Comments on: Problems

By: Lee

Lee — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 16:20:09 +0000

My rat looks bloated this morning and uncomfortable. She’s in the bottom of the cage. She had some banana yesterday, could she be constipated? What do I do to help! Rasins?

By: sara

sara — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:35:37 +0000

Hi Lee–
I’m not sure if you’re even able to see that I’ve replied to this. For future reference, use the “Ask Sara” form under “Help!” to contact me and ask questions.
Keep an eye on your ratty. If she doesn’t improve by tonight (or if she gets worse) make an appointment with a vet. My rats have always loved bananas and have never had this problem.
Sara

By: natalie

natalie — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 12:53:21 +0000

can you give me some info on blind rats beacause my rat is blind. I can not play and do things like they say i should on web sites beacause she is blind.

By: Madison

Madison — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 03:37:30 +0000

My rat, Templeton has a bright red nose, she acts fine and doesn’t react when I touch it. What should I do? I worried. :[
Sincerely,
Worried

By: Madison

Madison — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 03:44:06 +0000

Sorry about my last message, I put I worried instead of I’m worried.
Sorry,
Still worried

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 06:16:39 +0000

Yesterday when I was feeding my pet rat, I noticed splatters of blood on 3 sides of her glass cage, in her food bowl as well as on the log she chews on. After checking her out, I saw nothing to indicate any scratches, nor was there any blood on her fur. Today when I took her out of the cage, I looked at her face and noticed she has a very thick looking secretion (looks like blood) around her nose. Should I be alarmed? Does anyone have any ideas?

By: RJ

RJ — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:19:55 +0000

If you don’t alredy know, the red is MUCUS. All
rats have a reddish color mucus which looks ike blood, this is also why it didn’t bother your rat when you touched her nose.

By: RJ

RJ — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:22:14 +0000

Oh and Melissa not to alarm you but you may need to take her to the vet if the mucus is showing up alot.

By: RJ

RJ — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:29:04 +0000

The last message is also directed towards Madison.

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:46:32 +0000

I think that my rat has worms in his tummy.Because,he eats more than my other 2 [deceased]rats combined,and is stil getting thinner.I can not afford to go to my vet, because he charges ALOT for a checkup when I already [pretty much]know what is wrong.Yet,he won’t give me any medicine unless he sees my rattie first.If I knew what kind of medicine I could get just at the local pet stores,I am pretty sure I could just ask tham how much I should give him.

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:53:08 +0000

He is not getting thin to fast,but I would appreciate it greatly,if someone gave me the info[if they know]as soon as they can.

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:36:51 +0000

My rat is sneezing like crazy. i got her 3 weeks ago. she started sneezing 3 days ago what do i do! help, i love her!

-Kim, 11

By: autumn

autumn — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 08:17:51 +0000

my rat is only 7 weeks old and he has started to kind of talk in a froggy kind of way but he only dus it when some one is in the room and when i get him out. help i dont no what it is shall i take him 2 the vets.
thankyou

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 12:56:10 +0000

after getting two rats i have noticed that one of them has only got half a tail, she is so scared of coming out of her nest and when we finally got her out so we could clean the cage, we placed both of them on the sofa with a nest and toys Krusty was content but Moe (the scared one) just launched herself of the sofa and it took an hour to get her. We put it down to her being out for the first time and placed her back on the sofa again, she did the same.
My girlfriend has held her for half an hour to try and carm her down while i cleaned the cage, after we have put her back in the cage, but Krusty seems to love coming out.
Do you think Moe will relax over time or that whatever has happened to her tail in the past will have traumatised for life?

By: Jordan

Jordan — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 05:07:25 +0000

Do older rats eat newer rats normally? We have this rat Kiki and last Wednesday we bought two new rats (Susan and Buttercup). Susan was the same size as Lily (deceased) and Buttercup was probably the size of my thumb (very small). I heard really loud squeaks and when I went to check on the rats, Kiki was on top of Buttercup. I opened the cage and saw that Buttercup had been eaten alive. Is this normal? My other rat seems to be tramatized by this incident. I just want to know if this is a normal thing.

By: Maddie

Maddie — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 23:10:34 +0000

I have had this rat for about two months and she still isnt trust traind. I followed books and websights, but she still dosnt like to be tuched or picked up. This becomes a real hassle when i clean her cage Help!

