Rat Illnesses

8/12/2019 Rat Illnesses

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Rat Illnesses:

Rats are like any other living being, they can get sick.Rats can get injured such as a torn toenail, tail injury, broken or sprained bones or even deep bitewounds.

Rats are prone to respiratory infections and may need medication to aid in breathing andrecovery.It is very important to be aware that at some point in your rats life they may need Veterinarymedical treatment -you must be willing to make a commitment to giving your rat appropriatecare.If you are unwilling or unable to pay Vet bills if the occasion arises -please think over yourdecision of having a pet very carefully, you might consider waiting to acquire a pet until you canafford it.

Rat care tips:

A rats nose is supposed to be dry, if your rat has a wet nose it could be a sign of some sort ofrespiratory infection.

A lot of Store bought bedding's contain a large amount of dust and can cause your rat to haverespiratory problems. Use a bedding with as little dust as possible. Straining your beddingthrough a strainer can help eliminate some of the dust.

A lot of store bought food and bedding on occasion can contain moths, mites, or other smallbugs. To ensure there are no live bugs that will infest your rats, examine each and every food &litter package before purchasing it.You can also Freeze or microwave your rat food and bedding to help kill the bugs. (Beware ofmicrowaving some foods and bedding as certain ones have been known on occasion to catch

fire.)*Never use Pine bedding! Use caution when purchasing bedding, lots of them claim to be dustfree and are not. Even ones that say they are dust free, contain dust, especially when they getdown to the bottom of the packages. Shredded newspaper, paper towels, napkins, and blanketswork well for dust free bedding.

Cigarette (Tobacco) smoke around your rats (Or pets in general) can increase the likelihood ofyour rats having Respiratory problems. Especially Do Not smoke around your rats if they alreadyhave Respiratory problems, it can prohibit or extend the rats recovery time. The best thing to doif their is a smoker in the house is to:Have the room where the rats are housed, a dedicated "Rat room" where smoking is not allowed.Or have one room dedicated to smoking, and no rats are allowed in that area.

Veterinary Care: Rats may be a cheap pet to acquire but they are prone to respiratory infections and usually willneed to be treated by a Veterinarian in their lifetime.

I f you are unwil li ng to seek or pay for Medical care for your animal if an il lness or injuryar ises, please do not get a pet!

I f you are to lazy or to busy to dri ve your sick animal to the Vet or to call ar ound the phone

book to locate a vet, Pl ease do not get a pet!


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Be sure you know of a vet that will see your rat if it becomes sick or injured, most vets do notsee small animals (small furries), so it may take some calling around to find a vet willing to seeyour rat. It is best to find a vet first before any problems arise, so you don't waste time trying tofind a vet when your pet needs immediate medical attention.How to find a Veterinarian:

Pick up a phone book or even go to www.yellowpages.com and enter in your location and startcalling down the list of vets, when they answer simply ask "Do you treat rats?", if they say no,hang up and try the next number.Once you find one who will treat rats it is up to you if you want to continue calling down the listto see if there are other vets that will treat rats, or if you want to go with the first one you find.If you continue calling down the list and find several who treat rats, than you can ask howexperienced they are, ask about payment plans and office visit costs.*Be open minded when calling around to the vets about driving distance, i called through thephone book and found one who treated rats, so i kept using them, until one day i had anemergency and they were booked, they recommended another vet, who was only another townover that i hadn't even looked for numbers for in the phone book. The Vet they recommended me

to was much more knowledgeable than their office was and is now my current Vet. Do not take your rat to a dog & cat only doctor -most Dog & cat doctors have never treatedrats and most are unwilling to listen to your suggestions or try medicines they are unaware of.

Do not take your rat to an inexperienced vet, they may prescribe the wrong medicines ordosages.

Try to find a Vet who has treated rats in the past with success and likes them.

If possible call all the local Vet's in your area and ask to speak with the Vet themselves andask them about their experiences with treating rats and about their willingness to work outpayment methods.

Make sure to make your financial situation known to the Vet, if the Vet is aware of yourfinancial situation, in most cases they are willing to work with you, and if and when possible

give you generic medications instead of brand name ones to help you save money. Also, in a lotof cases Vets will suggest running certain tests that may or may not help, so if they are aware ofyour financial situation they can better advise you on the appropriate action to take.* All to often i hear of people who claim their Vet's offices will not work out payment plans andthey do not have the money for treatment so they refuse to take their animal to the vet. Denyingyour animal needed medical attention is animal cruelty, if you do not have the money or areunwilling to get the animal treatment, please call a local shelter or Humane society and givethem your pet and let them attempt to get the animal appropriate treatment.*For payment plans: sometimes Vet office's will say over the phone they do not accept paymentplans, but that is usually the word of the receptionist and not the word of the vet. When you go tothe Vet's office you most commonly check in, get treated or discuss options and then check out,

if you do not have all the funds on hand their really isn't much the Vet's office can do exceptagree to accept a payment plan. Especially in the case of emergency type situations, you may runout of the house so fast you forget your wallet -among other things, so in these instances the Vetreally has no choice but to accept a payment plan.

