How long does it take for Myco, the rat breathing disease, to take effect?

Question

I brought in 3 rats for quarantine for a friend, and it turns out they had myco. They've been ALL over the house because I love putting them all over the place. The bed, the couch, climbing all over my clean towels, loose in the bathroom while I take a shower. You name it. So now I'm pretty sure my whole house has the bacteria floating around and I am going to be getting 2 new rats in just a couple of days from a local breeder, but I really do not have time to scrub down the walls and every corner of the house with a toothbrush.

Anyway, here's the question:

How long does it take for the disease to die off? I know humans can carry Myco, obviously not have it, but just transmit it. How long will it be before it wears off from me, and before it dies off in the house? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process? Something sure fire that does not involve burning it down or waiting one year?

Please, if you have any, I'd like to see sources!!

Thank you!!

Answer 1

Lysol kills it, just like any other microorganism. It is the bacteria from the secondary respiratory infection your friend's rats had that you are trying to kill, because like they î said, all rats are carriers (well, 95% of the pet population). Symptoms start to show when they are exposed to other bacteria and being carriers makes it worse.
2 days + Lysol application + washing as much as you can with antibacterial soap (including you) should make it safe for new family members. Happy ratting!

Answer 2

Unfortunately unless your rats are kept in a completely sealed and sterile environment they will be carrying Myco, it's passed on straight from birth. Many can carry it without ever showing any symptoms where as others can develop it from a young age and either die young or ever really recover. But as the previous poster already mentioned alot of it rests on the other organisms which jump on the bandwagon when a rat starts to suffer seriously with Myco. As it gets worse it becomes a larger and larger drain on the immune system leading to secondry infections which are really what you are treating when you take your rat to the vets.
As long as you've given the area's that you can a decent clean where your previous rats were there is not a lot more you can do - other than ensure that the breeder you are getting them from can give you a health history of their rats - generally cases tend to be higher where the parent rats have become quite badly infected with this disease although with it being mostly carried it can be difficult to track.
I've known people have rats in the same cage with those suffering the telltale rattles of Myco and following treatment but have been fine themselves - it all is down to the individual animal and it's immune system. The more you can guarantee the healthiness of the lines you are buying the better really.
Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

Keeping your guys under quarantine is to reduce the chances of spreading something other than Myco. All domestic rats, unfortunately, have the organism that causes Myco, and our vet says that it's unusual for a rat to live its life w/o an occasional flare-up. Some rats have weaker immune systems than others. We lost most of an entire rat family from Myco over the course of 2 years. The mom was from a crowded feeder bin & the vet says that could have impacted their immune systems. The last member of that family is now almost 2.5 yrs & occasionally needs treatment for a flare-up. Our hairless is nearly a year old & has never shown symptoms of Myco, our little hooded girl has a slight episode now & then.

Answer 4

This is an Excellent site to answer your questions. Besides all rats are carriers.

http://www.ratballs.com/RatTails/Tails025.html