rat allergies?

Question

my pet rat seems to be sneezing occassionally and looks to have a wet nose could he be allergic to the bedding or pine shavings if so any suggestions on what i could use?

Answer 1

Yes indeed, he could be allergic, particularly if the pine-shavings are not the dust-free variety that can be bought vacuum-packed from petshops. Also, if there is the slightest trace of hardwood dust in the shavings, he will be very uncomfortable.

Here is what I would do: Strip out the cage in its entirety, and soak everything, including the cage and all plastic flooring, in a bath full of hot water, and some Milton sterilising fluid. Soak all toys, houses, anything that Mr.Rat comes into contact with, and throw-away anything that can't be soaked. Make sure everything is scrubbed, rinsed and dried befire re-use.

Immediately change the brand of wood-shavings you use. Rats can live on a cat-litter floor-covering, but dust-free/hardwood-free shavings are best. Give him plenty of clean paper or cardboard to tear-up and use as toys/bedding

The room that his cage is in, use no spray-cleaning products, deodorant sprays, air-freshener sprays or plugins, talcum powder in that room. Try very hard to keep his atmosphere well ventilated but free of cold draughts or excessive heat. When you hoover in the room, take ratty to somnewere else, ideally use a HEPA filter on your hoover.

He may have caught a cold, I have seen this in a few of the rats I have had as pets, and it should clear OK.

If none of the above works then the vet is the next call. As you are aware, rats don't have a very long life-span, and despite being fairly hardy animals in general, it doesn't take much to shorten or end their lives.

Answer 2

Rats have very sensitive upper respiratory systems, and pine bedding contains phenols which can irritate them, making them sneeze, wheeze, and secrete porphyrin (the red stuff you are probably seeing around his eyes and nose). I would suggest making sure his cage is cleaned often and changing from pine bedding to Carefresh or aspen wood shavings.

If the irritation has caused him to develop a mycoplasma infection, which is very likely, he may need to go on a short course of antibiotics to clear it up. If changing the bedding and keeping his cage clean doesn't seem to help him after a week or two, please take him to a veterinarian to be seen. Good luck!

Answer 3

You shouldn't realy use wood shavings as they may cause respiritary problems. Having a damp nose is fine though, and all rats sneeze occasionaly. If you feel he is sneezing alot, take him to the vets as they may reccomend some antibiotics or alternative bedding.

Answer 4

The cage is fine choice for them. My rats love running in the wheel. Well One way to help out is to NOT buy wood chips as bedding... Buy the bedding that looks like cotton balls... (i forget the name of the bedding.) Clean the cage out each week or every other week. That will help with accumulated dander. I have horrible allergies and 3 rats. I havent had much problem with them. I'm allergic to oak trees and grass mix so i had problems with their food. But you dont have to only buy rat food. They will also eat rabbit food, Ferrat treats, (which is closely related to dogfood) and other varieties of Rodent food. Its all basically the same stuff if you actually read and look at whats in there. So i changed their foor to something with a little less seed in it. To help out even more.. wash your hands and face after handleing them. If i can help out with anything else. Feel free to contact me.

Answer 5

Maybe you should take it to the vet. When we bought Tonya, she had a cold because of weather change and change of scenery. They should give her some baytril, it's pink and all you have to do is put some on their food or you can put it in their mouths forcefully, but some rats just lick it right out of the dropper. My Smokey had a cold and she licked it right out.

Answer 6

Sure he can. Animals have sensitivities just like we do. Good luck with him.

Qoute:

Cage Bedding & Litter

Choosing the litter and cage bedding for your rat’s environment is important. Whatever product you decide to use be sure that you change it often to keep your rat healthy. The build up of ammonia and fecal bacteria can be extremely harmful to your rat’s respiratory system.

Occasionally rats will be allergic to certain types. If this occurs then try different products until you find one that does not cause a reaction. In cases of severe allergies cloth (old T-shirts, towels, etc.) can be used as a substitute for conventional bedding. Although there are many excellent choices there are also some that are dangerous for your rat.