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 23:23:27 +0000

your rat sneezing is the most normal thing in the world! you have nothing to worry about, and she is not really sneezing, just clearing her nose.

By: chris

chris — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:21:47 +0000

I have two rats and they are opposite sexs. I was wandering how long should i leave them together? and when she is in heat how will I know?

By: chris

chris — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:40:11 +0000

my female rat is allways active and she keeps prodding her nose into malhicy the mle rat is this normal?

By: proper animal lover

proper animal lover — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:17:46 +0000

not taking an animal to a vet and not treating an animal which is obviously unwell is actualy breaking the law under the animal crulety act!!!!!!!! for gods sake people dont buy animals you cant afford to keep. small animals especially rats get alot of problems like tumas, strokes and every rat in the world is actually infected with mycoplasma (RESPIRATORY DISEASE)except for barrier reef stock (lab rats)so you are bound to have problems at some point.

By: proper animal lover

proper animal lover — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:21:01 +0000

………………if you use reliable internet sites by universitys etc and diagnose a problem and suggest a possible course or treatment and the vet agrees with you, take it from me they will not charge a consultation fee becuse all they are doing is providing you with medication you have asked for, for a problem you have diagnosed

By: proper animal lover

proper animal lover — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:25:18 +0000

you can not buy treatments for mites and worms over the counter for any animal if you expect it to work. this is because their are alot of different types of worrms and mites and the treatment which you can buy over the counter only treat one type (regardless of what they say on the packet). so you need your vet to give the right treatment for the right problem!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Bobby K

Bobby K — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:57:59 +0000

hey Proper i now that you are probably in to this stuff and i love animals to but you are getting a little obsessed

By: Brandyn

Brandyn — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:35:37 +0000

Some one recently gave me a rat that they didn’t want anymore. He is a six month old male I named Amos (they didn’t even bother to name him). He loves his nice big cage and his ratsafe wheel but if I open the door he charges at me and bites very hard. The olny way I can get him to come out is to put him in the bathroom (which has been ratproofed) and leave the room entirely. When I come back in he will be out but will run for home as fast as possible. If I mannage to steal the cage before he gets back in, I still can’t pick him up because, again, he bites, even when I scoop him up with a cloth he’ll run onto my shoulder and bite my ear or my finger or any skin he can find. I have 11 other rats and they are nice, including 2 resues I have that were once biters but we worked through it. They were never like this! He also attacks any other rat he can find. Please help! He at least needs a social group I think. I got him because he was about to be snake food and i don’t want him to end up that way but he’s really not likeable right now! Brandyn, oregon

By: brandyn

brandyn — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:12:58 +0000

too bad no one restponded. now the new guy’s snake food!

By: Dayana

Dayana — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:59:08 +0000

Hi Sarah. I just wanted to say your site is very helpful. One of my rats, Jasmine, has Mycoplasma. The other one that lives in the same cage, Ebony, shows no symptoms. What should I do to help Jasmine live a long, happy, healthy life. And keep Ebony from having symptoms.
Thank you

By: ilovemyrats

ilovemyrats — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 07:19:18 +0000

plz help my rat is biting her tail

By: -Madeline-

-Madeline- — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:28:09 +0000

I know, I would just like to say I appreciate this website very much, because not only has it convinced me to take my three month old rats for regular check-ups at the vet (my mom disagreed with me), it has only ridded me of the worry I felt when Ginger wouldn’t stop sneezing and when Gypsy had red “mucus” around her nose. Thanks!

By: marlee

marlee — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:32:58 +0000

im really scared i think my rats have a respirtory problem the little one sneezes and they both have been breatheing like they have asma .what do I do ! my mom wont let me bring them to the vet ,she says there just rats .what does she no !there not just rats there my babys I love them SO much i dont want them to die !
HELP signed
Crying and scared

By: Teddy

Teddy — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:44:27 +0000

I’m sorry to doubt, but i honestly think my rat is discharging actual blood. He’s from PetSmart, so i know his life expectancy is lower at around 2 years. He is 1 1/2….

Anyway, this stuff is RED not light red/ dark pinkish color. He has occasional spells every month or two or so.

