respiratory infection?

The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BoBa

New Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
2
Location
UK
I got two new baby rats a couple of months ago from a knowledgeable breeder and she said they weren't sneezing. I took them home and in the first few days they started sneezing which I thought was just the environment. It continued with one of them, Chewie, and I took him to the vets a few weeks ago and was prescribed antibiotics. This I gave him for 10 days and it hasn't really improved. In those ten days my other baby, Yoda, started sneezing as well. These sneezing aren't frequent just occasional ones and there's no rattling or laboured breathing as far as I'm concerned. I haven't seen any porphorin and they are otherwise bright energetic ratties. I'm starting to wonder if it is a respiratory infection or maybe something more minor. Should I get different antibiotics from the vets? Should I try giving the one I have to Yoda now? Shall I only pay attention to it if they start to show other signs of respiratory infection?
 
make sure there are no scents in the environment, and that the bedding and litter is not dusty, and the cage is kept very clean as it could be environmental

Keep a close eye on them so that you will notice if there is any slight change

(I assume they are in a large cage and not a tank as tanks are not ok for rats)
 
Thank you SQ, your advice is always very helpful. The cage is a large barred cage and I am using a bedding popular in the uk which is not dusty. I will continue to wipe the surfaces and will start doing the bars daily as well. Poo picking will be done too. Is there anything else I could do?
 
no, just be aware of the environment in case it something in the environment is irritating them
are keep a close eye on them as sneezing can be a sign of infection so they ,ay need antibiotics if you see and change

Have you held them up to your ear and listened to both sides of the chest to see if you can hear any congestion wheezing etc?
 
Thanks, I have certainly tried 'ratphoning' but squirmy babies are hard to keep still :) and I'll keep a close eye on them.
 
Back
Top