Rat Forum - Rat Health http://www.ratforum.com/ Topics related to rat health, care, and medicine. This includes topics about rat diets. Keep in mind we are not veterinarians and always recommend taking your rat to see one when they are ill. en Sun, 19 May 2013 08:18:45 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.ratforum.com/images/misc/rss.png Rat Forum - Rat Health http://www.ratforum.com/ Treating Pneumonia with Baytril and Doxy http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75194-Treating-Pneumonia-with-Baytril-and-Doxy&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 06:10:04 GMT I'm definitely switching vets! I've had a rat who makes "guinea pig" noises off and on for a few months. My vet said it "wasn't in his lungs" at all but a recent bad episode brought me to another vet, who informed that he's had pneumonia practically since he was born!!

For about a week now, we've given him Doxycycline and Baytril. He seems to have been doing better but apparently this morning he got away from my boyfriend for a little bit and ran. Boyfriend caught him, but now his breathing is worse. He's back to grunting almost constantly when it was improving.

The vet says he'll probably always need to be on doxy and baytril - does this sound right? Anything else I can do to help him?? Where can I get doxy for cheap?

He has gradually been getting his appetite back. I saw him drink water last night. It's just so stressful having him so sick. ]]> Rat Health nicodemus http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75194-Treating-Pneumonia-with-Baytril-and-Doxy HELP!! My rat is making clicking noises and VERY lethargic :( http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75186-HELP!!-My-rat-is-making-clicking-noises-and-VERY-lethargic-(&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 05:15:25 GMT I have a double rex rat, Pinky. We've only had him for about a month. He had a brother, Brain, but sadly he died of pneumonia. We do not have a vet around here that really knows diddly squat about rats. I read for months about rats before we got these guys and I'm still educating myself so that I can do all I can to keep our babies healthy and to make sure that their given proper treatment when their sick since their isn't a vet around here who really knows how to treat rats. I took Brain to a vet and consulted with him and he prescribed Ciprofloxacin. But the poor boy was just to far gone. He was sickly when we got him and we did everything we could, but he didn't make it :'(

So now Pinky is alone. I spend around 5 or 6 hours a day giving him as much attention as possible so he won't get depressed. The reason we haven't gotten a second rat is that shortly after Brain passed Pinky started displaying all the signs of a lower respiratory infection. So I started giving him the Ciprofloxacin after speaking to the vet and a friend who's run a pet shop and bred and raised rats for 23 years. He did great! Tomorrow would make one week of antibiotics.

Now here's my problem. Pinky is usually a VERY energetic little fellow. He'll hardly hold still for 10 seconds to be loved on. He's very sweet and very friendly and social. He's just hyper. Last night he was scurrying all over the place and just having a grand old time. This morning he was perky and bright-eyed and all excited for breakfast. Tonight my husband is holding him and he has been asleep on his hand for 30 MINUTES. He has never done this. Even when he started coming down sick last week he never sat still for this long. His breathing also seems kind of labored. And he's making a slight clicking noise. Almost like the click you might make with your tongue. It's not bruxing and it's only occasional. It doesn't appear to be any kind of choke. I've checked his limbs, tail, spine, and teeth. Everything looks good. He didn't eat quite as much as he usually does today, but he did eat. And he drank plenty of water. He has not had ANY treats since he started the antibiotics. His lungs sound clear. But his breathing is way too quick. I am absolutely clueless on this. There is only one vet within 2 hours of here that has any kind of exotic pet experience and he's only treated about 12 rats in his entire career. He doesn't have any kind of exotic animal training. He's just the vet around here who's willing to treat anything and everything. I'm not saying he's horrible or something. But he did tell me Brain had a URI when it had already progressed to pneumonia. If I had an exotic vet around here with some real experience with rats I would sell a kidney if need be to get my baby the treatment he needs! But there's not one. So I've got to figure out what is going on with my baby and fix this ASAP.