I also had taken him to the vet for it when he was younger…it was a $100 shot for $5 medication(so i’m told)…and didn’t work… :/

By: shara

shara — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:16:00 +0000

okay I took my rat out of her cage that she shares with her sisters and mother. She is acting alright but she has like dots on her face. My mom says it is probably because she is playing with her mother and sisters but Im not sure. They are round and very tiny but there is four on her nose and none of the other rats have these. Im sort of worried since one of her brothers have passed away and im not sure if he gave something to her but he didnt have any markings when he passed. Does anyone know what I should do or what it could be ? I brushed her with a flea and tick comb but I didnt see anything. I heard some could be contained in the litter(aspen litter..much healther but yeah sometime ticks and fleas get in it ) so i changed the litter….any clues at all???????

By: shara

shara — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:49:18 +0000

PLEASE READ THIS. IT IS VERY HELPFUL TIPS IN ORDER TO KEEP YOUR RAT HEALTHY AND HAPPY.MANY OF THESE TIPS I HAVE TESTED AND THEY DO WONDERS.

oh for rat owners…in GENERAL!!!! some little tips! Results may vary but from what I have read off of mulitple sites on the web and also heard from my local vet. I have tried and the results for me personally have been very good and it might help you too.

rats cannot be vegeterians give them some cold cuts or some dog food((Dog food is high in protein and other vitamins. My pet rats love the treats but are not fond of the wet food)) sometimes I heard it will extend the life span at least a little

Do NOT use pine for your rat’s litter it will cause more respitory problems then usual. Use pine or use newspaper to avoid.((Rats still might get respitory deases but why make it work or raise the chances???))

Each rat should have 2 feet of space. 2 rats can live in that size happily but please make sure you are prepared to clean the cage at LEAST once a week.

Give the rats something to hide in! they will love it and when you let them out of the cage ((minimum one hour for their exercise, you dont have to take them outside but let them run around your room or the house)) you will be able to find them. Try getting a box filling it with newspapers. Cut windows and doors big enough for them to get out. They will usually stash food in it so please change the newspaper as regularly as you change the litter.

VERY IMPORTANT::: Studies have shown that in rats echinea tea or suppliment will reduce cancer cells and other deseases in your rat. Also if you buy the tea it also works for humans too. Do not give more than 3 days per 2 weeks or they might build an immunity to the tea or suppliment.

Studies also show that giving your rat 20% less food it will extend the life span.((I have not tried this I am to afraid of under feeding them.))

Please remember rats cannot throw up. ((they do fart sometimes but they dont throw up)) So gas build up might be a problem and if they look like they are choking do what you can. I have heard of a rat Himlec but…I forget how it goes. Try looking that up on your own or you can rub their throat give them water or pat on the back. That works for me and mine.

Corn is yummy for them but give it occasionally because it may increase cancer cells.

RATS ARE NOT SOLITARY CREATURES.PACK RATS DOES NOT JUST INCLUDE STASHING.THEY DO LIKE COMPANY.YES THEY DO GET LONELY SO PLEASE DONT BUY JUST ONE.AND IF YOU DO NOT WANT MORE THAN 2 I SUGGEST YOU GET 2 OF THE SAME SEX SO THEY DO NOT MATE.

Give rats bones of chicken or things like that. Their teeth grow and usually you will hear them making a grating sound even when they are not eatting anything so their teeth does not grow to sharp. Do not be alarmed it is very normal all 10 ((it was more but 4 died….)) of my rats do this and my vet and most sites say do not worry it is just their way of keeping the length in check.

If your rat is sneezing ALOT,running around in circles,or anything that you are REALLY concerned about take it to the vet. Most vets do have email so you can ask YOUR local vet if it is normal and if not how much it will cost to get it treated.

Even if your cat or other pet seems to get along with the rat…please do not leave them alone. The game seems to change when the master is away.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!!!!!!Rats do get over heated very easily. ALso yes they do freeze. So maybe in the cage on a hot day have a mini fan on them so they dont over heat. If you are freezing to the point of no return chances are they are to. Try getting a blanket that is about their thickness in fur and if you are still cold with the blanket around you…close the window!,because 8/10 they will be freezing too. This also works in the heat. If you are hot without fur they must be hot with it!

Rats tend to huddle in cages..No idea why. I have a cage with 4 boys in it about 4 feet. Enough for all of them for be happy in.Have room all to hemselves and they insist on climbing ontop of one another in only one part of the cage. Ask a vet maybe they will know but I have no clue about this.

