Rat breathing

Question
I'm the owner of a rat and I'm not sure of his age but he is very active. Especially when he is out of his cage. So today when I put him back in his cage he was fine. But when I came back to the cage he was very tired and looked like he was falling asleep but what got me worried was that his breathing was very slow and it was below 85-110. So my question is, do rats have a different breathing rate when their falling asleep? I'm a new rat parent and I've had him for 8 months and I'm not sure if it's symptoms of him being lethargic

Answer
Hi Kimberly, rats physiology is very similar to humans, so yes certainly breathing patterns vary during sleep.   During REM sleep breathing is faster.  

I hope your baby is ok and experiencing respiratory infection or distress.   It would be extremely helpful if you took a short video of him during sleep and another of him awake so I could better assess.  

If he is in fact lethargic while awake, then assume illness and take him to a vet asap to get him on antibiotics as if not treated right away, rats can deteriorate very quickly which sometimes can lead to death.  

I hope to get videos from you and pray for the best for your sweet boy.