My rats name is Baby Ijust...

Question
My rats name is Baby Ijust bought her yesterday and I noticed shes sneezing a lot she doesnt have snot on her nose nor does she sound congested but i am worried about it. What should i do I dont want to take her back im allready attached please help. Thanx Lori

Answer
Hello Lori and Baby :0)
CongRATS on your new fur baby! Rats make wonderful additions to the family, just make sure you keep them in same sex pairs, if not, you can cause them a lot of mental and emotional stress, which will shorten their life span quite a bit. Here is a link to check out about keeping a rats social needs: http://www.curiosityrats.com after you get to the page, click on the link INFO in the side navigation bar, then click on LONE RAT. This site is very informative, I totally recommend it for a new rat owner. Another really good site is www.ratsrule.com

About your sneezy girl, Rats get stressed very easily, and when they do, they sneeze. Also, bedding can be a cause, depending on what you are using. Pine and Cedar wood bedding is a big no no. They have wood oils that are toxic to all rodents, causing upper respiratory problems and infections, that result in lung scaring and what would seem to be a constant cold, contributing to an extremely short life span. Also, Care fresh and the like bedding (fluffy soft Grey or white bedding) are very, very dusty, and do not absorb oder, causing sneezing, and similar symptoms to the pine and cedar. Also, if the rat eats it, it will cause a blockage in the intestinal tract. In my experience, rats are very allergic to this stuff.I recommend  using Aspen wood bedding. It contains no wood oils, and is very low dust. It is the best at oder control also. I personally use a mixture of aspen chips and a cat litter called yesterdays news, which is a pellet made of recycled newspaper, and a nice smelling grass called Timothy hay. This for me has been top #1 at oder control, and dose not effect my rat kids that have Myco.

One last problem that can be wrong with your girl is the most common. It is a condition called; Mycoplasma. All rats born outside of a laboratory have this respiratory condition. It's symptoms are that of a cold: sneezing is how it starts, then rust red boogers around the nose and eyes, and then congestion, caused by a secondary upper respiratory infection, which happens due to the Myco lowering the immune system. Myco flare ups can be caused by stress, old age, drafts, allergies, or if the rat has scared lungs, or a very weak immune system due to bad breeding. A rat can live a normal life span if the Myco Flares are kept in control, and not allowed to progress into secondary infections. If a secondary infection has occurred, the vet can give you a Baytril/Doxyciclen compound to treat it.

If you are already using Aspen, your girls sneezes are more than likely just due to the stress of the place she came from, and then the trip to your house and all her new surroundings, and leaving all of her litter mates, and being alone if you did not get her a girlfriend. Give her a day or two to settle, playing with her a lot, getting her comfy, and used to you. This is a lot for a young baby to go through, but if you are patient and sweet to her, she will bond quickly and be a wonderful friend to you. If the sneezing worsens, even with doing all that I recommended, or she shows signs of a secondary infection, take her to a vet that treats rats, and has lots of experience with rats. Not all vets properly diagnose rats, or give them the right meds. Some do not even treat them with compassion, and will pick them up by the tail. Do a bit of research on the pages I gave you first, to be informed before you take her in if she does not get better.

I hope I have helped you and your Baby. I truly hope she just is stressed :0) And Welcome to the wonderful world of rats! Be careful! They are addicting! I started out with two rats 14 years ago, and have never been with out a set since, and now have 18! Good luck! And please, if you have any more questions, ask, I am more than happy to help you!

Happy Ratting!
Becky

Please remember to RATE this Expert!