Rat eyes/Porphyrin:

Rats eyes and noses release a red mucus from them.


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This Red discharge can come from the rats eyes or nose.It is called Porphyrin, it is not blood.It looks a light reddish color, while blood is a dark red color.It is produced in the Porphyries glands behind the rat's eyes.Overproduction of this discharge can be caused by stress or illness.

Porphyrin discharge can be increased if your rat has breathing trouble, pneumonia orMycoplasma.Some rats never have a problem with red discharge, and some rats may have it their whole lives.If you notice your rat has red discharge from its eyes or nose, wash the rats eyes/face with warmwater.Be sure to trim your rats nails frequently, their nails can grow to long and then when cleaningthemselves they can scratch their eyes, which can cause their eyes to get irritated and create moredischarge, and make it hard for the rat to see.It is also possible that your rat could get dirt, dust, fur, eyelashes or whiskers into their eyescausing irritation and the Porphyrin to discharge.

Eye trouble/Cataracts:

Cataracts is usually noticed as a white film or area over the center of the eye ball.Cataracts can be caused by a small scratch to the eye or from old age.Most of the time treatment is not necessary as the rat can live just fine with it.But if the rats becomes bothered or seems to be irritated by the eye you will need to take them tothe Vet. Eye ointment or enucleation surgery may be needed.

Eye trouble/Enucleation:

For some reason rat's tend to be more prone to eye injuries than other small animals.

On occasion a rat's eye can get dirt or bedding stuck inside underneath the eyelid. This can causethe rat's eye to swell or get irritated. If you notice something wrong with the ratties eye, try to geta good look inside to see if you see any debris. You can remove debris by holding the rat's eyeunder warm running water and massaging lightly. Covering the eye with warm tea bags can helpreduce swelling.If a rat's eye gets scratched or punctured, the eyeball can swell and protrude the eye out of thesocket. On occasion the eye can become detached and fall out.If the eye is damaged and has fallen out you will need to bring the rattie into the Vet to have anEnucleation. Enucleation is where they remove the rest of what remains of the eye and stitch theeye area closed.A rat can live with one eye quite well, in some cases it may take a few days to get used to

everything, but in a lot of instances the eye was so damaged before surge they had very little ifany vision out of the eye already, so they already have had time to learn to be one eyed.If possible for Enucleation surgery ask the Vet to stitch the eye area from the inside and to getdisposable stitches. Stitches on the outside can cause swelling, pulling on the wound if thestitches get to tight, or can be ripped out by scratching.*My Experiences:Fraggle came to live with me as a just weaned baby who had lost an eye. His eye socket wasalready closing up some and since he was so young surgery probably was not necessary as the


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socket should close on it's own.I did have to clean his eye area and face area daily to make sure the area was kept clean and nodebris got lodged inside. He started to close his eye area on his own and eventually it almostbecame permanently closed. After it started closing on it's own i no longer had to clean dischargefrom the area and he could get around and clean himself all on his own.

Psy came to live with me with an already damaged eye. I took him in to get Enucleation surgery,The Vet stitched him up from the outside and inserted some antibacterial gel in his eye area andhe was allergic to it, which caused his injury not to heal and caused serious oozing. I brought himback and he had a second eye surgery, they thoroughly rinsed out the gel, and restitched himfrom the inside. He almost immediately started looking better and he healed up wonderfully.

Zoomer is a very unique guy. When born his momma got a little carried away cleaning him andhe got his toes on one foot and the tip of his tail nibbled off. That didn't slow him down one bit.Just recently his eye clouded over and started bulging out a little bit. I immediately went toinvestigate and noticed some eye mucus in his eye so i tried to clean it out and put some eyeointment (Neomycin) in his eye to ease the pain. The next day it was still bulging so i went towash his eye again as he was leaking porphyrin discharge and as i cleaned him up his eye ballpopped right out of the socket onto the floor. I was a hysterical mess, Zoomer didn't seem to


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notice much. I scheduled an appt. for an Enucleation and Zoomer had surgery to stitch the areaclosed. He recovered wonderfully.

Mycoplasma:

Mycoplasma (Mycoplasmosis)is a disease that effects almost every rat, it is basicallyimpossible to find rats that are not born with it.