I have no clue how he was doing so much better and now he's gone downhill so fast. Should I try a new antibiotic? There is no emergency vet around here (I HATE Mississippi). So I can't get more meds for him until Monday. Is this something completely different? Anybody with any advice PLEASE help me here! I'm sick with worry :( ]]> Rat Health candace http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75186-HELP!!-My-rat-is-making-clicking-noises-and-VERY-lethargic-( Emergency!! http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75138-Emergency!!&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 02:42:20 GMT ALL of my rats got out tonight after chewing thru the hard plastic bottem of their cage. that isnt the issue. one of my rats, a light tan named... ALL of my rats got out tonight after chewing thru the hard plastic bottem of their cage. that isnt the issue. one of my rats, a light tan named nutmeg, had the end of her tail-skin taken off. about an inch and a half. the emergency vets dont do rats i dont think but im going to call and see. i cant afford this and am freaking out badly. like cant sleep panicking. ive caught them all but i dont know if i did it, or if she got caught and panicked but its bleeding everywhere and all the girls are cleaning it and her and each other now and i dont know what to do! she isnt acting like shes in pain and in freaking out HELP ]]> Rat Health sunshadow http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75138-Emergency!! Rescued little girl not taking to her meds...please help! http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75130-Rescued-little-girl-not-taking-to-her-meds...please-help!&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 00:39:52 GMT I recently rescued two sister's from a friend of a friend that moved away. They clearly had respiratory problems so I took them to the vet who prescribed Baytril, Meloxicam, Vibramycin, and then also said to increase their caloric intake. One of the rats died before I could finish the treatment and even though I have 1 day left and Abi has gained weight, she just does not seem to be getting fully better. I've had rats before and I know the signs and the vet clearly thought exactly what I thought by prescribing those specific meds. Now that Sadie has died I know that I need to get more aggressive with her sister and I do have an appt. with the vet on Monday. Does anybody have any ideas of what I could ask the vet for? I don't want to go in blind and I am surprised that those 3 meds haven't made a serious improvement in 13 days! I'm really worried because she is such a sweet little lady and now that she is alone I really want to get her better so that I can move her in with my two 9 month old females once a full quarantine is over with. She can't be older than 1 1/2...she has so much life to live! Any ideas would be amazing! ]]> Rat Health socprogs http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75130-Rescued-little-girl-not-taking-to-her-meds...please-help! <![CDATA[Losing weight & Clumsiness]]> http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75114-Losing-weight-amp-Clumsiness&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 23:36:33 GMT My rat Holly has become very thin lately. She's always been a small rat, but she just seems to be getting smaller lately. You can feel her little hip bones and she feels very light when I pick her up. I've been keeping an eye on her eating habits for a few days and her appetite is the same as always, she hasn't lost any interest in her food. I've also been feeding her more fattening foods like egg and nuts but I'm not noticing a difference. :/ She's around 7 months old now.

Last night she kept stumbling while trying to climb down the cage bars, and today I saw her fall from the shelf in the cage :( I am so worried, its such bad timing for her to be ill because I have no money right now. I don't get paid for two weeks and my vet charges €50 just for a consult alone. :( She is very lively and still acts like her usual self, but I know rats are great at hiding things. I am going to see if I can borrow the money for her vet visit. Does anyone have any idea of whats wrong with my poor rat and how I can help her for the time being? :( ]]> Rat Health kyzer http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75114-Losing-weight-amp-Clumsiness Very skinny and small http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75090-Very-skinny-and-small&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 22:24:01 GMT One of my girls, Luna, is very small and skinny. The girl that I got at the same time as her is a lot bigger than Luna now, it's like she isn't growing. She is also very skinny. I can easily feel every rib, hips bones stick out, shoulders stick out. She won't eat when the other girls are eating. She only takes what they leave on the floor. I put her in a separate cage last night, thinking that the others were picking on her. She ate hardly anything last night, but enough for a few (solid) poops. I put her back with the other girls this morning. And she took 2 corn pieces from me earlier. She also drank about 1ml of apple juice (all I had, other than water and unhealthy stuff). Other than that she is fine. Breathing is fine, still active, plays, doesn't appear to be in pain, just not eating. How can I put some more fat on her? I'm going to pick up some mealworms and waxworms tomorrow, because they are high in fat, but she might not eat them (she seems to like them). She wouldn't eat scrambled egg or more than one pea last night.