Look online if you are about to give your rat food that you are not sure of is healthy for them. I have learned you must HEAT the yams for about 2 minutes and let it cool before giving it to the rats. Something about poisioning them so..yeah….NO COLD YAMS!

Boil the water and then freeze it if you give the rats tap in order to kill the germs and viruses they might get.Take it to boiling point and leave in on for 5 minutes to 10 after it STARTS to boil to make sure you kill all the germs. FYI i do mean boil not simmer. Make sure it is cold when you give it to them though.

Clean the water bottle once in a while.Dish washers….arent a good idea for it though….

Rats will chew on anything they can get their mouth on. Tape up your wires and then put a covering around it that they cannot chew threw((especially if you value them…and your tv…))
They will chew on your clothing((personal experience I never did like the hole in the jeans fashion but…I’m stuck with it for now.))

By: jenny

jenny — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:22:39 +0000

Hi, I have kept 3 rats and the latest one has had no illnesses until know she is two years and 4 months old and developed red mucus in her left eye. I decided to leave her as she was eating and seemed happy enough. I have kept a constant check on her and the eye seemed to get worse very quickly! With it being the bank holiday I have only manged to get her into the vets today! She has been drinking a little more lately and I have been told the eye is due diabetes? Does anyone know of a rat getting this before and can I do anything to make her eye less sore and painful? She is constantly rubbing it and has made the area around her eye bald! I feel so sorry for her poor little mite! Will it eventually stop swelling? The vet has warned me it might burst? dOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE OF THIS AND WHAT i SHOULD DO IF THIS HAPPENS?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 11 May 2007 03:48:23 +0000

When I first purchased my first rat about a year and three months ago, He was sneezing a lot and I remember it really worried me to the point of calling about 20 vets before getting an answer. If your rat is sneezing it is probally due to pine or cedar bedding. DO NOT use these for rats because as it was said before, will increase their chance for respitory problems. After changing my rat Oliver’s bedding he stopped sneezing. I perfer using the Critter Care bedding that comes in gray, white and other diffrent colors. My rat and I are a lot happier.

I wanted to ask I read up there about giving rats a certain kind of tea to reduce their chance of cancer, will Green tea readuce the chance of cancer for rats?

Also- my eldest rat Oliver (who I purchased about a year and 3 months ago) has been randomly agressive since about last August. Everything will be fine and then all of a sudden blood is pouring out of my hand and I have a new rat bite to add to my collection from him. The only two answers I could find on the internet/from vets was to get him nudered to MAYBE stop some of the aggressiveness. When I bought him I was only able to have one rat (although I now know you’re supposed to have at least two) and have only recently brought another (almost snakefood) rat into the house. Kepi is just a baby and when I tried introducing them together Oliver bit her leg causing her leg to swell up and me $37 at the vet. they are not in the same cage anymore. I was wondering if anybody had any idea how to get rid of my baby Oliver’s random agressiveness. It really hurts me and I can’t bare to take him to a pet store or to be rat food. Does ANYONE have any ideas as to what to do?

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 19 May 2007 10:56:13 +0000

Hi one of our 2 rats is sneezing and wheezing, is the anything i can do to help!

By: ella

ella — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 10:04:12 +0000

i am realy worrid there is blood comin out off my rats eyes AND SHE IS NOT HER USUAL CHEEKY SELF IM REALY WORRIED WHAT SHOULD I DO MY MUM IS SYIN IT IS BEST TO PUT HER TO SLEEP SHOULD I

By: Marshall

Marshall — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:55:54 +0000

M rat has red stuff around its nose. It also has a puffy eye. He is very weak and tired.

By: Kenzie

Kenzie — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:12:19 +0000

My rat is sneezing and has a runny nose does this mean that she’s sick?

By: nick

nick — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:09:21 +0000

im 14 i just got a rat & dident know how to hold her iv looked at evry site i cold but still no ansers

By: nick

nick — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:10:18 +0000

im 14 i just got a rat & dident know how to hold her iv looked at evry site i cold but still no ansers any help anybody

By: Eve

Eve — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:34:46 +0000

For Nick: The way I hold my ratty is I hold my right
hand fingers under her belly and my right hand thumb over her back with my left hand supporting her back legs. She also likes to ride on my shoulder or in my shirt.

