new rattie

Question
QUESTION: Hello!  been a rat owner for 5+ years...found a lone male blue rattie (6wks old?) in pet store,,picked up last night (quarantining from others) but sneezing terribly....my babies last year had same sypmtoms prob URI?  i have bottle of doxycycline from jun 2007....i cant remember, but i think i can start him on this for 14 days?  dont want to bring him back (petsmart) since they prob wont take care of him...very lovely boy!! socialized!  thank you!

ANSWER: The doxy would be better if zithromax were used in conjunction with it (he is way too young for baytril since it should be reserved for rats over 4 months old) and KUDOS to you for doing a quarantine!! Not many people do it and it is so vital to do, just as you see now. However, chances are your rat is just fine. Most of the time, the sneezes are from adjusting to a new environment, new bedding (especially if they were kept on pine, which many pet stores still continue to use it despite the warnings on dangerous phenol oils!) and of course all of the new scents surrounding him. Stress can induce sneezing and although he may seem super social, he still may be a bit unnerved being in a new home.
I am really glad he is socialized....someone at the pet  store must have taken the time to play with him. I spend alot of time answering questions on how to socialize new rats because so many of them are scared of humans.
Also, the doxy may still be stable (do you know when it expires?) but he needs weighed so you can dose him accordingly.
If he is dosed properly and the doxy hasn't expired, it wont hurt to give it to him but if he continues to sneeze, he should properly be seen by a vet and given something stronger "if" the vet feels he needs anything at all, although deep down inside I think he just has the "new home sniffles" but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Is he big for his age?  I can give you a safe dosing window if I have an idea his size, or if the doxy is still stable, was it used on baby rats about his size?



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

QUESTION: thank you so much for responding so quickly!!  my rattie weighs approx 4 oz....he was not pine bedding but the carefresh.  he had a little porphin (sp) from his nose yesterday ...still sneezing some ...meds still stable per pharmacy........i was trying to look up dose to give him ..figure it wont hurt...is it .2ml for his weight? also, since i have not had male ratties before, would i be able to introduce a male, same age, to him so he can have company? I feel bad he is by himself...I have had 8 girls at a time together, different litters, without any problems...i heard males can be aggressive..but since young i would like to try ....thanks for all  your help!! I was worried about this little guy!  :)

ANSWER: Yes go ahead and dose the doxy but do call the Vet on Monday and let him also know you did start the meds...
He is 4 ounces..(thinking out loud here, dont mind me!)  That comes out to be about 115 grams (I do believe)

Dosing is .10 ml per lb for 14 to 30 days depending on severity of infection which I would say see what vet says but I usually go for the full 30 to prevent relapse, which is something that when it happens, that is when myco really starts causing trouble. He is about a quarter of a pound....1 lb is, right around 448 grams.

I would say .2 ml is about right. I will double check with the RMCA guide to be sure and if its incorrect I will change it.

Next, I ONLY have male rats and rarely have problems with aggression.  Out of the 100 some males I have owned since keeping rats, 4 were truly aggressive and they were rescues (retired lab rats from a Vet school) so they have every reason to be crabby.  Only last year did I ever come across my first true pair of aggressive males (toward other rats and one of them attacked the Vet tech) All four were from a breeder too and the two dumbos had already torn into each other and the other two black berks that came with them although a different litter, same breeder.  The black berks were fine...but the dumbos were hell.  Of course they are wonderful now but they had abscesses on themselves and everything from constant fights!  What occurs often with males is that they tend to play fight and get a bit rough but they usually forgive and forget.  Around 6 to 8 months old when real puberty sets in, testosterone levels start to rise and they become a bit..overly confident I guess is the word I am searching for.  "Usually" the other rat is willing to let the more aggressive rat be alpha and all is well...but I usually do not suggest letting a male mischief hold more than 3 intact bucks UNLESS they are older and past the rise and fall of testosterone levels, after about....14 to 18 months usually.
If you let your boy (after quarantine of course) with another rat his age or a tad younger, they should be best buddies. A roomy cage is also important as with any rat mischief though.  Males are very cuddly and clingy as they get older but of course for now, they want to explore and play.   I love all rats, females too....its just that after losing my all time heart rat ever, a wild rat that I rescued at just 11 weeks old (wanna talk AGGRESSIVE? She was out of her mind with rage and it took constant work for a week straight to get her turned around) but she turned out to be the best, most intelligent rat I have ever had. She had to live alone...she would torment and even attack (through the cage bars) even the biggest male I owned...she hated the domestic rats and they hated her.  Holly lived to be a few months shy of her 4th birthday but her last year was spent trying to remove and fight off mammary tumors.  Her final surgery at 3 and a half years old made her tumor free but left her week and the tumors removed caused irreversible damage to her back legs (nerve damage) and she lost the use of her legs. She did good and was determined to recover but...she lost the battle in July 2007 and broke my heart. I vowed unless I had the nerve to spay young female pups (the true way to halt the growth of mammary tumors by 90%) I wont ever own another female rat again. I have lost too many of them to tumors over the years and its heart breaking because of the setting I am surrounded by, its too easy to have surgery and treatments...you know how that goes.

