Red facial discharge

Thanks for the responses!

I was using the generic brown-paper-bag looking bedding that I took from the school lab when I first brought the fellas home ... but switched to Carefresh Ultra before the first week was out (which seems more absorbent, has helped with odor, and is just much softer for the little fuzzers). I also was initially using whatever litter came with the rabbit litter pan I bought -- but the boys didn't seem keen on it (and sometimes sneezed when near it), so I switched to a litter that seems to be meant for hamsters, etc. The granules are much smaller and I am using a lot less of it (I realized they are not like cats and do not need inches to dig in)! Litter training --- that's a whole other thread.

There was one night toward the end of the first week I had them that Taco went into a sneezing fit. It was a little intense. I took him out and cuddled him ... he would sneeze for about 30 seconds, then do super face grooming, then sneeze for a bit, then groom. And his little snout area was all red, like he had been rubbing it hard. That's when I saw the stuff online about scent sensitivity. I realized I had put a plug-in air freshener in the outlet behind their cage the day before. I took it out, tried to fan out the area a little, and coaxed Taco into drinking some water and settling down. I stayed up for a while near them, and he still sneezed here and there ... but no more fits. The next day I heard a handful of sneezes total ... and have heard a little sneeze once every few days or so since.

I just took them both out and listened to their breathing. I didn't hear anything odd ... just the sound of their little hearts racing! Usually when they come out, it is to climb on me and explore ... not to be held against my ear. Hehe. I think I will ask my vet tech friend to come over this week and have a listen, as well. And also show me how a rattie might be handled during a vet visit, so I can "practice" it with them .. get them to know that kind of handling is ok, too. I think I will also start noting when I see discharge and what I had been doing with them/around them .. maybe I will see a pattern.

Thank goodness I am off for the summer ... I spend more time "studying" my ratters than I ever do my textbooks. :shh:

If your apartment is not too hot, then it is generally a good idea to avoid direct fan air blowing at them. Mine was not air-conditioned, so in the summers the boys had their own little fan which I did aim at their cage, and they loved sitting in front of it. (They also had "chin-chillers", which are small granite tiles that you can freeze and then put in their cage or play area. They lie down on them to cool off.)

Carefresh bedding is probably the best commercial bedding you can get for rats. Polar fleece is even better, since it is completely dust-free, and you can pick some up at the fabric store on clearance, and reuse it for ages!! My boys loved their fleece blankies and hammocks. Are you litterbox training them? If so, I'd recommend using Yesterday's News cat litter in the litterbox. It is absorbent and also fairly dust-free. You should use something different in their litterbox than Carefresh, since that is a very lightweight bedding material.

And yes, the digging box with fabric scraps was my boys' most favorite toy. Digging is a natural instinct in rats, so providing them with a box like that will be a great thing for them! Stanley and Russell loved playing in the box, and when they got older they even used to take naps in it. :heart:

I knew if I checked here, you guys would be all over helping Amazon.

Welcome aboard Amazon. Glad to see you around. I'm on again off again this year but have been a member for a while.

As far as temperature goes, I had a convo with an experienced rat breeder when I was looking at taking rats home for first time. It was winter and I was concerned that our pilot light wouldn't be reliable.

My Question: What's a good comfortable temperature range for rats? I know they can't tolerate excessive heat, but in the event our central heat goes out, how long can they tolerate cold temps with abundant fleecy hidey holes in which to snuggle together? We have an old air unit downstairs and I'm concerned about how reliable it will be at night.

Her Reply:
Unfortunately I have found rats are actually pretty sensitive to temperature changes and temperatures outside of a comfortable 65-80 Fahrenheit. I have had my heat go out once at night and while everyone had enough to burrow in and enough cagemates for warmth, I had a lot of sick ratties in the days following and it was very hard on the ones that were elderly or already sick. If its a concern, I'd get a smaller heater to put near the cage to help regulate any changes in heat. I ended up putting one in the rat room after that incident and the temp is always regulated in there.

Though it's the midddle of summer here and not winter, the temp range is still good to know.