Unacceptable Cage Bottom Bedding Choices
Cedar or Pine
Cedar and pine are choices that you want to avoid. Unfortunately they are usually sold in pet stores right next to the rodent supplies. Tests have shown that the phenols (aromatic hydrocarbons) that are found in these softwoods are toxic to rats and other small animals. This toxic substance is what makes the litter have the strong smell, which covers up the odors of urine but at a hazardous cost to your rat. It is the oils containing these phenols that you find in many household cleaning products like pine-fresh and pine-sol.

If you use pine or cedar you are jeopardizing your rat’s health in several ways. Long term inhalation of these chemicals can compromise the rat’s immune system making it more prone to respiratory problems such as mycoplasma. It has also been scientifically documented that the phenols in these softwoods alter the levels of the liver enzymes, which can lead to liver disease and even liver failure.

Clay Cat Litter
Clay cat litter is too dusty to be used to line the entire bottom of a rat’s environment. Use only small amounts of large granule, non-dusty, non-clumping clay litter in litter boxes.

Corn Cob Bedding
When wet, corncob bedding tends to rot and grow mold causing an unpleasant odor and an increase in bacteria within the animals environment. If you opt to use corn cob on the cage botton then keep in mind that it has to be changed often. Corn Cob is best used in the litter box itself.

Preferred Cage Bedding Choices
Shredded Paper
Shredded paper can be used for your rats bedding. It must be changed often as it tends to get mushy when wet. Make sure that if you use shredded newspaper that it is printed with non-toxic soy or vegetable ink. Keep in mind that light colored rats will end up with dirty looking fur from the ink.

Aspen
Aspen is a very good choice for bedding. Being a hardwood, there are no toxic phenols in it making it a safe choice for your rat. The only problem with aspen is that it can be messy and difficult to vacuum.

CareFresh
CareFresh is made from paper pulp. It has the appearance of shredded gray egg carton material. Rats seem to like this product although some owners complain about its odor being unpleasant, especially when wet.

Pellet Bedding
The most popular used pellet bedding is Yesterdays News. It is manufactured from recycled newspaper and was originally intended to be an alternative cat litter. Many pet owners use it satisfactorily. The one problem with yesterdays News is that it does tend to crumble and get dusty after it has been wet and then dried out.

Other pellet bedding products on the market are made from different materials such as compressed aspen, wheat grass, and cellulose fiber (Cell-sorb Plus).

Cloth
Cloth is a useful alternative to conventional cage bedding especially if the rats, or their owners, have allergies. Old, clothing, fabric diapers, towels, and remnants make good choices. Be sure to use cloth that does not unravel easily. Long strings can get caught around the rat’s appendages and cause injury. This is particularly a concern with babies and young rats.

Wash the fabric bedding with a hypoallergenic laundry detergent using warm or hot water. Occasional washing with a small amount of bleach is fine as long as the load of laundry is washed again using detergent only or put through two rinse cycles. If you can detect any bleach odor after washing then please run them through another complete cycle.

Cloth used in nest boxes will need to be changed more frequently if you have rats that urinate in their beds.

Litter Boxes
Keeping litter boxes in your cages will help with maintaining overall cage cleanliness. Rats are, for the most part, easily trained to use a litter box. Some suggested litters are soft corncob litter, crushed walnut shells, Swheat Scoop, and certain cat litter products. When using any cat litter products make sure to avoid those with deodorizers, clumping agents, and dust. If using clay litter be sure to choose the large granule litter (which is usually the least expensive) and avoid using the dust litter found at the bottom of the bag. Bedding materials can also be used in litter boxes as long as it is not the same type that you use on the cage floor. Using a different material in the litter box will help the rat differentiate between it’s floor and its toilet area. Unfortunately most rats will not urinate in their litter boxes regularly. But even if it only catches the feces it is still a great aide in helping your rat’s environment stay cleaner.

End qoute

Answer 7

i am sorry dont really no wot else u could us but try looking some thing up on the internet or asking ur local vet they might have some very good ideas on wot to change the bedding and that to good luck.

Answer 8

you could try shredded paper, though yoiu would have to clean the cage more often.

Answer 9

take it to the VET