By: Eve

Eve — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:48:53 +0000

I also sometimes hold my thumb under her stomach and my fingers over her back still supporting her back legs with my left hand. (when I hold her this way she faces me.

By: Michaela

Michaela — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:53:27 +0000

NICK- pick him/her up tight enough not to drop, but don’t squeeze. My sons hold their arm against their belly, palm up, and let our rats sit on their hand and arm. Rats love shoulder rides. If you are afraid to drop him/her, buy a pouch- most rats love them.

By: Michaela

Michaela — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:59:30 +0000

Oh,Nick- if you cannot afford a pouch a hooded sweatshirt works great too! An untrusting or curious rat may jump, and falls CAN kill a rat, but they have very good balance.

By: Jera

Jera — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:09:16 +0000

If anyone has a question that needs a reply, use the link on the right (of my screen, at least) under “Help!” that says “Ask Sara” It is the link right under FAQ. Or else you will have to wait for another poster to reply- and who knows what type of advice you’ll get!! Or what may happen to a poor rat who doesn’t get replied to- like the jerk who’s biter became snake food!!

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:28:35 +0000

My female rat will just be walking across my lap, then she’llclimb up onto my hand and keep walking off the other side, leaving a thin trail of . Is this bad? Is she having bladder issues or something, because this has happened every single time I’ve taken her out and I’ve had her for about seven months or so.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:29:59 +0000

she’ll leave a trail of pee’a on my hand

By: Jasmine

Jasmine — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:45:34 +0000

My rat is getting skinny and i cant take it to the vet because of the money! i need some advice she is also breaking out in flea bites! where as my other rat is not

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:58:24 +0000

Anna, your rat just does this because the warmth of your hand causes her bladder to relax, and a little bit of urine involuntarily comes out. it’s perfectly healthy.

Jasmine– I wish I knew how to help you, but without seeing her it’s pretty impossible. If you are really concerned, you need to take her to a vet. She could have anything. If your other rat(s) is/are not sick, you need to quarentine the sick one right away.

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:20:12 +0000

we have noticed our girl rat has been smelling really bad lately and are keeping her and the cage clean, but today my daughter picked her up and she is swollen ‘down below’ and there appears to be a discharge, but it is not blood, it’s more yellow in colour.
My husband says she will be having a period. I say not.
please can you advise
Thanks

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By: Caressa

Caressa — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:53:49 +0000

hey, my rat cheese had babies about a 5weeks ago, and one of the babies just isnt acting right, i gave away one that shared a cage with her, and i fear that she is blind, she is bald and albino and i havnt really noticed any problems until now. she dosnt seem to respond to much, im fearful that she isnt gonna make it. so if you have any answers or suggestions, please inform me.

(also i really cant afford to take any of my rats to the vet.)

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By: kandypoo

kandypoo — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 23:52:19 +0000

i have a female rat she is maybe a year old . today her pee looks like blood i called the vet but he wants alot for an xray and some other tests i cant afford this, but i dont want her to suffer and they are refusing anywhere i go to humainly put her to sleep one told me to put her in the freezer

By: Traci

Traci — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:25:15 +0000

“We have separate female and male cages. We bred our first male with 2 females (not related). We kept 2 babies and the rest of the two litters went to a very good pet shop. We visited at least every other day, but they were bought within a week. Then we bred the youngest male with his mother. That’s the litter that we lost 2 pups. I dont know if it was because of the inbreeding, but we were told it would be ok.

Speedy (our sick rat) is 1 of the 2 survivors. When I went to take him out of the cage today, he was alert and greeted me like normal. He came right up and into my hand. I brought him into the bedroom and set him on the bed. He ran up to my husband like normal and played for 10 minutes while I walked our dogs. When I came back, I noticed he had hid under the blanket and when I went to play with him, I noticed his body was lifeless and he was breathing rapidly. He wouldnt respond to sound, pain or movement. Like he was in a come. Then we read about younger rats having heat strokes and his tail was really warm. So, we did the bath. He is also drinking Gatorade now.

If he had an infection, why did it hit him so hard and so quickly? Could he have had a stroke and we were too late to cool him off? Could the stroke have injured his lungs and that’s the sound we’re hearing. We really cant afford to take him to the vet. I am very worried and I dont want him to suffer. He seems to be improving slowly, but I dont know if he is in any pain. I just dont understand what would make his health deteriorate so quick like that.”

