and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Based on what you are describing it does sound as if Lucy is very ill. I would recommend either having her rechecked at your veterinarian or asking for a referral to an exotic capitalistic that can perform more specialized tests on small mammals like blood work, x-rays, and ultrasounds. Based on the age of your rat she may have something more serious going on like an internal infection or cancer. In the meantime, try to encourage Lucy to eat as best you can by offering her her favorite foods and/or syringe feeding her some baby food. I'm sorry to hear that she is not doing well and I hope your vet can help you find answers. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I’m sorry to hear about your Dad, and that your kitty isn’t feeling herself. What you describe concerns me About possible back pain, or something called hyperesthesia. This is where cats are very over sensitive on their back, some people think this may actually be seizure activity. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. If you have a chance to video the behavior it can be very helpful to your veterinarian. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal or respiratory diseases (infection/inflammations) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. A check up is needed if the signs last for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!