Choking rat!

[Picklepaige]

My rat Brutus is drooling a ton, sitting still, and making these gagging moves. I have him on my bed and he keeps trying to hide under the blanket, like he doesn't want to be out in the open. Is he choking, and is there anything I can do!?

[Punkygirl0101]

I do know of a member of a rat forum who has dealt with a few choking rats. All you can really do is wait it out if your rat is choking. Usually the object will become dislodged.

[Brattina88]

If he's still gagging, thats good! He is working to dislodge it, and hopefully he will!
I had a ferret who was gagging, and then all of the sudden there was nothing but silence and shear panic - I knew she was choking I picked her up and attempted infant version of the hemlick. She coughed up what appeared to be a kibble of dog food. I was shaking so bad I nearly dropped her. She ran over and ate it (GROSS!) and then ran around like nothing ever happened

Keep a close eye on him (((((((postive vibes))))))) coming your way!

[Picklepaige]

Ok, he just did this humongous gag, and started to chew on something. He is now washing his face and eating bread (I read somewhere bread helps to push down the lodged object) Does this mean he is ok now?

[lizzybeth727]

If he's eating, I'd think that means he feels better! Yay!

[bubbatd]

I'm not a rat person ... so won't say anything !!!

[Kayota]

I've heard that rats only bathe if they're comfortable with their situation so I'd guess he's okay, yeah.

[Roger G]

It almost sound like he's got something caught in his throat. Rats cannot regurgitate. If they choke on something, you will need to hold them upside-down and tap on them to help dislodge what they swallowed. If they eat something poisonous, you need to see a vet immediately. Hopefully, this helps.