my+pet+rats+health

Question
hi,+my+pet+rat+gracie+is+about+3+months+old+and+ever+since+i+brought+her+home+she+would+wake+up+with+her+eyes+stuck+shut...clear+crustyness...+She+did+it+everyday+for+a+few+days+and+then+it+stopped+for+a+bit+and+it+just+started+again...i+jusrt+found+out+that+there+are+traces+of+cedar+in+the+pine+bedding+that+i+have+been+using....+What+is+wrong+with+her+should+i+take+her+to+the+vet+or+would+simply+changing+the+bedding+help....she+does+sneeze+once+and+a+while+not+a+whole+lot+and+sometimes+shakes+her+head+and+scratches+her+ears....+And+can+i+use+shredded+paper+that+has+been+written+on+with+pen+ink+or+printer+ink%3F++Please+help+i+am+totally+attached+to+her+and+we+would+hate+to+see+this+get+worse+if+it+isn't+just+the+bedding...thank+you+for+any+help+you+can+give+me!!

Answer
Get rid of the pine bedding. DO NOT use any paper you have ink from an ink pen or marker on, either. You need to use the proper bedding.  Aspen, yesterdays news, carefresh, these are the safest kind of litter to use. You also need to keep her cage spotless. It should never be allowed to smell like urine. All rats cages end up with a slight odor, but it should never be offensive. How often do you change the cage and do you use a cage or a glass tank?

For now, until you get to the store, you can use either paper towels or newspaper shredded  up. This is ONLY  for a temporary  fix though and cannot be used all the time as this is not sanitary and wont keep her very clean.

I think if you change the way her environment is, she should stop sneezing. Pine and cedar are deadly to small mammals.