mycoplasmosis...mabey...

Question
Hi my name is Alyssa and I just recently got a Berkshire hooded rat. I'm a first time owner but I do have a book by Debbie Ducommun called "Rats practical, accurate advice from the expert". My rat, Midnight, is a female, not fixed and was a feeder at Pet Co. They said she was healthy but when I brought her home, she had started sneezing, wheezing, and still isn't making her own bed. She wont eat anything hard or chew up even a cardboard box. Just recently she started getting red buildup around her nose and eyes. She has sneezing fits probably 10-15 times a day. Her sneezing gets a bit better when she is outside but not much(I thought fresh air might help). some people have told me to run a humidifier in the room but I wasn't sure if it could harm her so I haven't. I use torn up news paper as bedding and feed her pinto beans, cat food, rice, dry noodles, saltine crackers, dry oatmeal, sunflower seeds, dry top ramen, carrot ends(fresh and wet), and salad greens(also fresh and wet). She doesn't eat or drink very well either. Her favorite is salad greens (which she gets about 4 pieces a day of). She sleeps in a half piece of wood, its hollow kinda small but shes content. She is in a temporary bird cage with a wood bottom. Like I said, its temporary until I get a bigger one. I'm really worried so please please please respond. Until then, thank you and goodbye.
       ANYTHING FOR MIDNIGHT,
                 Alyssa

Answer
Hi ALyssa


I know Debbie Ducommun and we speak often on the telephone. She is a very smart lady.  Did you read her book?  

If so, you would see where the diet your using is not fit for rats. Cat food, for starters, along with saltine crackers are not good for rats. They need to avoid sodium, high protein and fats.   Salad greens are empty calories and should be fed sparingly, not daily.

Also, I see a very big problem with using a wood bottom for the rats cage. This is going to absorb urine eventually and it will begin to build up.  The ammonia from the urine building up can cause respiratory problems and can trigger mycoplasmosis to start causing problems.  I know its only temporary but just in case other people read this, I wanted them to know how wood is not really a good choice for rat cages.
Newspaper is ok, for a base but it is not absorbent and it should be soy based ink only.  If your not sure if the newspaper your using is soy based, please do not use it.  A good litter is aspen or yesterdays news.   
New rats sneeze, esp pet store rats meant to be used as food.   I would take her to the vets to be sure that she doesnt have a respiratory infection just to be safe.  If you need a vet please let me know and I will happily give you names of vets in your area (once you tell me your city-state.)