Need some help on a couple rats I got from my neighbor

[RayneBowRats]

Hi!
I have some questions about 2 rats my neighbor gave me. I currently have four of my own, and when I saw the state these poor girls were in, I HAD to take them home. *Back story*
They were in a small cage, made of plastic with only about a 6"x10" wire opening at the top, no toys, just them, two coconut shells, a metal bowl for food, and a water bottle. THANKFULLY she was using some type of pellet for bedding, but sadly, was feeding them very low quality hamster food. I threw it away as soon as we got home.
The room she had the cage in was reeking of incense. It almost made your eyes water. They looked so sad, I was able to pet them, and they just covered my fingers with little licks. I told her I would love to have them! So, I walked across the street with my 2 new girls,with one who is VERY obese, the other, more small.
I get them home, and move them into the rabbit cage my sister gave me, got them some fresh food and water. They seemed pretty happy about that. I added some toys, toilet paper tubes, some cloth, and a cardboard box for their bed.

Now here are my questions
They have had sneezing issues since I brought them home,(June 14th) and they were sneezing at their old home, I though it was due to the massive amount of incense being burned 6" from their cage. Since they have been here, I have been keeping an eye out for the red stuff(I can't think of the name, let alone trying to spell it lol) The skinnier one does have some redness around her nose, but I have no idea of how much is too much. Is a small amount okay? Like a tiny little pinprick amount? Or is that too much?
I don't know if I should bring them in yet, they are both eating like crazy and are starting to want to come out and play.
The only reason I can think of for excessive sneezing and small amount of the red stuff is because they are trying to clear out all the incense smoke and stuff. I haven't heard any rattling sounds and such. They are slightly active, but are becoming more and more active since they have arrived here, a good sign.
I am concerned about my four little ones. I wash my hands before and after handling any of them, just in case what the big girls have is contagious. If it is contagious, how long would it take for the little ones to start sneezing?

I do have them on the knock off version of carefresh, some random brand from Walmart, I did freeze it before I used it, and as soon as my CN arrives, I will be moving my 4 little girls to that cage, and these two will go to the big old chinchilla cage. I use fleece with my baby girls right now, and when the big girls move to their new cage, they will have fleece too.

Sorry for the long and rather scatterbrained post, I have my 2 kids constantly interrupting me, so I lose my thoughts about every 3 mins or so LOL
Thanks in advance for any help or advice!
If you need more info, or need parts clarified, I will do my best and try to explain it better, the little one will be taking his nap soon, so my brain will be working a little better

 

[seanscritters]

"If its just sneezing after digging or sticking their nose into something, don't worry about it. If there is red crusty stuff around the nostrils and the sneezing is not related to dust or such, then it is best to be safe and put the rat on an antibiotic."

I have not had rats all that long, but that was a little section from here...

http://www.altpet.net/rodents/rats/rf17.html

 

[minuke99]

I think most everyone here reccomends a quarantine period of at least 2 weeks, just to insure no diseases are transmitted. Keep the in a different room...on different floors if possible, and wash hands, change clothes after contact with the new girls and before contact with your old girls. Good on you for rescuing these babes. I think a vet appointment would be helpful to figure out if the sneezing is myco, or just allergies.

 

[jorats]

Sneezing is not so bad, it's when they start to have trouble breathing or congestion. You might be right that their nasal passages might have been very affected by the incense. Can you give them something like Benedryl to see if you can ease the sneezing. 0.5ml once a day or .025 twice a day. See if that helps. I'd keep them quarantined for at least 2 weeks maybe even 3 or 4, depending on how well they do.

Kudos to you for taking in the rats!!!!!!!! :hugs:

 

[RayneBowRats]

I don't really have a good way of quarantining them I live in a mobile home aka trailer and My 3 three year old is ALWAYS wanting to play with them.So, I have the 4 young ones in one half off the living room, and the others are on a counter in my kitchen. Not by the stove. They are kiddie-corner across from each other, not ideal, but its safer for all the rats to be within my sight and hearing with Riley (3yr old) always putting his fingers in the cage to pet them, and the possibility of him playing too rough, and getting bit, or if he accidentally hurt them.
I didn't know about changing clothes though. Will be sure to do that, and common sense would tell me not to let them have free time in the same areas

I think I have children's benadryl somewhere in the house, I know I do have the syringes and measuring spoons. I'll give that a try and see how it goes. I kind of used my rat money on the CN I ordered ....so it would be a bit before I could take them to the vet. I know there is supposed to be a GREAT vet right by my house, like maybe a couple miles from where I am, so I will be giving them a call to check prices, and such.

I'll give benadryl a shot, and hope for the best! All I can do for now, and hopefully the little ones won't get anything. I am really really hoping its just them trying to clear out the excessive amount of incense from their old home. I have read some pretty sad stories about rats and when they have gotten sick, and this was AFTER I brought Chicken and Pork-Chop (she is the darker colored BIG one lol) home, I was half tempted to bring them to the shelter, or give them back to her. I thought about it, and decided you know, if what they have IS contagious, my little ones are already infected. I am still careful about trying not to spread, just in case, it is something contagious, or by some miracle, they don't have it. I wouldn't have felt right sending them to a sad, lonely life, or death. Chicken is so sweet, Pork-Chop needs a bit of work...a little too nibbly, but its probably because she thinks I am food LOL

I'll keep you guys updated if they get better with the Benadryl! Thanks so much for all the good ideas and such!
Pork-Chop and Chicken thank you as well, as do the four little ones...Troubles, Daisy, Lily and Ayoyo. (Riley named the last one lol its how he says Pinocchio)

 

[mamarat]

:thumbup: So glad you took the girls in, they needed you. Love their names. Any pics?

 

[jorats]

Most of us just do our best with quarantining. Across the room will have to do. :thumbup:
Good luck!!

 

[Debbie]

They may also be sneezing from stress. I'm sure that tiny cage had to be pretty stressful for them. You might keep an eye on them and see if the sneezing calms down after a few days with you. I bit of porophyrn around their nose isn't so bad...it is just like a runny nose for us. So if you see a little when they wake up, it's not so bad. if they were kept on dirty bedding...I'm sure their respiratory systems need some clean air. The incense probably did a number on them too.

Watch for them rubbing at their noses when they sneeze, or if you see their side kind of heavy (meaning they are laboring to breathe). But I would probably just keep an eye on them.

Although QT really is the best course of action, sometimes you don't always have that option. Sounds like you already broke it to bring them in...so don't fret too much over it now. The really bad viruses are airborne...so it's too late. You may want to ask your neighbor of they came in contact with any other rats in a while, or if she frequented petstores. If not...chance are, you might be ok.

I'm glad these little ones found you. :heart: