Do other ratties shake a lot?  LJ is a mini, almost two years old, he's thin and has long skinny legs.  So I don't think it's bizarre that he shakes when we're outside in the cold, but he seems to shake a lot.  He lays as close to the ground as possible, in a corner or under furniture and his entire body trembles.  Is this common or do you think he has some anxiety issues?

Anxiety issues would more than likely manifest themselves in ways other than shaking...(such as heavy panting)...

Bailey is 9 lbs.. built like your LJ... and he shakes and shivers a lot especially in the winter months. LJ looks like he's on the thin side like Bailey is.. and let's face it.. they simply don't have the *meat* or fur to keep them warm like some others do.

thats what i thought too, but he does it and wines if i leave, if i go out to my car, follows me to the bathroom and shakes, if i get up to leave one room to go to another he follows me and looks up and shakes.  he is shaking right now, the table we are sitting at is right infront of the heater.  nothing happened, no one yelled at him, I havent left the house all day.  he is just cowering for no reason. 

My 2 ratties are as different as night and day.  Lucy, the female, is long legged and has button ears and thicker fur.  Bo, the male, is shorter proportionally, has thinner, "slicker" fur, and erect ears.  Bo shakes a little like he is  cold unless he is either too busy playing to notice, or unless he is on your lap or snuggled under the blankets.  Lucy doesnt give cold weather a 2nd thought.

Am I correct in thinking Ratties do NOT have an underlayer of fur such as JRT's so they tend to be colder?  I also think I read this can be a "trait" in small dogs. Don't know if that is true but throwing it out there.

Alice shakes even with her coat or sweater on outside but in the house she seems to be fine.

okay well as long as its not unusual.  I just feel bad for him lol I always worry!

Max has "meat' and still gets cold  in the winter especially even with sweaters.    But he does the heavy panting thing when he has anxiety attacks.

i always pick him up when i see him do this and pet him and love him trying to make it better.  The bed he has is so nice, its lined with faux fur and is very warm, and when hes not here he's in my blanky in bed.  he has a jacket for when we go outside coz i worry about him freezing.  he never wants to put all his feet on the ground when its cold out, so i tried booties but he destroyed them with his teefers after we came inisde the first time lol.  my husband to be tries to blame it on me coddling him too much, always says... "the dog has feet let him walk" but I don't lift him any more than any of the other dogs, I think it's a personality thing.

Max is afraid of thunder too.  He can hear a storm a long time before we can

yes thunder and lightning is horrible with LJ too.  if any one yells whether its at him or not, he gets upset.  he barks at unfamiliar noises or things but cowers at the weather and things like that. 

Hi there,

I'm brand new to this site.  In fact this is my first reply!  I have 2 rat terriers.  My female is going to be 2yrs on Feb 2nd and my male is 8 mos.  Their name are Lacey and Jack.  My male is smaller then my female and is also thin with long legs like yours.  He shakes alot too.  He shivers when we are outside and cold.  He will also shake when he gets excited or scared.  If there is too much commotion he will shake, but he will also shake when he's having to sit for his treat.  Sometimes I notice he will shake when laying next to me, so I grab a blanket and wrap him up in it and hold him and usually the shaking stops.  I always wondered the same thing why he does that.  My female never shakes, but she is also meatier then him.  I also notice she is more dominant and stubborn then him.  Sometimes I think its insecurity, but hard to say.  My pup came from a very loving family.  He was inside with the family always and even slept with them.