My sneezy rat

Question
I purchased my rat Ryder and her companion Fleur at a local pet store a few months ago. At the time I was uneducated in how to purchase a healthy rat and just selected two.
They had been sneezing, but about a month ago Fleur's sneezing had been getting worse. I did some research and found that it could be stress or a respiratory infection. My mother however was not very concerned and didn't want to take them to a vet.
Recently, Fleur died and the cause is believed to be pneumonia. I'm worried about my other rat Ryder. My mother still doesn't want to invest in going to a rat vet unless completely necessary. I would like to treat any disease she may have as early as possible. Are there any home remedies I could do for her?
She looks healthy except for her sneezing. Her breathing sounds normal, but she is sneezing excessively. There are no red stains around her nose and eyes. Her eyes are bright and she is still very active. She is eating regularly, and with great gumption.
I don't want her to end up like Fleur, so what would you
suggest?

Carrie

Answer

Hi Carrie

As you have seen, rats can go downhill fast. I would get her to the vet and let mom know that this is necessary now before it becomes worse and turns to pneumonia.  Getting her on medication before she starts to act sick will result in a better chance of a full recovery.  With rats its a good idea to know the signs of illness right away before they start acting sick. Once they act sick its usually very hard to get them to recover and the result is loss of life.  

Not any vet will do, either. If you need names of vets that treat rats please let me know and I can provide you with names of vets in your area that treat rats. Its a waste of money to see just any vet that doesnt know about rats.  I wish there were home remedies but unfortunately there isnt.

Good luck!