[Ratlov3r129]

Hi im new to this whole forum thing, but i bought a new rat today and i didnt know who better to talk with than others with rats! I went into this little pet shop and i fell in love with this carmel colored rat, so i bought her and brought her home and noticed she had mites all over her, and then realized she was housed with males. I called the pet store back and they said there was a huge possibility that she is pregnant. I dont know how to tell if she is? And she is making these really strange noises in her sleep, ive never heard my 2 other rats make these noises. I bathed her and put some flea spray on her to stop the itching and kill the mites. I dont know what else to do? Im worried she is sick or something.

 

[cjshrader]

Ok first off welcome to the forums!

I'm probably about to lay a lot of questions on you, so get ready!

First, it is certainly possible she's pregnant. But it is possible she isn't, too. In the "Think Before You Breed" section you can find pictures of people with pregnant rats and you can compare to your own. Generally, the way to tell is they get a swollen belly and something happens with their nipples. I think. Ok honestly I'm no expert on this so I'll let someone else field further questions.

What kind of noises is she making? Does it have to do with her breathing? If so, it may well be an upper respiratory infection (URI) which can be cleared up with a vet visit to get some Baytril.

From what I've read, generally if you can see the bugs then they are lice, not mites. However the treatment is the same either way. Most people will recommend getting Revolution online. I can scrounge up some websites for you if you need them. There are a couple that don't require a prescription. Flea spray (Or any kind of spray) is not recommended because the spray can be damaging to their sensitive respiratory systems.

Finally, have you made sure to quarantine your rat? With a rat likes this (And she sounds like she was meant to be a feeder rat), she could have all kinds of different diseases and quarantine is very important to make sure they don't spread to your current rats. The mites do imply that she may be a little sick. If you can, try to keep her in a separate house for 3 weeks. If that's not possible, the opposite side of your own house and be very careful about handling one rat and then handling another.

 

[Ratlov3r129]

Um i tried to listen to her to make sure it wasnt a respiratory infection or anything like that. She sounded okay, but when i went to the pet store yesterday they stold me to get flea spray so i got that, and i sprayed it on her and she hasnt been scratching as much. The bugs are not visible its just little white eggs at the end of her hair, so im going to try bathing her a couple times a week, and putting that spray on her, it seemed to help, and ive looked at the pictures of pregnant rats and she doesnt look like any of them, but there is no way of me knowing if she used to be skinnier than she is now or what. And reading about pregnancy online, it said sometimes you wont know until the day before she delivers. I do think that she is either pregnant or sick, because she squeaks when you pick her up and she just curls up in a ball in the corner of her cage. She is seperate from my other rats, but if she is sick i would like to know so i can get her treatment before she spreads it to the other ones. And the noises she makes in her sleep are almost like squeaky cries, like shes hurt or something.

 

[cjshrader]

Is this the same store you got the rat from? Because I think it's already been established that they don't know anything about rats and I would not listen to their rat advice. You don't have to listen to mine, either, just do a search for lice or mites on these forums and you'll find a ton of information.

Giving her a bath a couple times a week may do more harm than good. Too many baths may dry out a rat's skin. You'd be better off to continue to let her clean herself and make sure you change her bedding/litter daily if possible, as that is where the mites will live.

Truthfully, if you're really worried then I'd just take her to a vet. As a new rat kept in poor conditions I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to get her checked out.

 

[Ratlov3r129]

No it wasnt the same pet store i got her from, i just went to petco to pick up a new cage adn some bedding and food and stuff so i asked someone that worked there. I did a search on mites and lice and it recommended prescription medicine. I am thinking about taking her to the vet, but im not going to have the money for a week or so as i just spent my last paycheck on buying her everything she needs, im just worried shes in pain or something and i want to find something to help her, and im not sure what it would cost to get her checked out.

 

[cjshrader]

Oh I forgot to mention, I have a rat who squeaks every time I touch her still to this day. She's just really skittish. There's nothing wrong with her, I've had her checked out.

This doesn't necessarily mean your rat is healthy, of course, but being that she was probably a feeder rat she isn't very well socialized and is just scared of you. This could be why she squeaks when you try to hold her.

For mites and lice, Revolution is a prescription medicine but there are sites where you can get it without a prescription. I had a prescription and everything, yet when I got it online I didn't need the prescription at all. (Non-prescription remedies generally haven't been recommended). And personally I wouldn't trust any pet store's advice on medical treatments for your rats, as I've gotten some awful advice in the past.

I don't know why she makes those noises while she sleeps, so definitely a vet visit is in order. Just call everywhere around you and they should be able to give you a quote on a checkup fee if they take rats (That's the hardest part, finding a place that will not only take them but is competent).

 

[Ratlov3r129]

Yea she is really skittish, but i think it is because she wasnt treated right at that pet store, or wasnt handled as much. Im trying to get her used to me, she seems to be warming up a little, she was wayy more active today than she was yesterday. But it seems when i try to let her like feel me out and let her know im not going to hurt her and i just want to pet her, she tries to nibble on my fingers. I dont know how to make her stop that. And thank you for all your help on the mite situation, its looking better today.

 

[Poppyseed]

I wouldn't use the spray again. It's bad for rats delicate respiratory systems.

Good advice: NEVER listen to pet stores. This place will give you much better advice but when it comes to illnesses showing only a vet can truly diagnose and help cure your rat.

But yeah, pet stores just hire anyone off the streets. You would get better advice elsewhere.