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Rat making this noise (included video)

21 17:18:07

Question
Hello Janell my rat Snuffy who is about 1 and half years old was sick with an upper respiratory infection about 2 months ago. She took 5 weeks of antiobiotics and recovered but has made a slight wheezing noise since that we figured to be scar tissue. However, tonight when we took her out of her cage she made this noise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozbv8uyqof8
that is not our rat but that is the exact noise she is making.  I immediately put her back home and she seemed better but when I went to pet her like 10 minutes later it started again. What could this mean? Should we take her back to the vet?
Thanks
Kristen
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Answer
Probably not an emergency. Those are 'monkey' noises, usually heard after a rat has been sick or during a prolonged illness. I have some rats who aren't sick who make this sound, but they're usually the ones who have suffered during a period of time and have some lung scarring. As long as she's still acting okay, eating and drinking just fine, and not sneezing or coughing, it may just be from her past illness.