Mycoplasma, is a Respiratory infection that is not contagious, since you can not give a ratsomething it already has.

Most Rats are infected with Mycoplasma, but not all rats are effected by it.

Rats born by C-Section are usually not infected by Mycoplasma, as it is transferred to the babywhen delivered through the birth canal. But these C-section babies would likely be introduced to

other ratties who would carry Mycoplasma infecting them as well. Some lab rats born in controlled environments are Mycoplasma free.

Common symptoms are sneezing, wheezing and in later stages of infection it can causegasping for breath.

Other symptoms are a wet nose and Porphyrin/mucus discharge from the eyes and nose.Common things to check for are reddish brown sneeze spots, on their food dishes, bedding,houses etc. -as sometimes the rat can be very cleanly and you will not notice the discharge onthem because they clean it off so quickly. Light colored rats will sometimes get a red neck areafrom wiping the discharge off their head back to their necks.

The most common causes for a Mycoplasma flair up, is a dirty cage covered with germs andfeces and the wrong type of bedding.

Never keep rats on pine bedding, pine bedding is very harmful to rat lungs! It can NOT be transferred from rat to human, but both humans and rats can have the disease.

The disease -in rats is not curable, but there are several treatments that can suppress some ofthe symptoms.

Making sure Vitamins A & E are in the rats diet is important on preventing the disease fromspreading rapidly.


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Make sure your rats always have drinking water available. (A dehydrated rat is not a happyrat)

Mycoplasma causes sores and/or scabs on the lungs, which causes difficulty in breathing.(Congestion -wheezing)

Most commonly the sudden breathing difficulties are referred to as "Myco flair ups."

Most Rats act normally except for the common heavy breathing, sneezing and wheezing, butthey still remain quite active.

Mycoplasma symptoms tend to be dry loud breathing that comes and goes.

Some rats effected by Mycoplasma symptoms can still live long lives if they are fed and caredfor properly. While other rats with decreased immune systems can be greatly effected and theirhealth can decline rapidly.

Rats prone to "Myco flair ups" may need to be treated with medicine several times in theirlifetimes.

Mycoplasma is most commonly treated with the medicine Baytril, sometimes Doxycycline(Generic name) (Brand name) Vibramycin will also be prescribed.

It is hard to suppress Mycoplasma symptoms permanently, the symptoms can be suppressed

with medicine but it is usually temporary and ongoing or reoccurring treatment may benecessary.

Mycoplasma if not treated early enough can leave permanent scarring on the lungs, which cancause them to have Myco flair ups and breathing trouble for the rest of their lives. Thesesymptoms can be suppressed with medicine but most commonly symptoms will be continuousthroughout their lives flaring up from time to time.

When acquiring a rat from a pet store make sure to check what bedding they are keeping theanimals on. Pine bedding is awful for rattie lungs and your rattie is likely to be ill. Rats acquiredfrom rat breeders are likely to be healthier than pet store acquired ones. Make sure to askquestions at the pet store before purchasing your rat to make sure they have knowledgable staff,if you have rats at home already bringing in a sick one can have devastating consequences on

your ratties .

Pneumonia:

Rats can have Pneumonia & other breathing problems as well, Which aren't necessarilyconnected to Mycoplasma.

Pneumonia is contagious and can be transferred from rat to rat, most commonly to cage matesor rats within sneezing distance. If other rats are kept on the other side of the room, or anotherroom, and do not have contact with the sick rats they should not be infected.

Rats infected with Pneumonia when babies, most commonly will not show symptoms until

they reach 3 months of age.

Common symptoms that your rat may have Pneumonia are:

Loud raspy breathing & wheezing.

You may notice your rat having a wet/runny nose and a reddish brown runny substance(Mucus) called Porphyrin coming from their nose. (Porphyrin should not be confused with blood


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-Porphyrin is reddish brown and blood is red.)If you notice your rat has a wet nose, continue to dry the nose throughout the day for them.

Mycoplasma symptoms tend to be dry loud breathing that can come and go, while Pneumoniasymptoms tend to be a congested wet wheezing type breathing. (Such as hearing fluid in theirlungs.)

Vet Recommended Pneumonia Treatment i use/used.

This Treatment was recommended for my male rats 4 months and older.This treatment was for rats 1 LB up to 1 1/2 LBS.*Your Rats may not need this high or low of a dose of medicine.

.25 cc of Baytril twice a day

.50 cc of Doxycycline twice a day

Use Nebulizer machine with liquid Albuterol Sulfate inhalation solution.To use a Nebulizer, fill up the cup with a 2.5 Mg. bottle of Albuterol solution and plug in andturn on.

