[Scris129]

what are some of the most common diseases for rats? and how much would they cost at the vets. i want to know ahead of time so i know i can take full responsibility of the rat.
thx ahead of time, Evan

PS: you dont need to call me scris, i much rather prefer evan being that its my real name and ive been here a while

 

[Jennicat]

Respiratory issues are very common in rats because of the myco they carry in their systems. The cost is going to depend on your vet, and the area. Typically going to the vet and getting antibiotics for a simple respiratory infection will cost me around $60, but if it's more serious and requires either a nebulizer treatment or x-rays to check the heart, it will be much more.

Tumors are probably the second most common affliction that rats will have. They need to be surgically removed, and it can be expensive. My vet charges around $100, but I have heard as much as $350-$400 quoted by other vets. If there are complications, this will cost more. My rat Cecilie just had a lump removed which ended up going necrotic, and she had to have additional surgery to continue repairing the tissue.

I'm not trying to be mean, but I realize this is going to sound mean... why are you so set on getting rats? You aren't even able to provide big enough cages to your guinea pigs because your parents won't let you. (And the cage your piggies are in is too small for a pair of rats -- how are you going to talk her into getting a bigger cage for smaller animals if she already thinks that one is huge?) Also, how are you going to afford a vet if both the pigs and the rats end up sick? (Because let me tell you, it comes in groups.)

 

[Scris129]

the guinea pig cage is the same size as a 2x4 c&c cage, probally 2 inches smaller, and ontop of that i have a ferret nation cage from when my sister had a ferret and im sure that thats big enough for 2 rats, and from what i heard rats need a minimum of 2 square feet eachguinea pigs need a minimum of 4 square feet each. also i have a job, and i am getting paid 150 dollars a week, thats 600 dollars a month. and so ive had my guinea pigs for almost 4 years and the most sickly disease one ever had was a cold. and then i immediately took her to the vet. ok so now your asking how come im not using the ferret nation for the guinea pigs, because when i first got my guinea pigs i had them in there and they loved to climb up the levels and play, but one time ginger fell off. she broke her leg, i had her taken to the vet for x rays and she needed a cast, i had to put her in quarintene for 6 weeks, i can buy a bigger cage for the guinea pigs its that my mom sees no sence for a bigger one she said as long as i pay for it i can get what i want (as long as she knows) so the way i see it, is im ready for a few rats

 

[Scris129]

and this is why i asked this question, to see if i could auctually take care of a rat. now thank you, now i cant get a rat, thanks for the info

 

[RodentzRule]

Im sure you are able to take care of a rat, you have the best intentions and can clearly provide for it, I dont see to much of a problem here exept the cage. I dont know how big the cage is but it sounds good, im just wondering if your guinea pig fell off whats to say your rats wont? I think you need a bigger cage for you piggers and a diffent cage for rats and you clearly have the money for that and vet fee's

 

[Scris129]

thank you you made me feel a lil bit better

 

[CapriceCritters]

Ferret nations are common cages for rats, quite a few people on here have them. Now, I don't know guinea pigs very well but I don't imagine they're as agile as rats and as able of climbers. I once heard a rat can fall something like 2 or 3 stories and still be OK, so it's probably not as much of an issue, falling a few feet. Of course, anything could happen. I recently had a 6 week old baby fall from the top of my HUGE cages, only to scurry off so fast that I barely caught her, the poor thing was so scared. She was fine, however.

I'd say as long as you have a couple hundred in your savings account reserved for emergencies ONLY, you'll be fine to cover most vet bills. I'd call around and see what vets in your area treat them first, and accumulate a list of vets that treat them. Then when one gets sick, you can call around and see who's treatments are cheapest.

 

[RodentzRule]

I think Jennicat (no offence to her) should have asked a few more questions before telling you that you cant take care of rats, good luck and im glad that unlike alot of pet owners you considered all possibilties and did your research

 

[lilspaz68]

I agree with Jennicat, you need a lot of money to own a rat, just in case. Most rats do get sick, I have a wee one here only 15 months old who has CHF (congestive heart failure), I have many here with pulmonary abscesses in their lungs and lung scarring from previous URI's (upper respiratory infections), I have 2 with PT (pituitary tumors), I have 6 with mammary tumors, I had to have my favorite pts yesterday because of a highly aggressive squamous cell carcinoma in her cheek.

They get strokes, inner ear infections, URI's, pneumonia, UTI's (urinary tract infections), females are more prone to tumours and uterine infections, males can become aggressive at 5-9 months from a hormonal aggression, which can only be taken care of by a neuter.

