Upper Respiratory Illness?

[CaptainCavanaugh]

Howdy! So, about two weeks ago I got two young rats as a Christmas gift. When I got them, the store gave me a powder (i forget what its called) that I had to put in to their water for a week. This was to help flush out their systems, because all the rats were sick. One of the rats has gotten better, her sneezing has ceased almost entirely. However, the other one isn't faring as well. Her breathing is fairly loud, it almost sounds like a little honk or trumpet. No sneezing, but very strange, harsh noises. Never noticed any discharge on either rat for the duration I have owned them. They are both about two months old.

I called up the pet store and may just get some more of the powder, but I may also just go ahead and purchase medication. Any advice?

 

[Dena]

Pet stires are shady as hell. I can't believe they sold sick rats! I would not put stuff in their water, because if they don't like the taste, they could likely not drink at all. As far as the breathing, can you hold the rat to your ear like a phone (rat phone) and listen to the breathing? You should only hear a whoosh of air, or no sound at all. If you hear crackles, or any other noise, you need to take the rats to the vet. Don't seperate them, the stress can kill, and don't return them to the store. They will just feed them to a reptile, or kill them, or sell them to someone else. All rats have micoplasma, but their immune system usually keeps it in check. When they get stressed, cold, breathe in scented candles and stuff, they can get a respiratory infection. Respiratory infections can kill quickly. Rats hide illness, so you may not notice symptoms until it's too late. They generally aren't contagious to others, except in certain illnesses. If they are sock, it's possible you can treat with antibiotics from your own cabinet. Www.ratguide.com has more info on meds, and other health care info. If you need help with dosing, you'll need their weight in grams. A gram scale can come in handy. One with a tare feature is best. Lilspaz can help you with the dosage once you get that info. Hope your baby feels better soon!

 

[CaptainCavanaugh]

Pet stires are shady as hell. I can't believe they sold sick rats! I would not put stuff in their water, because if they don't like the taste, they could likely not drink at all. As far as the breathing, can you hold the rat to your ear like a phone (rat phone) and listen to the breathing? You should only hear a whoosh of air, or no sound at all. If you hear crackles, or any other noise, you need to take the rats to the vet. Don't seperate them, the stress can kill, and don't return them to the store. They will just feed them to a reptile, or kill them, or sell them to someone else. All rats have micoplasma, but their immune system usually keeps it in check. When they get stressed, cold, breathe in scented candles and stuff, they can get a respiratory infection. Respiratory infections can kill quickly. Rats hide illness, so you may not notice symptoms until it's too late. They generally aren't contagious to others, except in certain illnesses. If they are sock, it's possible you can treat with antibiotics from your own cabinet. Www.ratguide.com has more info on meds, and other health care info. If you need help with dosing, you'll need their weight in grams. A gram scale can come in handy. One with a tare feature is best. Lilspaz can help you with the dosage once you get that info. Hope your baby feels better soon!

The breathing seems to be normal for now—and I should have specified that I got these lil girls as feeder rats, and the store isn’t a chain store. I couldn’t find any local breeders. The people were very nice and helpful, hence the medicine. The rats were fine with the taste, the sugar was just to encourage them to ingest more.

As of now they’re doing much better. ^^ I had looked into taking them in to the vet, but even just a checkup would have been over $100, but if it gets bad I’ll def take them.
Thank you so much for the advice!