Than hold breathing tube or children's mask over the rats nose & mouth and let them breathe it intwice a day for 5 minutes.The solution will last for several uses before having to be refilled -roughly 3 days depending onhow many doses and how many rats are using it.The Nebulizer is quite loud, and some rats are a bit scared of it.To get Albuterol solution you will need acquire it directly from your Vet, or your Vet can writeyou a prescription for you to pick it up from a Pharmacy.

Human Albuterol inhalers do not work well on rats.Human inhalers don't work well on animals because when humans use the inhalers we inhale andhold it in our lungs for a few seconds and then exhale -rats don't hold it in they just breathenormally so they hardly get any solution in their lungs.

However if your rat is having trouble breathing and you have a human inhaler on hand, you cangive the rat one puff to help them. The human inhaler puffs tend to only help for about 10-20minutes, but sometimes will be enough to stabilize their breathing for a short period of time.


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Here is a picture of a Nebulizer, Albuterol Sulfate solution and children's mask.

Things to do to help your rats breathing trouble:

Common breathing problems can be caused by the air being dry.

Heaters and Air conditioners can dry out the air in a room, To help put moisture into the airyou can set out jars or cups of water by and around the heater and vents.

Another way to help put moisture into the air is to get a small water fountain that continuouslyruns water through it. (You will be surprised how often it needs to be filled up.)

If your house is dry -do not use a Dehumidifier, these remove water from the air.

Setting out Air purifiers, humidifiers &/or vaporizers will help put moisture into the air.

Air purifiers and Humidifiers usually have fans in them which move the air around, these cancause your rats to become cold, if they are to close to them.Vaporizers put out hot steam and if to close to the rats could burn them.Setting these appliances at least 5 feet away is a good idea.

If your rat is having sudden breathing trouble, a quick and easy way to help is to bring yourrats into a closed bathroom with the hot water/shower running. Let the rat breathe in the steamfor at least 10 minutes. On occasion rats have been known to sneeze or sort of cough out largechunks of mucus, when steamed.

A Nebulizer with Albuterol solution may also be used. (Unfortunately these can be a bit trickyto find and you will need a prescription for the Albuterol solution.)

Using a Nebulizer, Vaporizer, Humidifier or Air purifier is not a cure, nor a medicine, it only

can help aid in making it easier to breathe temporarily.

Dusty bedding is a huge cause that contributes to rats having respiratory problems.

DO NOT use PINE or CEDAR bedding!Pine & Cedar bedding is extremely harmful to rats. The wood contains phenols and can havetoxic effects on rats respiratory systems. (Pine and Cedar are softwoods)Rats housed with pine or cedar shavings have been known to have excess Porphyrin dischargefrom their eyes and nose, and have serious difficulty breathing.


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Aspen is a safe bedding material to use. (Aspen is a hardwood.)

Be aware that rats can have allergies. A recent change is bedding, food, litter, treats, laundrydetergent, soap, water, or surroundings can cause the rat to sneeze and become congested.

A sneeze every now and than is nothing to be overly concerned about, but if the rats issneezing consistently daily, than the rat is probably suffering from some sort of respiratory

infection. Feeding your rats dark chocolate while they are having breathing difficulties can help theirdifficulties improve. Chocolate contains Theophylline which is known to help breathing troublesdecrease in patients with Asthma. Small chunks of candy bars, or chocolate baking chips seem towork well. While your rat is having breathing trouble you don't want to give them a big chunk offood as they may choke. You also need to be careful that the chocolate is not overly sticky -which could cause more breathing problems or choking.

Cold & Allergy Medicine:

You can give small amounts of cold or allergy medicine to your rats to help with their

breathing trouble until you can get them into a Vet. Do not use Adult medications, use Children's liquid cold or allergy medications.

Do NOT give your rats cough suppressant medicine.

Do Give rats cough decongestant medicine.Cough Suppressant medicine suppresses the symptoms, prolonging the condition, while CoughDecongestants loosen up the mucus and phlegm allowing it to be discharged from the body.

Do NOT give your rats cough medicines with Alcohol in them.

Do NOT give your rat cough medicine that causes drowsiness.

When administering cold medicine to your rat, start out with small dosages, gradually afterseveral days if the medicine appears to be working you can up the dosage.

For how often to dose your rat, follow the cold medications directions on the bottle/package.

For example: If the package says for a human not to take more often then once every 4 hours -donot dose the rat more often than that.Also look and see if the medicine sets a time frame of how long it lasts. (such as 4 hours, 8 hoursetc.)

