How much is to much?

Question
QUESTION: Hello, i just recently bought 2 new rats to add to my cage at home, making a total of 4 rats.

Out of the 2 i bought 1 is sneezing not all the time but enough.

I know they sneeze for awhile when they first get home, but how much sneezing is to much? When should i be worried?

My two original rats didn't use to sneeze, but I've heard a couple from them.

If they all start sneezing should i be worried?

And if they do have a cold or are starting to get a cold are there things i could do to cure it without taking them to the vet?

Thanks! I look forward to your reply.

ANSWER: Hi

For starters, they do not get colds, so dont worry about that.
The 200 plus viruses that cause the common cold are non pathogenic to rats.

However there are some irritants that could cause sneezing without illness being the culprit.  What type of bedding/litter do you use?

Lets start from that question and continue with a follow up.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I use CareFresh Bedding.*Ultra*

Answer
Just tonight alone I have gotten the same type of messages from people with sneezing rats and all of them ironically use carefresh. Some of my readers say that they also had sneezing rats and used carefresh and once they switched to aspen, the sneezing stopped.

Like I told others, new rats often sneeze due to excitement because their histamine levels rise and cause sneezing. Once the stimuli is removed the sneezing subsides.