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By: mariah

mariah — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:56:48 +0000

hi my rat has breathing diffuculties and is really skinny we took her to the vet a while ago and got meds she improved but once she was of them she was worse i will ask my mum to get the meds again but we cannot not afford the vets bill (in the vets for like 5 mins with this tiny rat we got meds not that much and it cost 65$ (aus) my families got a massive mortage and have other pets we can’t afford this for an animal with a 2 year life expectancy) anyway if anyone could tell (A) a way to fatten her up (with getting the other rat an unhealthy weight)(she doesnt seem to wanna eat outta the cage and i have no i dea how much she eats altogther cos between the two rats they stash all the food in there box) and B. anyways to improve her respiratory problems
BTW does anyone know if having an inbred rat can leed to problems like this cos my other deceased rat had similiar symptons and died and she was from a petstore and i think she might of been inbred and the sick rat is the daughter of my other unsick rat (we brang home from petstore 20 days later WHAM 2 rats go to 10 rats) anyways im pretty sure her father may of been her mothers brother there is a massive chance so yeah if anyone can help me with these probs that would be appreciated’

x0×0 M.j

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By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:47:37 +0000

Hi Everyone,

The red secretions by rats eyes and nose that looks like blood is not blood, it’s porforin (spelling?). It’s like they have a cold but you don’t usually have to panic about it unless your rat is showing other signs of not feeling well.

The sneezing could be from allergies or irritation from aromatic oils in cedar, pine or aspen bedding. (aspen is better but all three of these beddings can cause cancer so use softcare or yesterday’s news instead) Most often, though, sneezing is from a myco respiratory infection. It’s bad. Got to your vet if you can. Changing the litter in their cage EVERY DAY or every second day cal also help A LOT with the sneezing (they’ll still sneeze, but much less).

Hope that helps.
Jenn.

P.S. to the person who’s rat was eaten, adult rats will sometimes eat babies (not unusual). It is NEVER a good idea to put new and old rats together without sticking around for a long time to see how they interact with each other (no matter how old they are).

P.P.S. To the person who’s rat kept biting. I have a rescued rat that bites hands, and always will. I let him out in the bathroom and sit with them (my other rats go out too) and wear socks so he won’t bite toes. My other rats are very friendly and like being handled. But rats aren’t people and if they were abused it’s not fair to kill them just because you can’t pet or hold them! Just because we didn’t respond isn’t an excuse to make a rat into snake food. Not to be harsh but that was your choice, not our fault.

Thanks for the great site!

By: Kassie F.

Kassie F. — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 04:43:44 +0000

Ok. I’m not a rat expert but I do alot of studies on my own and research every animal I have to the point of like no other. I’m also a zoology major which does help haha anyways I would like to help with some of your problems.

Red secretion of the eyes and nose- This is not blood! I thought that too when I was doing a research paper on animal illnesses (I chose rats) anyways this is like if we got a sinus infection and our eyes and nose would become runny except their secretion is an odd color. This is actually very serious illness, all rats have mycroplasmis and this means yours is having an upflare and they can and will die and your rattie is in need of a vet who will perscribe a antibiotic of something like baytril (I always ask my vet for a couple during my cats check up to make sure his kidneys and urinary track is running smoothly, she gives me a couple because she knows I am quialified but your vet might not let you) other signs of this is constant sneezing, not wanting to eat and weezing.

Biting- ok please do not put down a rat for this, it is not their fault that people can be cruel. Anyways this is an after effect of abuse towards the rat, lack of handling, or the biting rat has witness something in its past enviorment that made it frightened. I know the witness thing sounds crazy but in recent study it has shown that rats can learn from observation not just behavior forming in other words rats can “reason” to an extent.