Start out giving your (adult) rat .10 cc. (Give younger, smaller rats less.)Observe the rats behavior, usually breathing improvements can be noticed within 10-20 minutes.If the breathing improves on the next dosage you can consider upping the dose to .15 cc.

Please consult a vet before giving your rat any medicine!Another good place to consult about rat medications isRMCA.org drug chart

Rats & colds:

Rats can't catch colds -like us humans get, therefore they can't catch them from humans.However they can have cold like symptoms -but that is likely due to other respiratory problemssuch as Mycoplasma, Pneumonia or other illnesses or factors in the rats environment -such assmoke, dirty cages with strong urine smells or poor ventilation.Since a lot of times Vets are unable to find the cause of the rats sneezing or wheezing they
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commonly may say your rat has a cold -but this is usually due to the fact that they have no exactcause to tell you for the illness. So, they need to find a "Name" to call what your rat is beingtreated for.

Streptococcus Pneumoniae (Pneumonia):

Rats can get Streptoccus Pneumoniae.

Strep pneumonia is a significant pathogen in rats and can cause death within DAYS ofexposure.If a human has strep pneumonia, they have a very high fever, a bad cough, and various otherrespiratory symptoms -they are WAY more ill than a case of Strep throat -(strep Pyogenes).

Strep Pneumonia is not the same thing as strep throat.

Rats CAN catch Strep Pneumonia from humans. (Caused by Streptococcus bacteria.)If you have Streptococcus Pneumonia stay away from your rats, if you are the only care giver foryour rats -find another person to take care of them, contact with your rats can cause them severeillness and probable/possibly death.

Rat Temperature:

Rats can overheat in warm weather and have heatstroke.Rats can freeze in cold weather and get hypothermia.How to tell if your rat is dehydrated:

Squeeze (tent) your rats skin together (lightly! Do not hurt them) if it goes back into placequickly, your rat is not dehydrated, if the skin stays raised, your rat is dehydrated and needs to bere-hydrated.

If you are concerned about your rat being seriously dehydrated you can bring the rat to the vet

to get Vitamin shots to help re-hydrate them. If the weather outside or in your house is to hot or to cold for you, it is probably the same foryour animals.

Be sure your animals have plenty of warm bedding available in one area, and then another areawhere they can cool off, such as a bare floor with no bedding. This way they can choose werethey want to be.

Rats will pant, with their tongues sticking out of their mouths (Like dogs) when they are reallyhot.

Some rats will sleep on their backs when they are hot.

Some rats if they have water dishes available (most commonly in the free range areas) will diptheir tails into their water to help cool off, since they sweat through their tails, dunking their tails

is a quick way to cool off. Do not keep your rats near windows or doors with drafts.

Rats like fans. However, it is not a good idea to have a fan blowing on your animals all of thetime. It is best if you have one they can walk over to or one that rotates.*On warm days i have had many of rats who loved to walk over in front of the fan, stand up andsway back and forth! Furry rats tend to like fans much more than hairless, but i did have oneHairless rat, Trip that absolutely loved dancing in front of the fan.

Putting a little bit of water on a rats head and rubbing it into their fur can help cool them off.


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Hairless rats tend to get much colder than furries, so it is VERY IMPORTANT that they havewarm towels or blankets available at all times!*I had a hairless rat, Sid who loved to find a heater vent to sleep near on cold days.

Rats also like ice cubes, you can give your rats ice cubes to help cool them off, they like tochew on them and also like to push the ice cubes under them and sit on them until they melt.

Putting ice cubes into the rats water bottles or if you have extra water bottles you can keep in thefridge and exchange with the warm water ones is also helpful to cool your rats down.

If you are worried about your rats Vitimin intake you can purchase Vitamin drops that you addto their water. These vitamin drops can discolor the water and sometimes be rather smelly, theyalso loose their potency after being in the water to long and the water needs to be changedfrequently.

Vitamin drops aren't necessary if your rat is healthy and eating a varied diet.

* "Vita drops", are "high potency multivitamins for hamsters, rats, mice & gerbils." (available atpet stores.)

Rat Bugs/Mites/Fleas:

If you notice your rat scratching or bathing excessively your rattie may have bugs.

Common signs you may have bugs are white tiny little eggs sacks on the ratties hair, or blackspeckles on the rats body -some can also be seen as red once they fill up with blood.

You may also notice scabs on your rat (check the ratties nails also to make sure they are not tolong and causing the scratches.)

Rats can get mites, lice, fleas and other small bugs. All rat mites, fleas & lice are species specific, they need a rat to survive, they can jump ontoyou or other animals but they will die without a rat to feed off of.

