Naturally Sneezy Rat?

Question
I have two girl rats, Elvis and Yoda (pet shop told us they were male at first hence the names). We have had them for about 5 months and love them to pieces. Ever since we bought them Yoda has been sneezy. She is also the smaller of the two, however she does eat and drink just as much as Elvis. We always use dust free bedding mixed with news paper, clean their cage regularly and they even have a fleece blanket in their cage. She often has red staining around her nose but apart from that acts just as lively as Elvis does. Can rats just be naturally sneezy?

Jeni

Answer
Hi there, the red staining is a mucus that rats secrete when stressed, ill or when their immune system is a bit low. Its good that you dont use wood shavings as this will cause sneezing. I think your rat has myco which is a bacteria that all rats carry, they are born with it and get it from their mothers. Its very common for petshop rats to have respiratory problems. Some rats never show signs from myco and some do. For instance the 6 rats I have from the one litter (not bred by me), 4 of them were fine, 2 were really bad with chest problems, one ended up dying at 10 weeks old, she never grew and her chest rattled all the time, antibiotics didnt work. I would suggest taking yoda to the vet to get them to have a listen to her chest, if her chest is noisy then she would need at least 10 days worth of antibiotics. If her chest is clear then I dont see much point in treating because a lot of rats will sneeze for their whole life. Its just mainy to make sure she doesnt have an infection as they can be very nasty if left untreated. In the mean time check out www.fancy-rats.co.uk its a rat forum and there are so many rat experts on there that will be able to help you. Sadly petshop rats arent bred for health. Echinacea added to the water can help to boost the immune system. The most important thing is if yoda needs antibiotcs, that she gets the right dose, a lot of vets get it wrong, the site I gave you is better at helping with working out doses. Theres even stuff you can print off to show your vet incase they arent that great with ratties. And dont despair, I currently have 3 rats on antibiotics, one on them long term for resp problems, they have a really good quality of life. I hope that your rat has nothing serious, hope to see you on the forum, take care