My first rat - a couple questions - Paw Talk

mxmvlcty · #1 10-23-2005, 09:34 AM

hello...yesterday afternoon I purchased a 2-3 month old female hairless rat. we already are in love with each other! she is active, curious, loving, and adorable. this morning, however, I noticed she was making a new noise and I'm not sure if it's normal or not. the sound is like blowing air between your teeth. it might be sneezing, coughing, attempts at squeaking, or normal. she has got Kaytee fresh bedding and litter on her floor. there is no eye discharge and her breathing otherwise seems fine. the other thing I noticed is that when falling asleep she seems to "chew" constantly, it sounds like teeth grinding. I know hairless rats are more susceptible to disease than furry ones, but I of course want my rat to live as long and be as healthy as possible. any ideas? thanks!

Fane81 · #2 10-23-2005, 08:12 PM

Hello

well first of all- congratulations on getting your rattle! how exciting! they are the best!

and as far as health goes- i only have furry rats- hehe- so i'm not exactly sure about hairless rats...

however- assuming they're basically the same- i'd say to watch out for red discharges from the eyes and/or nose and sneezing - as these can sometimes be symptoms of mycoplasmosis- but not always.

i know rats can get sick from drafts, and seeing how your rat is hairless she might be more susceptible to getting colds and things.

if you suspect your little rattle may be sick or getting sick bring her into the vet asap cause the quicker you get her on antibiotics the better the chance she'll have of fight off any oncoming illness before it besomes a respiratory condition.

but if she's just making a little chatter she might just be happy to have found a loving home with you, and/or grinding her teeth down. it's not necessarily anything bad. hope i helped a little... as i said i'm not experienced with hairless ratties, except to know that they are absolutely ADORABLE!!!! hehe- good luck

ratty_ratkins · #3 10-23-2005, 08:30 PM

i actually think she may need a vet.
rats also do the chattering and grinding when they are in pain and very sick
and that noise doesnt sound like a normal noisy to me at all!
i have had hairless rats in the past and they seem that they pretty well keep respitory infections. be sure he/she stays warm and out of all drafts.

also, how about getting her a playmate when you find out if she is okay. rats pretty well need the company of thier own kind.

... and
no pine or cedar bedding!
be sure to feed her high quailty food. suebees mix is cheap and VERY healthy for them. i can give you the recipe if you want.
for her comfort its a great idea to have something in her cage that she can hide in. like a box, etc

aquariums are not sutiable for rats, it holds in amonia and thats very unhealthy for rats. i have a ton of rat info on my site.
http://slipperyandfry05.goosemoose.com/about.html

hope i helped.
be prepared for your life to have some changes! **hopefully for the better**
rats are so much fun!

Fane81 · #4 10-23-2005, 08:42 PM

yes- i agree with ratty_ratkins

a visit to the vet would be the best thing to do. just because it's sooo freakin hard to rid of those respiratory infections once they set in! better to be safe then sorry.

oh and i also agree that you might want to seriously consider getting your girl a little companion... cause as much as she'll LOVE you she'll also love having a buddy to cuddle with all the time, and all the times when you can't be with her.

mxmvlcty · #5 10-24-2005, 10:20 AM

Thanks for all the advice! I changed her bedding to CareFresh and she seems to have stopped the sneezing already. I will keep an eye on her of course and take her to the vet immediately if it starts up again. as for another rat...the pet store had only one girl. I will scope out other stores in the area, but for now I spend tons of time with her. Thanks again!

lilchris_28 · #6 10-27-2005, 12:56 AM

I would still take her to the vet, just for a wellness check.

mxmvlcty · #7 10-27-2005, 03:49 PM

ok. I went to the vet because the sneezing started again, but she said she had very little experience with rodents and couldn't really help me. she told me to look up respiratory infections online and that I could probably get medicine over the counter. well, now there is dark red gunk by her eyes, which I know is another bad sign. what is this medicine I can get over the counter? please help me, I want my baby to get better as soon as possible.

mxmvlcty · #8 10-27-2005, 03:52 PM

P.S. - Harley is still acting mostly normal. she is eating, active, and playful. the only sick thing she does is act itchy in the face. I know by now she is definitely sick, but does the mostly normal behavior mean she is curable and will get better?

lilchris_28 · #9 10-27-2005, 04:39 PM

Yeah, that vet really doesn't know much about small animals. Pretty much anything you can get over the counter is crap. I've lost a few of my babies trying over the counter remedies. You need to get her to an exotic certified vet right away. Rodents go downhill quickly so the sooner the better. Where are you from?