Mites, lice, maggots and fleas can develop from dirty cages or living conditions. Socleanliness of the rats environment is very important.

Bugs can also be brought into the home on just about any product that has come from awarehouse -such as food, bedding, boxes etc.


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If you suspect your rattie has bugs immediately clean the cage and wash all the washablebedding and discard any cardboard. Wood houses can harbor bugs and/or the eggs in the smallcrevices, wood needs to be soaked in bleach to get rid of the bugs or discarded.

Just because you don't see any bugs doesn't mean there aren't any, as most come in 3 dayscycles from eggs to adult.

Most "Rat bugs" tend to stay on rats and not transfer to humans or other animals. Lice can stay embedded on the rats hair even after the rat is treated and the lice are dead, Canuse a small toothed comb to help brush the dead bugs off of the rat. (Lice comb)Treatments:

It is not uncommon for rats to get a small red bug infestation, no one seems to know exactlywhat kind of bugs theses are but i have found ""Hartz control Flea and tick repellent for kittens"spray formula works well to treat the red bugs.

How to use the "Hartz Control Flea and tick repellent for kittens", you simply spray it onto therat, rub it in, make sure to get in the armpits and behind the ears and all other hidden areas, leaveit on for 5 minutes. Then rinse the rat thoroughly. The spray has a light smell and the smell willstay on for about a week. After the first treatment wait a week and then treat again, to make sure

you have gotten all of the eggs. (Please follow exact directions given on bottle.) Sevindust is a very good product to keep around. It is a white powder that you sprinkle in yourgarden to get rid of bugs. If you sprinkle a little bit into the bottom of the animals cage this willkill mites, lice, spiders and other insects/bugs. This is usually available in the Garden section.The product is safe to use directly on animals and can also be sprinkled around the house and/oron dogs. Sevindust is very inexpensive and is usually under $5 for a bag and available at mostWalmart's.

One Treatment is not enough! These treatments usually only treat the live bugs, they do notkill the eggs, so treatment will need to be repeated 3 days after the first initial treatment to ensureall the bugs are gone.

If you have a colony of rats and you notice bugs on one you should treat the whole colony, or

the bugs will just keep jumping from host to host. Make sure to clean the cage, wash all bedding and disinfect all toys in the rats areas if younotice bugs on them. If you just give them a bath and then put them back in a cage or withbedding that has the bugs on them, the bugs will jump right back on the rat.Make sure to especially soak all wood materials in very hot water or run them through thedishwasher.

"Frontline"can also be used -use one pump's worth on a cotton ball and rub on 1 to 3 rats. TheAlcohol type smell will be strong so make sure the room is well ventilated for several minutes.Treat every 7 days for 3 weeks.

I am told you can also use "Advantage flea repellent for cats & dogs"to treat rats with fleas.You dab a small grain of rice size onto a toothpick and than dab it onto the rats neck. (I have not

personally used this method and am not sure on the number of treatments.)


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Here is a picture of the "Hartz Flea & tick shampoo" & "Sebolux" shampoo.

Ivermectin

Ivermectin horse wormer paste can be used to get rid of mites, body mites & ear mites.You can get it atwww.countrysupply.comor a few other stores online, it costs usually under $5.

Ivermectin comes in a box, the box reads "Ivermectin Anthelmintic and Boticide paste 1.87%."Inside the box is a syringe filled with enough paste to treat up to a 1250 LB. horse.To use:Empty the whole syringe into a small container (a film canister or small pill bottle.)Mix up the paste with a toothpick very thoroughly.Dab a toothpick into the paste and dose a small grain of rice size for an adult size rat. For smallerrats use a slightly smaller dose.Do not use too much, you can overdose your rat.
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You can try to get the rat to lick the paste off of your finger or mix the paste with applesauce oryogurt or even smear the paste onto a cookie.Treat the rat on day 1, day 8 and day 15.Store the unused paste in a leak proof container, it can be stored on the shelf or in therefrigerator.

Abscesses:

What is an abscess?An abscess is a small pus filled lump which can be located anywhere on a rat.

Abscesses are fairly common in rats and if treated can be easily cured.

If an abscess is left untreated they can become life threatening.

Abscesses most commonly are caused by your rat getting bit or injured by another rat. Morethan likely if the rat is bit by another rat or has been lying on some food or uneven surface andyou notice a lump it will be an abscess but occasionally it may not be.

How do I determine if my rat has an abscess or a tumor?

So, you noticed a lump on your rat and are wondering what to do?Things to look for:

Abscesses are usually close or even to the surface of the skin (Like a zit), they can grow verydeep but are usually visible from the surface.