Also, she was completely fine a few days ago. I went away for a few days and left them with family. They fed them but didn't take them out. When I came back, she wasn't eating and was skinnier. She will only eat when I hand her food or if she is asleep in my pocket on under my blanket with me. Depressed? ]]> Rat Health http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75090-Very-skinny-and-small baby making noises? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75082-baby-making-noises&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 22:19:55 GMT I just got a new baby dumbo yesterday and she has been sneezing a lot i know this is normal for a new rat so i am not to worried about the sneezing... I just got a new baby dumbo yesterday and she has been sneezing a lot i know this is normal for a new rat so i am not to worried about the sneezing but she seems to make little noises that i cant really cribbed its not a squeak or a crying noise its kind of in the middle she is about 5 or 6 weeks the noise is not loud but it is noticeable. Should I try giving her honey or dark chocolate? or just wait a week or so to see if it is just part of her readjusting. The honey is a natural honey not a raw honey will that work if i need it? and how much should i give her? ]]> Rat Health Mitsy http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?75082-baby-making-noises Should I nueter my rats? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74970-Should-I-nueter-my-rats&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:46:41 GMT I'm going to get a rat in about 3 weeks and I was wondering, should I nueter them? ]]> Rat Health Love2skate123 http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74970-Should-I-nueter-my-rats Are respiratory infections contagious? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74938-Are-respiratory-infections-contagious&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 12:36:01 GMT I was told to separate scruffy from the other two incase they caught his infection... But they have been together for a week and the others seem... I was told to separate scruffy from the other two incase they caught his infection... But they have been together for a week and the others seem fine. I separated them still while I treat him.. But I didn't realise it was contagious.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App ]]> Rat Health Hero-wuff http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74938-Are-respiratory-infections-contagious Tiny amount of vaginal discharge http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74850-Tiny-amount-of-vaginal-discharge&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 01:15:38 GMT I was interacting with my rats and noticed that my youngest, smallest female (not sure of her age), Dusty, has a very very small amount of shiny red... I was interacting with my rats and noticed that my youngest, smallest female (not sure of her age), Dusty, has a very very small amount of shiny red discharge from her vagina. I caught a glimpse of it when I went to pick her up. I checked her cagemate for comparison. If it's still there tomorrow, I am assuming I should book a check-up. Any other signs or symptoms I should be on the look-out for? ]]> Rat Health trematode http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74850-Tiny-amount-of-vaginal-discharge Young rat sneezing natural remedies http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74818-Young-rat-sneezing-natural-remedies&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 00:26:53 GMT So i got the baby rat Hazel back from the pet store she was there and got treated (for 7 days) and i checked in on her a few times and she was... So i got the baby rat Hazel back from the pet store she was there and got treated (for 7 days) and i checked in on her a few times and she was looking great and not sneezing hardly at all...That was Monday and now shes back to where she was before she left almost..Since i can't afford the vet, plus i've called and no vet around my area sees rats, I've gone to the natural stuff, i just gave her some raw honey and parsley, and i don't know what to do from there, i've looked on forums about natural remedies and this is what ima start with. If anyone can help with how often i give her the honey and parsley combo that'd be great, Also i looked for black tea and i couldn't find anything but flavored black tea, which i don't know if that would work or not.

A few other questions ill just list
Can she choke on the honey?
I was going to give her fresh veggies and fruit just to keep her hydrated, which ones would be best for a sick rat?
I have white tea and black tea both but they are flavored with like dried fruits, could that be okay? If not that i have green tea also
I gave her children benadryl and it hasn't seemed to help, plus she hates it. How often should i give it to her?

Other info, i Do give my rats the bene bac once in a while and i keep vitamins in their water

I don't know about rat allergies, but could this be that? Or new home sneezes? The new home thing one of my rats had for 2 weeks and then they went away, With Hazel she has wet sneezes and a little stuff around her nose not too much. She has been sleeping alot and isn't as chipper as happy as she was Monday when we picked her up. I figured shes sleeping alot because shes so young like puppies do.

