First post,
So one rat (Ricky) who is almost a year and otherwise very healthy has been sneezing for a while now.
I got him unfortunately from a pet store last May and was told he was about 3 months old, I'd believe it because he's filled out an extra 25% of his original body size. And no I don't mean he's just gotten really fat! Haha
So I bought Ricky and had him on the main floor of my house for a few months. Around mid-summer I moved him to my basement in my room. The room's temperature and moisture levels are fine and regulated. This is when his sneezing started. Sometimes he will have fast/lengthy outbursts of them maybe 1-2 times a week and has little sneezes here and there throughout the day... maybe 0-5 sneezes I see a day. I initially thought it was stress because he was alone, after ruling out the environment change that is. Im now in a new apartment back at school, and he is very content with his living arrangements, so stress is ruled out.
Anyways, he's now been living with an adopted brother (Ralphy) who's about 2 months or so. Now the little one has maybe sneezed 5 times over the duration of me owning him. He came from a lady who bred two if her healthy rats so I know he didn't have a respiratory infection when I received him and Im sure I can assume he has not caught anything from the older one, proving its not a URI seeing as they are highly contagious.. I hope. Also, his new cage mate and him get along wonderfully so Im thinking its safe to rule out stress causing his occasional sneezing.
Now, sorry for the novel but here is my last guess;
Bedding. Ive used Carefresh and a few other similar ones like it, nothing else. Tonight I am cleaning the cage and replacing it with linen scraps. If this does not cure the sneezing over the next two weeks I will be taking him to a vet. I am new to rats if you cant tell but really feel as if this isn't an URI. He's never been lethargic or had excess porphyrin ever.
Few questions:
Is my new bedding choice fine? (Linen/t-shirt scraps)
How quickly do URI's manifest?
How quickly do symptoms typically take to become evident if a one rat has infected another?
I hope I can get some answers to help rid me of this head ache, as well as provide others with some insight.. if theres any to be had from my blabbering!
Pics for clicks!: