Just a little worried about my rat

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I'm a new rat owner--I've just got my first rat about a month ago.  I'm head over heels for my Skittles, a beautiful black and white Rex rat.  Since I got her at a pet store, I'm not certain of her age.

In the last day or so a friend bought a treat stick for her, but I have wondered if it's not a canary treat stick, given the brands and availability in the stores in my area.  It seems to be fairly innocuous and she is enjoying it immensely, but I'm just putting that in there in case it means something.

In the last day or so, she's been very quiet and sleeping a great deal, still and somewhat lethargic.  She hasn't been cleaning herself as much as normal, and today I noticed a very small spot of hair loss along her spine.  Everything else looks pretty good; she's eating reasonably well...  I'm worried about her, and I'd like to see her get better.

Thanks,
Sarah

ANSWER: Hi Sarah

Just a few things I have to ask first since I dont know her personally I will need a few details.

For starters, what does her daily diet consist of and what kind of bedding do you use?
Also keep in mind that the rex coat is curly to wavy and if she is fairly young you may see changes in her coat (kind of like molting)

Also, you need to watch the chew sticks. They can splinter if they are wood.  Rats do not need chew sticks to grin their teeth down. That is a myth. A healthy rat will grind them down naturally simply by eating because the way their teeth are placed in the mouth, this helps them grind as they chew. Bruxing is another natural way for them to grind their teeth down.  

Please check out my site for alot more info on rat care:
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/allaboutratcare.htm

Meanwhile, I want to see if your new little girl is not feeling well or if it could be to diet or simply part of her growth spurt. Let me know about the stuff I asked above so I can help you figure this out.

As long as she is eating and drinking though, thats a good sign that even if she is not well, you found it in time and can get her to the vets.

I will check back for a follow up from you! Thanks :)


Sandra

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

QUESTION: Hi Sandra.

I use Carefresh bedding and Nutriphase rat formula, neither of which seem to have caused any problems.  [Also, thanks for the tip on the chew sticks--I didn't know that!]

When I took her out to play with last night, though, she was perfectly happy, bright-eyed and energetic, so maybe I was a little too motherly?  Who knows...I am just concerned with keeping her healthy and happy, and am a little tentative as yet.  It could even be that my work schedule is coinciding with the times that she sleeps during the day, and all I'm seeing is her sleep pattern.

Something interesting I have noticed completely aside of this and neglected to mention before is that from the instant I brought her home, she has sneezed fairly often, but doesn't seem to be in any respiratory distress or show any other signs in relation to the sneezing.  Is this something I should have a vet look at?

Answer
Hi

Is she still sneezing? Sometimes new rats sneeze due to the change in their environment but some litters are dusty, like carefresh. I have no first hand experience with carefresh but some readers here have said it was dusty, so this is just an opinion as far as that goes.

Also, new rats sometimes are overly excited or nervous. This in turn can cause histamine levels to rise, which causes sneezing to start. Once the stimuli is removed, such as handling the rat, for example, the sneezing seems to subside.  If the rat sneezes even when just laying in the cage sleeping or has red porphyrin discharge around the eyes and nose and stops eating, drinking and lacks energy, its time to seek attention from a vet skilled in rat care.