[Fuzzybiffler]

New rat mum -advice appreciated! <3

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could offer any advice. I got 3 baby girls around two weeks ago (currently approx 8 weeks) and one of them has began sneezing non stop for the last day or two. I have been pretty hard into guinea pigs for the last 4-5 years rescuing etc (currently have 4 boars) so I’m pretty familiar with URIs. She went to our small animal vet last night who didn’t seem overly worried about it because she has no other symptoms but prescribed a weeks course of baytril for the three of them just in case.
I was wondering if anyone has had anything similar and could offer some advice? I thought maybe it could be something they picked up at the breeder but I figured it would have shown up before now.
Their cage has carefresh paper bedding currently that we change every 4-5 days and a litter tray that gets cleaned daily (in process of potty training but they are doing well) I was wondering if it may be irritation from the bedding and was thinking about switching them over to microfibre bath matts like we use of the piggies with carefresh in the litter tray.
Any help and advice would be great, and any tips for first time rat owners definitely wouldn’t go amis! <3

 

[Rats4All]

I would say that she is probly fine (like the vet said) but you could switch the bedding if you wanted to.

 

[_dizzy_]

Several things could lead to URI's, including mycoplasma (a common illness that many rats are born with).
Here's a short article on it

Mycoplasma in Rats... It's a Common Respiratory Issue. | Small Pet Select

Ever heard of mycoplasma in rats? It's super common. Learn the symptoms so you can treat them properly and help ease their discomfort.

smallpetselect.com

 

[Adoptedfive]

Is it the carefresh with no scent added? The first thing I think is try is changing litter. And are there air fresheners near the cage? Any kind of irritant like that.
Ours sneezed at first a bit. I changed bedding just in case and things settled down.

 

[Creepy McSteezerson]

Since its.only the first two days I would say don't worry. They just came into a new environment and rats have pretty sensitive olfactory senses. Other pets, certain cooking, perfumes, etc. and any new scents in your home are things they need time adjusting to. If it were to continue for over a week I would start to gain some concern. I hope everyone stays safe and happy tho and I'm glad you took precautions anyway.