Rat Hiccups?

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Nageki

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2014
Messages
5
Location
Ohio
Okay so, recently I've noticed two of my rats have hiccuping when they first wake up. I wasn't sure what to call it at first but after looking some stuff up I'm pretty sure it's hiccups, but I'm getting some mixed signals on whether I should worry or not?
Neither of them make noise while they're hiccuping, and Alice never sneezes, like at all. Clive does occasionally but never fits of sneezing, only one every once in a while, so I haven't really been worried about that?
It looks exactly like what happens in this video:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVBp7tpaDj4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVBp7tpaDj4[/ame]
If they're not making noises I don't have to be worried though, right? I've only seen Alice do it once because she's usually sleeping in the most hidden spot in the cage, but Clive does it pretty often after I wake him up. They never do it once they've been up and moving around though, only when they're waking up.
This got a little long, whoops, but I want to explain exactly what was going on and such. I'm thinking it's probably normal and okay since there's no noise, but I'd like some second opinions pretty much. ;w;
 
Some people believe that hiccuping is a sign of respiratory problems. I personally don't think so. I think hiccuping is a normal part of life. Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. I don't panic when I get the hiccups, so why should I for rats? If their breathing sounds are normal (no audible noise) and they do not visually look like they are working hard to breathe, then I wouldn't be concerned.
 
I agree with Joanne. Sometimes, you can detect a respiratory issue because of the breathy, high pitched, unhealthy sound they are making whilst hiccuping. But I don't think the hiccuping is triggered by a respiratory issue.

When my rats hiccup, 90 percent of the time it's triggered by extreme happiness or a behaviorial response to something they enjoy. A joy related response lol. Usually I'll be talking to them in a silly voice and making a fuss of them and they burst into happy hiccups on the spot. Maybe it's because they get over excited and their breath catches in their throat or their diaphragm is doing something when they get excited and it results in the hiccups?

In my experience it's mostly triggered by something that makes them happy. And you can tell by their faces that they are happy when they are hiccuping. I once had a rat that would burst into happy hiccups whenever I played the piano or some nice music would come on the tv. He loved music. I had another rat that was a complete and utter softie and would happy hiccup several times a day whenever he got some attention. I could predict and make them burst into hiccups whenever I wanted to. So it's not always a random thing. I could make them hiccup on demand.

Weird huh, but cute as hell. Sometimes it's involuntary too. Just random, like it is with us. When it's involuntary, they don't have that joyful look that they have when it's in response to something that makes them happy.
 
I have found that when rats look like they are "hiccuping" a fair amount, and they are treated for a myco flareup, then the hiccupping-type behaviour stops

Based on my experience, and the experience of others I have known re treating with antibiotics for a myco flareup,
I believe that this is a symptom of myco

Since I started treating myco flareups many years ago, I seem to no longer have rats developing pulmonary abscesses
 
Thank you guys for the opinions! I'm thinking it's probably related to being happy, at least for Clive? He bruxes a lot too when he's waking up and I'm talking to him, and it usually happens then. :p
I'll still keep an eye out for more sneezing for sure since it could be linked to that though, but I'm thinking it's probably moreso the other reasons since it's only during certain times and not random...
 
When my rats hiccup, 90 percent of the time it's triggered by extreme happiness or a behaviorial response to something they enjoy. A joy related response lol. Usually I'll be talking to them in a silly voice and making a fuss of them and they burst into happy hiccups on the spot. Maybe it's because they get over excited and their breath catches in their throat or their diaphragm is doing something when they get excited and it results in the hiccups?

I have a couple girls that do the exact same thing. If they get really excited, they'll get the hiccups for a few minutes. I see it in one rat that hasn't ever had any kind of respiratory flare up in her life, and I see it in another that is super prone to the myco issues. I think it's just happy related.
 
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