Hello there.
I just brought home two young baby male rats about 3 days ago. I've noticed they've been sneezing and I'm not sure if it's okay or not. They don't have any discharge comming out of their eyes, ears, or nose...whatsoever. They're perky and from what I can tell, very happy with their new home. I'm currently using the bedding carefresh...(It was reccommended by a rat breeder). They're not sneezing constantly...but just enough for me to be able to notice. The first night I had them, I used a different bedding. I'm not sure if maybe they got allergies from that particular brand (it looked kinda like hay)...so obviously that's when I changed the bedding and bought the carefresh. Should I be worried?
2007-07-21 10:11:00 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
No, there is no need to be worried right now, just keep an eye on them. If anything takes a turn for the worse, get a hold of me.
Are you using the colored Carefresh bedding? Is it the colored product or the plain product? Does it have a scent to it or is it scentless? Carefresh in general has been reported by other rat-keepers as to cause the most sneezing in rats, because it is dustier then other beddings.
If it is scented then that could be the reason why your rats are sneezing. If you like paper-product beddings try Yesterday's News cat litter.
http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/?D=307314&T=3967366
Most young rats do sneeze when you first bring them home. It's a reaction to trying to settle into your home. The stress of being separated from what was familiar, the location of the cage, the lighting in your home, what you use as cleaners, drafts, dust, humidity, a different type of bedding then what the store used, are all factors.
You can also determine if it is an allergy and not Myco by giving them*1 drop* of Children's Benadryl
http://www.pfizerch.com/product.aspx?id=383
If the sneezing stops, it's an allergy. Warning, Benadryl will make your rats very sleepy and this woozy behavior might scare you.
Is there any porphyrin involved in the sneezing? Red droplets of mucus that are spewed out when the rat sneezes. It will be seen in the bedding or on the side of the cage. Do you see any crusty red porphyrin around the eyes and/or nose of either rat? No porphyrin, no concerns. If you see porphyrin it might be the beginning of Myco.
Porphyrin
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Porphyrin+in+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAmrLvrRZp8SXPzB.OHL0vAIazKIX%2FSIG%3D11id1oln1%2FEXP%3D1185147701%2F*-http%253A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjxFo9BLape1bXCUKlhunhIazKIX%2FSIG%3D121ea18db%2FEXP%3D1185147701%2F*-http%253A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Porphyrin+in+rats
Mycoplasmosis
http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/mycoplasma_mycoplasmosis.php
Note: *All* pet rats are carriers of Mycoplasmosis, they are born with the pathagen in their nasel passages and lungs. How strong the rat's immune system is, and how much stress the animal endures during it's life time, will determine if, and when, it starts to get Myco flare-ups. This is why inbred pet store rats so easily get sick from myco, and why ethical breeders are striving to breed a more myco-resistant pet rat.
If you are still concerned e-mail me at spazrats@yahoo.ca in a week's time if the sneezing hasn't subsided and we can weigh other options.
spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"
2007-07-21 12:52:20 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 10⤊ 0⤋
Rat Sneezing
2016-09-28 11:32:56 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont worry about it. I brought home 2 female baby rats like 5 days ago and they've been doing the same thing. Its just that their young and not used to so many different smells. My baby rats are sneezing less and less each day because their getting used to all the different smells. They'll stop sneezing soon dont worry. If they dont in like a week or more then take them to a vet because they could have a respiratory problem. But they most likely dont so dont worry. Aww you adopted two baby boys how cute. Mine are about 2 months old. Their black and white and oh so cute! I love rats! Have fun with your little cuties. You can email me at arab_luver_101@yahoo.com. I'd love to talk with yah! I've had 2 male rats before. I love rats. And actually I think I'm gonna adopt a boy from the shelter and breed him with one or both of my females.
2007-07-21 10:28:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Respiratory infections are the most common condition in rats. Many become carriers for life. If the sneezing isn't leading to any discharge or lack of appetite, you may not need to do anything. Keep an eye on them, and if it gets worse, they may occasionally have to be seen by a vet that is familiar with rodents and put on antibiotics. Carefresh is fine for rats.
2007-07-21 12:36:21 · answer #4 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Sneezing isn't a sign of allergies. So you can rule that out. I haven't used carefresh but here that it is very dusty, so that could be what is making them sneeze. I've heard that paper based bedding is the best, I use Yesterdays news cat litter in my rodent tanks. I would keep an eye on them, if they do develop runny eyes then they may have a upper respitory infection and will require a vet.
2007-07-21 10:17:25 · answer #5 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 3⤊ 6⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Rats?? Sneezing??
Hello there.
I just brought home two young baby male rats about 3 days ago. I've noticed they've been sneezing and I'm not sure if it's okay or not. They don't have any discharge comming out of their eyes, ears, or nose...whatsoever. They're perky and from what I can...
2015-08-19 05:03:38 · answer #6 · answered by Rochelle 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say it might be Just the dust in the bedding because my rats do sneeze but not constantly I use care fresh too but even though it is not supposed to be as dusty as other bedding I still shake it out in a sifter to get the extra dust out before i put it her tank. I would suggest taking a sifter and sifting out the dust before changing the bedding.
Hope this helps
2007-07-21 10:32:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Hi, I just got a pet rat yesterday and sane with my friend and there both sneezing we r both really wo some worried. i will tell u if i got a good answer so far some one emailed me that they might be sick or something stuck in there nose.
2007-07-22 07:49:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. rats are kind of sensitive and allergies are the likely problem...Ask the breeder if they sneezed in their care ..It could be something in the room they are allergic to or keep trying different types of cage bedding..
2007-07-21 13:45:35 · answer #9 · answered by blahblah 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
dont use hay
but sneezing is fine hun
theyve prob jsut got a cold like you or i
dont worry
my rats used to sneeze sometimes too
i love rats!
if u wana chat more message me
xxxxxxxxxx
2007-07-21 13:59:19 · answer #10 · answered by rachel 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