Rats as pets

Question
My understanding is that all rats (except lab rats) have a bacteria that can flare up into respiratory problems.  My rat is one such rat, and the vet told me she would need at least $400 worth of overnight care.  My rat is only about a year old, female, from a pet store.  Her bedding has been aspen (the vet advised me to switch to newspaper), she has been fed mostly pellets and seeds, and is played with/allowed to run around for at least half an hour most nights, usually longer.

Do all rats get this sick, and so soon?  Do all rat owners spend this much money on their rats?  Are there cheaper alternatives (oxygen for my rat seems to be the most expensive part of her treatment), or more I could do to prevent the bacteria flaring up?  Would breeders tend to sell healthier rats than pet shops?

I would love to have more rats in the future, but if most of them get deathly sick after a year, I'm not sure I can afford the costs, financially or emotionally.

Any information or advice you can share from your experience would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Answer
You are correct in that understanding. Every rat has it, but not all of them end up with myco flares; and some have attacks very early while others have them later in life (I had a rat who was near 3 years old before he ever had a myco flareup). It really depends on the animal's genetic and hereditary history with the disease and their own personal health history. Has your rat had any current treatment for the respiratory condition? Basically what I'm asking is whether or not her current treatment plan has stopped working and thus the need for overnight stays, oxygen, etc.. or if this is your vet's first line of defense.

I have never had a rat stay overnight during an average flareup; only when I had a doe end up with pneumonia did she stay. Treatment plans are normally doxy and baytril (as a combo drug) or baytril alone. Sometimes vets will aim for broad spectrum but rarely have I seen any of them make a difference. The organism we know as myco has no cell wall and baytril or baytril/doxy is one of the only things effective, for the most part. Oxygen helps - no lie about that - but usually not as quickly as you would need in an acute case and if it isn't an acute case and meds can control it... why spend $400 for oxygen? That's my own personal take in it (I'm sure I have dozens of experts screaming at me for this), but I'm a practical pet owner, my bank account has limits; and my solution to things is not simply "go to the vet" every time I hear sneezing.

Many, many, many vets will set you up on a reoccuring prescription if your rat is one of those with a chronic myco problem; you simply call them and inform them your rat is having breathing troubles and they refill your prescript for you and you, at home, treat them for two weeks or until their breathing is better/symptoms relax. Normally these meds cost you $20 to $30 a bottle at most. There are steps you can take at home to ease their symptoms in the meantime while the drugs are kicking in - such as a cool air humidifier in the bathroom near the rat cage, using a dust-free, unscented bedding; a healthy, rounded diet (I suggest making your own, like Suebee's Rat Diet (google it for recipes) or something similar) and during those times when your rat is beginning to get sick, a bit of dark chocolate will help quell and relax their symptoms.

Also, getting a rat from an honest and trustworthy breeder is a surefire way to avoid many of the issues. I personally oversee the breeding for two pet stores (I don't provide the animals for them, I simply keep tabs on their program to be sure their rats are indeed as healthy as they say they are); but most stores don't do that. They breed willynilly and you end up with health compromised pets. Breeders have much lower instances of mammary tumors, cancerous tumors, respiratory problems and heart problems. Also, breeders will refer you to other breeders if they're not in your area. (I'm one such person, if you ever need to find one, I can help you find a breeder in your area).

:( Good luck with your rat!