$600 a month, also has your own living expenses taken out of it, so its unlikely to have your $200 vet fund. Plus when pigs get sick, they get really sick. You give them meds, they stop eating, they go into stasis, they die. They are both very very tricky animals with illness. When I was with my vet yesterday she said that rabbits were the worst, guineapigs next and rats 3rd in her opinion.

You always have to have the money to pts an animal before it suffers so that is a constant amount in the Fund. So you cannot include that in the medical.

I would wait until you have a better job, and just keep researching rats if you are truly interested. They are wonderful animals, but in NO way cheap. You should see my Vet Visa bill.

 

[Jennicat]

I was basing my response on things that the poster had told me earlier. I've seen a picture of the cage, and unless it has been changed (which as of last conversation, their mother wouldn't let them) it's nowhere near a 2x4 cage. A pigloo blocked about 1/4 of the cage, and a 2x4 C&C is over 10 square feet.

Your pigs are 4, and they're entering the phase of their life when they're going to be the most expensive. My group is becoming senior and I've had a bladder stone removal, a death from osteodystrophy (after protracted treatment) and ongoing problems with urinary tract infections from the bladder stone pig. So far, I've spent around $1000 per pig as they've gotten older here in the past year. It's not easy and many of their problems become chronic.

Typically guinea pigs are not as agile as rats (the other poster was correct) and a FN is a ridiculously inappropriate cage for a guinea pig. They're not designed to climb ramps that steep (as evidenced by the poster's pig who broke it's leg). They need lots of wide and flat space to run around in. Rats are designed to be climbers and are much better at it.

 

[Scris129]

Lilspaz:
Yes i know vet bills cost ALOT, but the thing is, im 14, i dont pay rent or do other stuff, i get 600 dollars a month and out of the 600 dollars i put 300 dollars into the savings and 300 dollars to myself. so see by the time they get sick i think i should have enough money, hopefully. unless there sick when i get them

Jennicat:
the reason why you probally think the cage is small is because the camera was suspended in mid air in the middle of the cage, and ontop of that theres a ramp going out of the other side into their playpen.

the reason why im so set on getting a rat is because i have to put ginger down, she is just getting old, lazy, and shes not eating or drinking anymore, and my mother decided its best to put her down. its my mothers house and it is her decision, and i cant say no to that. im trying to convince her not to, she said theres just so many things wrong with her

Please all i asked was what are some common diseases in rats and there cost to see if i could pay for them, not a lecture on my guinea pigs and making me feel bad about myself

Sorry

 

[Jennicat]

I'm not trying to make you feel bad about yourself, I'm trying to point out things that you haven't thought about. You're not equipped to take care of the animals you have now, and yet you're wanting to add more animals. If your guinea pig is not eating or drinking then why in god's name isn't she at the vet? They don't get "old and lazy", she's sick. When they're not eating or drinking, something is wrong, and she needs to go to the vet. She is starving to death.

 

[Scris129]

she was at the vet! the vet said shes just to old and she has to be put down, because shes old. doesnt everyone bum out when there 90 years old. shes being put down tomorrow. its not my decision like i said, its my moms. please can we just drop this? i just asked a simple question and you answered it. thank you

 

[Jennicat]

No, you don't reach 90 and just randomly die. Even when you die "of old age", it's because something is going wrong with your body. And a vet that says your animal is "old" and needs to be put down is not guinea pig savvy. Guinea pigs have lived to be as old as 10 or more (although 5-8 is more common). When they stop eating, it's a VERY common sign of other problems, it's not simply being old. ALL guinea pigs of ALL ages stop eating when they are sick. That's why products like Critical Care are made for handfeeding them.

 

[Scris129]

ok then i will tell the vet that then, im not saying randomly die, im saying when your 90 you kinda stay in your chair all day and wait for people to feed you, because if you get up you could hurt yourself. unless your a 90 year old and for 80 years youve been jogging 10 miles a day

 

[Jennicat]

My grandma died at the age of 98, and still lived by herself, cooked all her own meals, and did everything for herself except for driving (she had cataracts). And she didn't jog 10 miles a day ever.

Animals and people are different. Guinea pigs respond to pain and sickness by refusing to eat because they are prey animals.

 

[RodentzRule]

I feel so sorry for you, I cant believe anyone hasnt said ''im sorry about ginger'', I know that today is the day she is being put down, im sorry for your loss. He will have 300 saved a month and have random cash, if he doesnt have enough money (unlikely) he could borrow some and pay it back easily. He has the room for a big enough rat cage, his mum is fine with it.