Both tumors and abscesses start out rather squishy and soft and then after a week (sometimesmore or less) they can develop into hard lumps.

Abscesses need air/a location to drain from, if the abscess is kept open the pus inside will staysoft, if it is allowed to close up, the pus will form into a hard chalky type substance.

Tumors can be deep under the skin or near the surface, but usually are not above or even withthe surface (like an abscess.)

Abscesses need to be drained, they can become life threatening if not properly cleaned,drained and cared for.

Abscesses tend to be rather foul smelling, while tumors do not have a smell unless they havebeen there for quite some time and have become scabbed over and/or infected.

Please seek medical attention as soon as you notice a lump and get the appropriate care to insureyour pet the best quality of life.

If you suspect you have an abscess:

Abscesses can be treated quite easily at home if you are familiar with them.Basically, to get familiar with them you will need to watch what the Vet does, and then if youfeel confident and knowledgeable enough to try it yourself, you can give it a try, if you haveanother abscess appear in the future.Please consult a vet if and when possible.If you are not experienced or are a bit skittish around needles or wounds please do not attempt totreat your rat at home. Bring the rat to the vet.For first timers dealing with abscesses, i would suggest bringing the rat to the vet and watching


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the vet procedure, so you can perform an abscess drain in the future if necessary.Most abscesses heal up quickly with proper care and cleaning, Abscesses tend to keepreoccurring if not cleaned and cared for properly.Healing time depends on the size of the wound and could take as little as a few days or a monthor longer, depending on the severity of the infection.

If an abscess has a severe infection a Vet may need to prescribe antibiotics to speed up thehealing process.

To Drain an abscess:

You will need Rubbing alcohol, a medical needle, cotton balls and/or gauze.

Clean and sterilize the lump area & needle with alcohol before starting.

You can use a sterile medical needle (Make sure it is sterilized with alcohol -even if it is brandnew out of the package) (available at most Drug stores.) to puncture a small hole in the abscessto let it drain.

You can also use a sterilized sewing needle, but these tend to not be as sharp as medical

needles and tend to have some resistance puncturing the skin. If the abscess is filled with liquid pus it will usually immediately start to drain right afterpuncturing.

If the abscess has turned into a chalky type substance you will need to lightly squeeze the areaand coax the pus out.

When puncturing the skin with the needle, it will usually slide in easily on abscesses whilewith tumors it will be harder to puncture the skin.

If you experience resistance when trying to insert the needle, STOP and do not continue, youmay hurt your rat.

Do not puncture the lump more than once, UNLESS you are positive it IS an abscess and itneeds another place to drain from.

Abscesses need to be drained out and will be filled with yellow/green colored pus (which canbe smelly.)

If after the initial puncture, no pus comes out, leave the area alone, sometimes the area justneeds a place to be able to drain from. After a few days it should be ready to drain out,sometimes it even drains by itself.

Abscesses can also contain a small amount of blood.

Lightly squeeze the abscess if necessary to help empty it out.

It is better to flush the wound out with wound cleaning solution, rather than squeezing it.Squeezing the abscess area can cause the skin to become slightly red and irritated.

After draining the wound or to help drain the wound, clean the wound with Nolvasan solution(Chlorehexadine)(Available from a Vet or farm supply stores, such as Fleet Farm.), salt water,

saline or other wound cleaning solution. (you can use Hydrogen Peroxide but it is notrecommended because it kills healthy and dead tissue and can cause the skin around the abscessto become irritated and more sensitive -causing a longer healing time. If using Hydrogenperoxide be sure to wash the wound with water afterwards and dilute the Peroxide with water, toprevent stinging.

Wash out the wound twice daily until it completely heals, you may have to drain it out severaltimes before it starts healing. (It is best to have a plastic syringe that will allow you to squeezethe cleaning solution right into the wound.)


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Using a warm tea bag held over the abscess can also help the abscess come to the surface andstart draining on its own or make puncturing it easier.

Occasionally after puncturing the lump, it will not drain right away, making it appear to be atumor and then several days later by applying pressure to the area the wound will start to drain.

Here is a picture of a plastic syringe used for cleaning/flushing out abscesses & wounds.

If you suspect you have a Tumor:

Tumors are quite common in rats and CAN and ARE life threatening.

Females rats tend to be slightly more prone to tumors than males. Tumor likelihood can be attributed to inbreeding, blood lines & parents history with tumors.

Female rats are more likely to get Mammary tumors, but male rats can get them as well. Thesecan be located anywhere on the rat -usually on the underside of the rat.

Tumors can be very fast growing and turn life threatening in matter of days in some instances.

