twitching rat

Question
Three days ago I brought home a small feeder rat from my
work to keep as a pet. She is the generic, run of the
mill,white body with wide black strip from head to tail with
black eyes. She has been sneezing since I brought her home.
I assumed it was just respiratory, or a "cold" and put a
heating pad underneath her cage. The temperature stays
anywhere between 74-80 degree Celsius (I have a digital
temperature gauge). Tonight around 2:30 a.m. I noticed her
"popping" around her cage; very similar to when a kernel
pops open. She is also twitching (her whole body) every 5-20
seconds. Other than that she is alert, eating and drinking.
She is still s kiddish/shy so I try not to mess with her too
much too quickly. What in the world is wrong with her and is
her life in jeopardy? Is there anything I can do for her or
is this normal?  

Answer
Rats do what we refer to as "popcorning" and they also get hiccups alot, too.  The also brux which is when they grind their teeth very very fast and the eyes may also vibrate in their sockets when this occurs. This usually means they are content. Please refer to my site, sandyscrittercity.com to learn all about rats. So sorry for the delay, both hubby and I have come down with the flu plus pneumonia on top of that. Fun fun!