I am pretty sure he just started sneezing today. He seems to sneeze a couple times an hour. What could be wrong?
2007-01-23 14:00:55 · 20 answers · asked by stephiechic66 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
At any age, a sudden, violent, onslaught of sneezing could be the beginning of Mycoplasmosis.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Mycoplasmosis+in+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnYM54NvMNPtXBeKUqFf2zcazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAs6qPmKbEGuHV570VYkOMTkazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Mycoplasmosis+in+rats
Then comes the breathing that sounds like one of those stove top, old-fashion, coffee perculators. I'm not kidding, you don't want to hear this in your rat.
Sometimes Myco is incidious and you never know it's damaging the lungs until your rat shows signs of respiratory distress.
Porphyrin may, or may not, be present as an early sign of Myco, but will be abundant as the rat gets sicker.
http://www.ratbehavior.org/porphyrin.htm
Rats do not get colds, but they can be allergic to something in their environment, just we are.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Allergies+in+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnYM54NvMNPtXBeKUqFf2zcazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAs6qPmKbEGuHV570VYkOMTkazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Allergies+in+rats
Rats can also get respiratory ailments from the wrong bedding or ammonia build-up. They can sneeze temporarily if the cage gets too dirty between cleanouts.
Safe bedding for rats:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Safe+bedding+for+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnYM54NvMNPtXBeKUqFf2zcazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAs6qPmKbEGuHV570VYkOMTkazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Safe+bedding+for+rats
Care-fresh, although popular, has been reported on many rat forums to cause the most sneezing in rats.
Or it can be benign and something momentarily got up his nose.
Or, the rat could be trying to adjust to it's new environment if you have just brought him home. Your house has a different temperature, humidity, dust level, sunlight level, etc. then at the store. Even the cage location in your home can bring on sneezing fits.
Have you put something new in the cage? Perhaps a toy, dusty from hanging in the pet store. An empty kleenex box that held perfumed tissues.
Did you change the cologne that you wear, or do you spray or use any type of room deordorizes?
All something to think about.
I always do a 3-day observation on a suspect rat before I panic and rush him/her to the vet. Keep an eye on him and keep good notes on how much, and how often, he sneezes. If it does not subside, or gets worse, get your rat to a vet. Myco should not be taken lightly, it is a serious respiratory illness of pet rats.
spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Rat Slave at 38
Specializing in the care of pet rats since 1997
2007-01-23 19:58:44 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From http://wererat.net/rathelp/sneezes.htm :
Sneezing is one of the initial symptoms of upper respiratory disease in rats. It is also a very normal reaction to air-borne irritants, dust, the wrong type of bedding (cedar or pine). I have noticed that many new rats go through a sneezy stage when they first arrive at a new home.
Many people ask the same question that you are when they first get rats. What you need to do is to be aware of other signs of upper respiratory disease. If your rat is sneezing very often, or showing red, porphyrin stains at the eyes and nose, or sounding congested, or losing weight, or having difficulty breathing-- labored breathing-- see a vet. If you need a suggestion see the following lists that have been recommended by pet rat owners from all over.
http://www.rmca.org/Resources/vets.htm
http://www.ratfanclub.org/vetref.html
2007-01-23 14:16:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rats have extremely sensitive respetory systems. so it could be any thing from a miled "cold", allgerys, dust from the bedding, or a deadly infection/dieses. Rats carry Mycroplasma bacteria in there systems all the time, but if they get stressed for any reason the bacteria can rise to levels that will make the rat ill ~ sneezing is a syptom
2007-01-23 14:18:59 · answer #3 · answered by sara324@ameritech.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just like people, they can have allergies. Make sure that he has the right kind of bedding-- no pine or cedar. If you just introduced something new to him, take it away and see if he stops sneezing.
2007-01-23 14:03:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It definately could be an upper respratory infection. Also, make sure you are not using wood shavings as beding and make sure that it is like cardboard shavings. Care Fresh is a good brand.
2007-01-24 04:10:37 · answer #5 · answered by moonwizard4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you have put some thing new into his/her environment the rat may be allergic ..if not it may just have a cold or something similar. if it continues for over 3 days then take it to a vet
2007-01-23 14:05:33 · answer #6 · answered by critter man 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
he could have an upper resperatory infection. take him to the vet. a URI can be VERY dangerous for rats
2007-01-23 14:04:33 · answer #7 · answered by t s 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont all animals sneeze? it mayb has a cold
2007-01-23 14:17:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
his litter is to dry! Spray his littler with a little spray bottle of water ... JUST A WEEEEEE BIT! DO NOT DROWN him-- OR he may not like his new littler.,... IF is a big RAT-- HE will be fine! RATS are survivors just like cockroaches.... lol
2007-01-23 14:16:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it has a cold go to the doctor. believe me if you dont go to the doctor now it will probably not recover. it happened to me and i lost it.
2007-01-23 14:04:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