EDIT: She is also in a separate cage then my other 2 girls, we just moved her today ]]> Rat Health Limouri http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74818-Young-rat-sneezing-natural-remedies Tumor on Very young rat? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74810-Tumor-on-Very-young-rat&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 00:25:03 GMT I just noticed a small, firm bump/ball under one of my girl's neck/throat. Could it be a tumor? She's 4 months old. ]]> Rat Health Fethre http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74810-Tumor-on-Very-young-rat Should I be isolating this girl? PLEASE HELP!? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74794-Should-I-be-isolating-this-girl-PLEASE-HELP!&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 23:41:19 GMT So I've made a few threads already with different concerns. And I just heard back from petsmart about Toast. She had an ear infection and respiratory infection and is being treated for both. She should make a full recovery other than the head tilt. After I received the call I decided to research if it is possible for it to happen again later on, I came across the info that a bad respiratory infection can CAUSE the ear infection. And further research made me decide to check Arya's breathing. I've never listened to breathing before and have no idea what a healthy rat is supposed to sound like or not. So than I checked Peanut Butter's breathing. Peanut Butter definitely sounds like she has clear airways, Arya however does not. I would not have known this if I did not have Peanut Butter to compare. Arya has been sneezing a lot and I still figured it was new home sneezes, not an infection, but Peanut Butter has hardly been sneezing at all and she just came home to us yesterday. Should I be isolating Arya so she doesn't get Peanut Butter sick? I don't know if it is contagious like that for rats or not. Research didn't help too much.
I called petsmart and the lady said I could bring her in and they would schedule a vet appointment for her. I was a little scared that they would accuse me of doing something wrong since both rats have fallen ill within the fourteen day period. But the lady said she was glad I cared about them and is happier that I'm bringing them in than letting these things go unnoticed. Either way they definitely didn't get it from my home. I made sure the room wasn't fragrant or dusty before bringing them home and I use aspen bedding.

I don't want Peanut Butter getting an infection too. These guys are my first rats and it has been a very bumpy experience so far.
I have been EXTREMELY happy with petsmart's customer service though. I don't think they got sick at petsmart either, but rather at wherever they came from. The staff at the petsmart I bought them from were absolutely amazing and made sure I knew not to use pine or cedar bedding. And the entire back of their aquarium cages was wire and their bedding was pretty clean and did NOT appear to be pine, their water was also very clean and full. I do not believe they were the cause of their illness. ]]> Rat Health Voltage http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74794-Should-I-be-isolating-this-girl-PLEASE-HELP! I just brought home a 5 week old baby boy that ive had my heart set on for 2 weeks http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74722-I-just-brought-home-a-5-week-old-baby-boy-that-ive-had-my-heart-set-on-for-2-weeks&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 15:51:15 GMT when i went to pick him up today, his mama was sneezing. he doesnt seem to have any symptoms. now im very worried. any suggestions? when i went to pick him up today, his mama was sneezing. he doesnt seem to have any symptoms. now im very worried. any suggestions? ]]> Rat Health junebugsampson http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74722-I-just-brought-home-a-5-week-old-baby-boy-that-ive-had-my-heart-set-on-for-2-weeks Fat rat? http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74698-Fat-rat&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 15:42:23 GMT I have over the past (just under a) month, noticed that Basil has been getting rather rotund. I'm not sure whether I should put her on a diet or not? Or just stop giving her snacks/treats? The things I give her usually include pieces of cooked egg, fresh fruit/veg, small amounts of biscuit, rat yoghurt drops, and nuts like almonds. I don't think I give her that much, as I give it to her in very small "doses", but am not sure whether she is getting too unhealthy.

I don't want her to get to the stage where I don't have to ask whether she's fat or not!

Attachment 42290Attachment 42298Attachment 42306Attachment 42314
Attached Images
]]> Rat Health LisaPizza http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?74698-Fat-rat