my rat might have a cold?

Question
My one rat (Bear) has red stuff coming from his eye, and hes been sneezing.... every time he shakes his little head it seems like im getting wet with boogers.... now when i pick him up to listen to him he sounds just fine.... no wheezing... not shortness of breath.... hes eating and playing normal drinking and pooping normal as well.... is it just stress maybe? or could he be sick.  

Answer
Hi Tiffani

Since rats do not get cold, what they do get is a respiratory infection that causes sneezing and shortness of breath etc... The good news is that he is still feeling ok  but this wont last long if he doesnt get on medication. Rats are very prone to pneumonia and if they survive it, they may end up catching it again and again, resulting in lung scarring or even blisters on their lungs etc...
The red discharge from Bears eyes is called "Porphyrin" and this often shows when the rat is sick.  Check out my site right away and compare the pictures of other rats with it plus read about it too. Its good to know about this stuff when owning rats so you know what to look for.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/bloodynoseandeyes.htm


Your rat needs a good vet that knows about rats, usually an exotics specialist. There are not many certified exotic vets but there are alot of vets that will see exotics and even consider themselves to be the "exotic vet" at the clinic, but dont let that confuse you into thinking that a vet like that is the real deal, because usually they arent.

That doesnt mean they dont know what to do, but in many cases they under treat the rat or do not give it the right medications. Sometimes these vets simply give ALL RATS the same medication regardless of what is wrong with it, and the medicine doesnt work and the rat gets worse and so on and so on.

So that said, if you would like, I can find you a vet to see
Bear.  He will need to be put on baytril (never by an injection, baytril causes serious burns in the skin from the caustic liquid that pools under the rats skin) and should be used ORALLY only for 21 days and up to 30 if the rat is really sick and not eating etc... Also, doxycycline should be prescribed. This is another antibiotic that helps compliment baytril and makes it work better. Together these two drugs work well on mycoplasmosis, which is probably what Bear has.

You can read about that here at this link, also another term all rat owners need to know about!

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/mycoplasmosispage.htm

The doxy should be given also for 21 to 30 days by mouth, about 30 minutes apart from the baytril. The vet should be able to mix it to taste yummy but if not, you can add your own stuff like take a spoonful of melted ice cream and put the dose of baytril in there and let him lick it up.

Anyhow, let me know and I will find a vet for you. All I need is your zip code or city and state.