1 rat sneezing, one sleeping

Question
Hi,

Thanks in advance for your answer. My roommate and I just purchased two female rats from the local pet shop yesterday. One is 8-10 weeks old and has been sneezing quite a bit. However, there is no audible congestion/wheezing, nor is there any sort of fluid leaking from the nose or eyes. We are using Carefresh in the cage (it's what we use for our guinea pigs), so I'm hoping that's the problem. However, the other rat is not sneezing, so I'm not very confident in that. The second rat is only 5-6 weeks, and isn't as playful or socialized, she sleeps a lot more in the same general spot (a cloth tube in the cage corner). Is this a baby/personality thing? Will she grow out of it and become more active and eager to play with us (the older rat was abandoned, so was used to people already and runs over whenever we go near the cage)? Again, thank-you. We are first-time rat owners and while we did our homework before purchasing, it's still hard to make decisions without experience.

Answer
 If it is just dry sneezes it may be due to stress; it usually takes rats a week or two to settle into their new homes and get used to the new sights and smells.  If the sneezes haven't gone away in a week or two or have gotten any worse you'll probably have to take her to the vet just in case.  If it is the start of a respiratory infection you'll want to have it taken care of before it gets worse.

 Usually babies do sleep a lot, but they usually are pretty playful if they have been well-socialized.  You'll have to spend a lot of time with her to get her to be more friendly, just take her out a lot and hold her and pet her and she should improve with time, work, and age as well.

 I hope that answers your questions, good luck with your rats!