normal pet rat noises or....

Question
QUESTION: my rat snowy jerks his head all the time like he is sneezing and makes a sneezing noise, but does not do it all the time but too often if you ask me. he also makes weird noises while sleeping sometimes. he doesnt bite me when i pet his tail or rear end, but tries to bite when i try to pet him on the head. why? also jumps short distances straight up in the air and it seems weird to me. he makes crying noises too. but then there are times when he makes no noise so i dont know if noises is normal rat behavior or deadly resperatory infection thing i heard they get. i have not even had him for a week so i dont think it can be the cage causing it because the bedding is recycled paper product.

ANSWER: What type of rat is Snowy? Color, type? Where did you buy him (pet store, breeder?) and how old is he?

How often does he do this sneezing? A few times a day, or several times in a few minutes?

Can you describe the weird noises he makes while sleeping? Are they squeaks, cries? Does his crying seemed pained or frightened?

If you can give me these answers, that should help. Thanks Crystal!

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QUESTION: Snowy is a white small male rat, and the pet store told me he is a baby, but did not tell me exactly how old. He does the sneezing motions not several times a minute but several times a day. I only heard funny noises while he was sleeping on one occasion. He has not been doing it anymore. Maybe he is just nervous about his new surroundings. I only heard him cry on one occasion too. He does not seem to be in pain. He squeaks sometimes but not very often. He does not seem to be afraid of me now that I have worked with him a little and now I can pet him anywhere I want and he hasn't opened his mouth to bite. I think I was just scared of him at first, but I have not ever been actually bitten by him. I think he was just playing because he does like to dig the bedding up my way and then i dig it up back into his direction and that is our game we like to play. He does not eat food if I hand it to him though. He just grabs it and lets it drop to the ground. But he eats if I sit his food in the bowl. I think he just likes to do things for himself and feed himself. He also doesn't know what to do when I put him in an exercise ball. He just sits in it and doesn't move. But I don't think he is sick but I am not sure. I just never had a rat before so I dont know the difference between what's a rats normal noises and behaviors and what isn't.

ANSWER: As long as his nose and eyes aren't running and he isn't acting tired all the time, I wouldn't worry about the sneezing unless it gets noticeably worse. He is young and this is all very new to him, so stress can cause some symptoms to flare up. I wouldn't recommend using a rodent ball for rats at all -- they are far too independent and smart for balls, and balls can pose a big health hazard, too.. so I'd just return that thing and let him play on you. :) Otherwise, he sounds okay!

Happy Ratting!

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QUESTION: I don't put him in the ball because he doesn't like it anyway. Also I have found out that he is albino because his eyes are pinkish reddish instead of black. But now he is biting me everytime I try to interact with him. I think he is still uncomfortable and his natural instict is to be scared. How can I fix this problem?  

Answer
Move slowly but confidently when you reach for him, be sure your hands are clean and dry, and talk to him. Offer him a treat or two when you first stick your hand in the cage to let him know it's you, and then use the opposite hand to scoop him up. Be sure he is ALWAYS comfortably supported to limit his fears.