Maybe Sick Rat

Hey guys, I just recently got a 1.4 to start breeding recently, 4 normal norways and 1 dumbo...well I noticed that they all seemed to do some "sneezing" periodically as i got them and wrote this off as allergies, but my cute dumbo now has picked up a multiple "snorting/sneezing/coughing" symptom. I can't really tell which she is doing but it's 3 or so in a row and it's fairly frequently like every 10-20 seconds. 1 I don't want her in any pain or for her to suffer and 2 I don't want her to possibly infect my other rats or snakes. Thanks in advance for any help

What kind of bedding are you using?

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Rats sneeze for a few different reasons, poor ventilation or bedding being the two most common reasons.
Same question ... What type of bedding are you using?

New home can also bring this on. When I got my rats they all sneezed constantly. I actually lost one in the beginning due to respiratory distress. If it starts breathing heavy and going into 'fits' like you described, bring the rat into the bathroom and make the shower steam the room up for a while. This really seems to help. It's up to you if you want to bring the rat to a vet but sneezy rats are pretty much guaranteed and there are a few things you can change yourself to try to remedy it before the vet. That said, I had one die during the time I was working on fixing it myself. The type of bedding and the room they're in makes a difference. Use the bedding they were on before, keep the room humid, and make sure there is proper air circulation. I moved mine to a different room and they don't ever sneeze now. Maybe they settled in or maybe they were allergic to the smoke, cleaning spray, a moldy old antique, or something else in that room.

Rats are pretty much guaranteed to have respiratory bugs for life. What you want to do is minimize their foot hold and breed/keep the ones that show less symptoms.

Quarantine her away from you other rats. URI is contagious.

Get some Tetracycline powder from the fish section of a pet store. It runs about $12
One box contains 10 500mg packets of Tetracycline.
Mix one packet into a 16oz water bottle. While this isn't really effective for advanced stage RI, it works great to treat minor RIs.
Change water with new powder every 24 hours until the rat is better. While I rarely get RIs, my rats still get it once in a blue moon. (usually if I bring home a new infected rat unknowingly)
My sneezy rats have always gotten better within 2 weeks or less.
It's safe for pregnant/nursing mamas and babies too, which is a plus. Most vets prescribe baytril, which is bad for mamas and growing youngsters.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...35684607_o.jpg

Like the others have mentioned, sneezy RI rats could be affected by bedding, ventilation, unclean environment, etc etc.

I'm using softwood with paper added from petco but switching to kiln dried pine tpnight

Also I had washed my hands but I wonder if I had garlic bread on my hands still and such. She subsided last night and wasn't this morning but I'll check her when I get home

hey guys is this the same as kiln dried pine?
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tractor...cu-ft--5027706

doesn't say kiln directly on the website but is this similar? Southern States carries one that says "kiln" specifically but they close at 6 so I wouldn't be able to get on their till tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by joefer13

hey guys is this the same as kiln dried pine?
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tractor...cu-ft--5027706

doesn't say kiln directly on the website but is this similar? Southern States carries one that says "kiln" specifically but they close at 6 so I wouldn't be able to get on their till tomorrow.

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I don't believe that they are kiln dried.
I've used that once temporarily for a week and it gave some of my baby rats the sneezies.
I like using Eco Flakes by America's Choice. It's cheap kiln dried pine and lasts a while.
I'm on the West Coast, so I don't know if they have that in the South.

I use Gem White Shaving it is made from Hemlock and Douglas Fir I have had no issues with rat sneezing from it. The shaving come in a 4cu.ft. bundle and are not terribly expensive. Last time I purchased some it was about $13 you have to buy it at a feed store most people use it for horse stalls but works great fro rodents :) I would also look at ventilation you my need to clean a little more often or ventilate your space a little better.