Nov
22
2009
My New Baby Rat Is Having A Sneezing Problem, But Theres No Red Stuff.?
Posted by: Alan in Cat Health Problem, tags: Baby, Having, Problem, Sneezing, Stuff, There's
I recently adopted a baby rat who was in good health (hes currently 6wks old). He lived with another adult rat & 4 mice in pine PELLET (not shavings!) litter mixed w/ Yesterdays News (cat version) w/ carefresh paper ontop. Lately he’s been sneezing quite often, I’ve looked at his nose and the stuff is clear. It goes away at times and his nose is fine and dry, then randomly gets sneezing fits. Its so weird. I have him now with some antibiotics that were orignally prescribed for my mouse and in Ultra Carefresh bedding. Anyone know what could be wrong? His breathing sounds fine, btw. No congestion or gurgling.
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November 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 am
he has respiratory infections. this can be treated by a medicine at the vet.
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
everytime you move a rat to a new home, they will sneeze for a few days.. im not sure why, but its nothing to be concerned about.. wait about three days and if it continues then take it to a vet or breeder to look at it. (not a pet store cause they usually dont know squat)
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Um, Well my rat had this as well.
She would sneeze allot too.
We never did anything about it but she was just fine.
We got her at about 6weeks and she had the same symptoms as your little boy, But we just left her as she was and she was fine.
Maybe they have allergic or something like that I don’t know.
But I should add she still sneezes and she is now allot older..
Its yuck if they sneeze on you by the way.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
He could be irritated by the bedding you use. Woodchips often cause allegyies. A common symptom of Mycoplasma is sneezing. Most rats are born with a certain amount of this in their genes and it can be fatel if not treated. If you change the beding and your rat continues to sneeze or sneezing becomes worse (eg. blood) I would advise you taking your rat to the vet. My rats are treated with a course of antibiotics called Baytril. Good Luck.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:02 am
He might have a cold.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:48 am
when you bring a new rat home they sometimes have a little trouble adjusting to their surroundings and they sneeze. if you see no other problems, it’s probably no big deal and it’ll stop in a few weeks. i’d probably take it off the antibiotics, i don’t think it needs them.
November 24th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Rats often have bacterial respiratory problems. They can be treated, but can return again and again. Antibiotics can help temporarily. Pneumonia is a complication in some cases. Use a dust-free litter (the care fresh is good), lots of cage cleaning, good food (rodent block is best) and fresh water. Check with a good pocket pet vet for more info.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
How long has he been on the Carefresh? I know that rats have very sensitive respiratory systems and pine is very harsh for them to breath. When I worked at a pet store, the rats were originally housed on pine, they were sneezing all the time. After taking them off and putting them on Aspen, they stopped sneezing. It may take a little time before the irritation wears offs in his system. Watch him carefully though, if he doesn’t get better, or if he gets worse, take him to a vet that specializes in exotics.
November 24th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I’ve had similar problems a few times with rats, where they would have Myco symptoms but none of the messy porphyrin sneezing (”red stuff” that’s not quite blood). A fellow rat-breeder told me that I could use tetracycline tablets, crushed in their water. Tetracycline is normally sold in dissolving-tablet form for some kind of antibacterial medication, usually for fishtanks! Interestingly enough, I crushed up a little bit of a tablet and put it in the water bottle with my “problem” ratties. After a few days, they seemed to sneeze less and be more comfortable. I stopped using it, and a few weeks later, the sneezing came back. So now I just alternate using the medicine, and the next time I change the bottle, not using it. Then, the time after, I’ll use it again, off and on, since they don’t seem to be able to develop a way to keep from getting sneezy. Hope that helped!