Male rats do one thing that can annoy a rat keeper and that is to marinate their owner with urine.  Its a high compliment, mind you, but one that is not very much appreciated by most.  Me, I dont mind....a box of unscented baby wipes kept handy does the trick...neuters do not do that though but they are not all hormonal and feel no need to mark you as their own!  You will enjoy the boys, I know you will....all rats are sweet and full of love, but they each have their own personality, regardless of sex.

Anyhow, I would start the doxycycline now but ring the vet soon as you can. ( I think I found an exotic vet for you...not sure...I have a lousy memory!!)  
Keep me posted!!

Regards

Sandy

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

QUESTION: Hello Sandy,
you are incredible! thanks so much!  I , too , have had my heart broken with the females and tumors...and a friend (who since has moved) is a dog/cat vet but learned how to treat rats and operate on them just for me!! what a savings! but she is a very intelligent woman and so sad she moved so far away...but most of mine have had the tumors and had them removed...but all just lived over 2yrs old ..my smartest one (and i wish she went on her own) i put down this past spring because she no longer could walk and had to 'roll' to her food, blind, could not eat properly, losing weight and breathing labored...it killed me! but then again, all of mine that have passed have broke my heart...i look forward to my new'boy; and the experiences!! taking him to the vet tomorrow...no, you did not give me a vet but if you know one around monmouth county, NJ pls tell me!!  the one i have was recommended by my friend before she moved but he is quite a distance..all of my fancy rats (patchworks, berks, hairless, hooded, etc) have passes and i now have 2 'feeders' that i love to death...one is like my dog under my feet, the other i believe is totally blind and cautious,,had them from babies since last february...the cautious one, ellie, has just developed a lump...i am thinking a cyst, since it does not feel like a tumor...hope it goes away ...chloe , the 'dog' is just fat and lovable...my new boy, 'blu' i play with everyday..cant believe i found him in a pet store...i will try to get another male friend for him...no breeders around here and the rescues i have become a little wary of...that is where my other 8 females came from...so sorry to hear about your this past summer...(and your others!)...i know how you feel..i have friends look at me strange when i have gone to work with swollen eyes because one of my ratties passed...they will never know the joy my little critters give me!  
do you recommend neutering for the males? again, male ratties are a new thing for me....
you are a wealth of knowledge and i appreciate!  do you have a website or something similar?  
and can i ask you more questions in the future???  
again, thanks so much..you have put my mind at ease...i look forward to emailing you again!!
michelle

Answer
Hi Michelle

For starters, of course you can write to me again, anytime...and yes I have a website and a message board for rat lovers too, which is a blast.
The URL to my website, Critter City is:
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/index.htm
My message board/forum is The Rats nest (respectfully of course) LOL!
http://critterkeeper.proboards56.com/index.cgi

And as for exotic vets in your area...I said the hell with it and here are ALL exotic vets in NJ! LOL! Hope thats not too overwhelming!!
My email address is:
Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com


Dr. Warren Briggs
Ocean County Veterinary Hospital    
838 River Avenue (Route 9 & 70))
Lakewood NJ 08701-5218
Phone:    732-363-7202
Website:    www.ocvh.com

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Dr. Cynthia Brown
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital    
197 Hance Avenue
Tinton Falls NJ 07724
Phone:    732-747-3636
Website:www.rbvh.com

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Dr. Tracey Cantamessa
Rutherford Animal Hospital    
755 Rutherford Avenue
    Rutherford NJ 07070
  201-933-4111
www.raho.com
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Dr. Cynthia Dowd
Adventure Aquarium    
1 Aquarium Drive
Camden NJ 08103
Phone:    856-365-3300 ex7304
Website: www.AdventureAquarium.com

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Dr. Gail Heyer
Shore Exotic Animal Service    
PO Box 277
Bay Head NJ 08742
Phone:    732-899-7327
Website:N/A
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Dr. David Kupersmith
Animal and Bird Health Care    
1785 Springdale Road
Cherry Hill NJ 08003
Phone:    856-751-2122
Website:    www.animalandbirdvet.com

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Dr. Joseph Martins
Belle Mead Animal Hospital    
872 Route 206
Hillsborough NJ 08844
Phone:    908-874-4447
Website:www.bmvet.com

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Dr. Lori Siracuse-Parker
Oradell Animal Hospital      
580 Winters Avenue
Paramus NJ 07652
Phone:    201-262-0010
Website: www.oradell.com

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Ms. Kim Somjen
Belle Mead Animal Hospital     
872 Route 206
Hillsborough NJ 08844
Phone:    908-874-4447
Website: www.bmvet.com

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Dr. Anneliese Strunk
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital    
197 Hance Avenue
Tinton Falls NJ 07724
Phone:    732-747-3636
Website:    www.rbvh.com

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Dr. Barry Stuart
Advanced Care Small & Exotic Veterinary Hospital    
1991 Route 22 West
Bound Brook NJ 08805
Phone:    732-764-9595
Website:    http://www.advancedcareveterinaryhospital.com

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Dr. Michael Weiss
All Creatures Veterinary Care Center    
352 Greentree Road
Sewell NJ 08080
Phone:    856-256-8996
Website: www.allcreaturesvetcare.com

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