Hanlou · #10 10-27-2005, 05:21 PM

Hi there.

Hmmm, I'm not impressed with that vet!! The red gunk you describe is what's known as 'porphyrin' - it's a sure sign that a rat is distressed and /or poorly.

It sounds as if your girly has a respiratory infection (common in rats) - the usual course of treatment for this is a weeks course or two weeks course ofantibiotics - normally baytril. I don't think you can get this over the counter - it's a prescription only medicine as far as I'm aware.

So that seems a daft thing for the vet to say!

The fact that Harley is acting well is a good sign, but she needs treatment. I've seen respiratory infections take hold all too quickly and develop into pneumonia. I don't want to frighten you though!! Is it possible for you to contact the vet and ask for the meds? (say you've done the research and found out that your ratty is likely to need antibiotics) I can't give out dosage info due to legalities, but if your vet is unsure, you can find the info on-line. I would think that your vet has baytril in - it's a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Did the vet listen to Harley's chest at all?

I hope your ratty will be ok anyway xx

Fane81 · #11 10-27-2005, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxmvlcty


	P.S. - Harley is still acting mostly normal. she is eating, active, and playful. the only sick thing she does is act itchy in the face. I know by now she is definitely sick, but does the mostly normal behavior mean she is curable and will get better?

honestly, she won't get better with out antibiotics, such as Baytril like Hanlou already mentioned. it needs to be prescribed by a vet. that's the only way she'll be able to fight off a respiratory infection. nothing over the counter will actually kill the virus. please try to find a vet who will prescribe this to you! (if you live in the usa anywhere near connecticut i can tell you an amazing vet that works with rats and exotics.) my first two rats both had respiratory infections that i helped them fight off for two years with a number of different vet-prescribed meds. there are certain antibiotics that you can use together that will work doubly hard to fight the illness.

Harley is lucky to have you- you have caught the illness early and have a good chance of fighting it off before it sets in and plagues her for her whole life.

mxmvlcty · #12 10-27-2005, 08:41 PM

thanks so much. I am in the Orlando area if anyone knows a vet who can help me. About how much is the Baytril going to cost me? (don't worry, I'll pay it no matter what, I just need to start getting it together).

Also...should I stick with the CareFresh bedding? I put it in to stop the sneezing and it didn't. now I don't know if it's still no good, or if the Kaytee bedding was fine after all, or what.

Harley is sleeping curled up in my lap right now and she appreciates all your help and quick replies as much as I do. thank you!

lilchris_28 · #13 10-27-2005, 08:47 PM

I prefer Carefresh to any other bedding. I use it with my three guinea pigs, six hamsters, and mouse.

Fane81 · #14 10-28-2005, 01:58 PM

hello again.

i use carefresh bedding as well with all my rats- they seem really happy wth it. honestly- i don't think its the badding that is making them sneeze so if there is another litter you think Harley would prefer (such as the kaytee you were using first) you can probably still use it. i've never used anything but carefresh so that's the only one i know about for sure.

about the baytril- it only costs me about $10-$15 a bottle for a 2 weeks dosage. it's the vet visit that will cost the most probably- here its about $40 per visit. that could definately differ depending on your vet- thats just what mine costs. do you have any small animal hospitals/ exotic animal veterinary clinics around you? the vet i use is a small & exotic animals vet so maybe if you could locate something like that they would deal with rats. i hope you are able to locate something

best of luck

ratty_ratkins · #15 10-31-2005, 08:12 PM

honestly wood chips AND carefresh made my boys have sneezing fits. i have to use shredded newspaper and cloth. and that has to be changed every 2 to 3 days.
you shouldnt have any trouble finding a vet, its a big city, just search around. keep us updated!