And last but not least, please do not breed your rats, their are way to many pets suffering because of inbreeding and overbreeding. like cats and dogs, there are to many rats in need of homes so don’t add to that list and please adopt rescues and give them a second chance. All my animals (besides some of my fish) were all rescued. Trust me the bonds that you grow between an animal who is so happy to have someone who cares so much to give them a second chance is beautiful. And also make sure that if you decide to get a pet you can afford everything that they will need, including a vet! If you can’t then wait till you can. I am only 19 years old, live on my own, have a 9 yrold tomcat with urinary tract and digestion probems, a 6 year old jack russel who was perevresly beaten till almost death who has have 3 big operations and four rats (2 male 2 female). I make all their diets from scratch (Not preaching that you should do that) I take care of myself all my pets, work, pay rent bills and taxes and practically take care of my 15 year old sister. Now I know people have kids and house payments but if I can juggle that in my life on a tight budget and no help from anyone then so can adults alot older then me. I always write out a monthly budget. For food for me and pets, gas, bills/rent ect. but w/e is left over is divided in savings that I write down how much goes to what in my savings account. My savings is divided into sister fund, emergency pet fund, emergency car fund and then life savings. please take what I said to heart, it’s only because I love animals so much! people should be more considerate to all living things we all need eachother to survive.

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By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 17:59:54 +0000

Hello, great site here, i’ve picked up alot about caring for my rats but I have a few questions.

1) Is hay from a pet shop okay as a rat bedding? I was told at the shop it would be okay, so far i’ve used 3 different types first one was a treated paper bedding but it’s out of stock at the shop so i’ve changed it, second was a natural wool bedding that says on the packaging that it’s suitable for rats but I got through it quickly as they urinate on it and it picks up bad smells quickly and now i’ve resorted to hay which two rats like but the other has started to sneeze but still sleeps there instead of his usualy place (the hammock).

2) My rats are about 3 months old and the smallest one doesn’t like coming out of the cage nor does he like running and jumping around on me, the other two run to me as soon as the cage opens and love playing, so why is the shy one so shy seeing as they’re all the same age why doesn’t he want to play outside of the cage with his brothers? Will it change?

3) All my rats nibble on my hands, well atleast I think it’s nibbling, will this turn to biting in the future? I fear that it may seem like a nibble because their teeth aren’t strong enough to bite me properly!

Thankyou for any answers. I love my rats dearly! They’re so cute. Also with the blood like sneezing is quite serious, my girlfriend had rats before I met her but near to the end of their lives they started sneezing then one by one died, taking them to a vet seems to be the only option.

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By: Lianimal

Lianimal — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:23:44 +0000

So. I have this fat rat…..lol

It’s my fault, I used to have two, and I didn’t realize how fat they were….My Scruffy had always had resperatory problems, probably just because he was a pet shop “food” rat and I didn’t know any better…plus I kept buying them Pine bedding, again, because I didn’t know any better….But I ALWAYS fed them the best possible food….obviously, since Spot is obese…..anyway, I tried to give them the best of everything

Scruffy died, and left Spot alone….I know they are community creatures and need to be together…..in fact, that is the main thing thjat helped me get over Scruffy, I was thinking about getting Spot some friends. I got in touch with a rescue agency,

It was so amazing, I adopted a paIr of blaxk Bersgure twins,, kept them seperate for one night, then, followong the directions, I put them all on my bed, a neutral area, had a towel closeby to grab Spot in case he tries to kill the kids……He ognored them completely for about 5 minutes, then I grabbed him and sent him over there….he sniffes them for a minute, then they started following him, then they all curled up in a ball and went to sleep…..So I just stuck the babies in the “BIg House” with him…It’s week three and they’re still doing well

By: Lianimal

Lianimal — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:15:49 +0000

So. I have this fat rat…..lol

By: Lianimal

Lianimal — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:23:07 +0000

My poor Spot is SO fat……I think the food being two floors up is helping, plus the kids steal his treats and he has to come for more.

By: diane cassidy

diane cassidy — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:05:44 +0000

my pet rat keeps sneezing n weezing ive changed its bedding 2 pellets n its still sneezing is my rat sick some 1 help me

By: celeste

celeste — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:55:55 +0000

diane-
if your rat has been sitting in pine or cedar shavings her whole life, chances are that she has some type of lung infection. lung related illnesses are unfortunately very common with pet rats. you have to take your rat to the vet asap! make sure you get a vet who knows about rats because not all vets do, i suggest you do some research online and find a vet in your area who has lots of experience with sick rats.

By: karl

karl — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:42:25 +0000

hi can you tell me why my rat gose stiff and can tack up to afew days to come aarround hes about 7 mounths old nose mite be aproblem