[CatzPJz]

I suspect that my rat Gandalf has a respiratory infection. He is sneezing a bit and he is making little squeaking noises when he breathes. I have an appointment with the vet this Monday but I was wondering if there was anything I can do in the meantime to help him out.

 

[Rupert and Bear]

Is he still eating and drinking water? If so, he'll probably be fine til Monday. If he stops eating, and especially if he stops drinking, take him to an emergency vet immediately.In the meantime, keep him warm and calm and happy. And make sure he's well hydrated. If you have a bottle with measurements and only one rat in the cage,keep an eye on how much water is going down. If he doesn't seem to be drinking enough, I like to dip my finger in water and let my ratties lick it off, they always seem more excited about water that way.If he seems like he's having trouble breathing, steam can be great for rats clearing out mucus just like it is for humans. I let my boys run around the bathroom while I have a shower (make sure there are no nasty cleaners/chemicals they can get into first!). You can also boil water in the kettle, but keep them pretty far away from the flow of steam as you don't want to burn their lungs. Also, how old is Gandalf? Very young or quite old rats might need to see a vet sooner. And has he had a respiratory infection before? Also, if you have other rats, it might be a good idea to take them along to the vet with you and get some medicine for them too, I often find if one of my rats has respiratory symptoms, the other one gets them soon after.Hope that helps!

 

[Dan203]

He'll probably be ok. Just watch out for him gasping. If he's opening his mouth to breath that's bad. If he's just making a little noise from his nose he should be ok until Monday.

 

[CatzPJz]

He's only 6 or 7 weeks old and he's still in quarantine so the other rats haven't developed any symptoms from him. It's his first infection but it hasn't gotten much worse. He's still mostly just sneezing and making little squeaks when he breathes. No crusty nose that I've noticed yet and he's definitely still eating and drinking. I plan on asking the vet if he can sell me some extra meds in case the other two end up catching one as well.