Tumor removal surgery is an option that should always be considered.Having tumor removal surgery can provide your rat with a longer, happier life.

Having tumors removed as early as possible is very important!

Cancer preventatives:

Mycoplex Coriolus:

Mycoplex is a blend of Coriolus Versicolor & Coriolus cordyceps Mushrooms. Commonlyreferred to as Turkey tail mushrooms. Small doses of this mixed with the rats water or with theirfood can help reduce tumor growth. Starting the Mycoplex treatment as soon as possible afternoticing the lump is best.Some herbal stores do sell Turkey tail & Mataki mushrooms from time to time -both known tohelp respiratory problems and slow tumor growth, so if you are able to acquire them that way -orby picking or growing them yourself that works as well (As the brand name Mycoplex can be abit spendy).Let the mushrooms dry, grind them up in a grinder, and mix 1/4 Tsp with food or water. Mixing

the mushrooms with applesauce, pudding or yogurt works well. If mixing with food, it needs tobe put in some sort of food everyday, which can be a bit bothersome, so i usually give my ratstwo water bottles, one with mushroom water and one with regular water. The mushroomsediment does tend to settle a bit, so the bottle may need to be shaken a few times during the day,and if not ground fine enough may clog the mouthpiece.Tamoxifen/Maxigen:Some people have had success adding Tamoxifen/Maxigen -Shark cartilage to the Mycoplex


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dose. Give 1/5 dose twice daily for 2 weeks than once daily for 1 more week. Many people donot like using this product due to the fact it is Shark cartilage.

Grape seed Extract:

Grapeseed Extract helps Prevent Heart disease. It is also a cancer detourant, which neutralizes

cells that cause formation of cancer/tumors. It is also known to fight skin disease, slow cataracts,lessen allergy symptoms and slow aging.Unfortunately i have no idea where to acquire this product.

Apricots & Grapes:

Dried apricots & Red seedless grapes have cancer fighting Beta carotene. Grapes help shut downthe growth of abnormal cells.

There are two types of tumors:

Benign tumors, which usually are soft tissue tumors, usually grow on their own in the rat, notconnected to organs or tissues.Benign tumors usually can be removed successfully with surgery and aren't always lifethreatening.

Benign tumors are also commonly referred to as a mass. (Example -Mass removal surgery)

Malignant tumors or cancer tends to grow rather quickly and most of the time is lifethreatening.Malignant tumors tend to grow rather rapidly and can quickly damage nearby tissues and organscausing the rat to have health problems.A lot of the time Malignant tumors can not be removed since they are near or embedded withvital organs.

Things to know about tumor/mass removal surgery: It is important to find an experienced vet who treats/specializes in small animals (smallfurries) and who has performed surgeries on rats successfully in the past. Be sure to askquestions, such as the risks, Vet experience and aftercare requirements, etc.

An inexperienced vet can give the wrong amount of anesthetic, which can cause manycomplications.

To much anesthetic can cause your rat to have minor personality or behavioral changes.

It is best and less risky to your rats health if tumors are removed as soon as possible.

Catching tumors early is very important.

Some tumors can be life threatening and can not be treated because it would be to dangerous,such as if they are growing next to or around an artery, blood vessel or vein.

If you have an elderly or sick rat the risks of surgery are greater. Some tumors will be near the skins surface and can get infected and scabbed over if the ratdrags their body or chews on where the tumor is.

If the tumor becomes infected or is on the surface it can become very foul smelling.

Be sure to clean the visible tumors with wound cleaning solution or Nolvasan solution andconsult a Vet.

Rats can live sometimes months with a tumor and sometimes only a matter of days.

A Rat can have more than one tumor at a time.


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In some instance rats can have a tumor removed and then several months later develop anotherone in a different location.

If your rat gets multiple tumors at the same time, if you are thinking of surgery try to get themall removed at the same time, to save the rat the stress of several surgeries.

Operating on more than one tumor at a time is more risky, then operating on one since there

may be multiple incision wounds and infection is risky.Some Vets will not operate on more than one tumor at a time.

If your rats tumor is inoperable, commonly the only thing you can do is to let the rat live untiltheir quality of life diminishes, and then sometimes the kindest thing to do is euthanasia.

Rats commonly have their hair shaved around the tumor removal area.

Rats are known for chewing or removing their stitches after surgery on their own, make surethe Vet, sews up the incision site very well.Having the incision stitched from inside out can help the stitches hold better, and make themharder for the rat to remove.

Some rat owners have attempted to use Elizabethian type collars to prevent the rats fromchewing at their wounds, but usually they cause the rat discomfort and make them incredibly

frustrated. Rats have a tendency to chew their stitches when the vet is closed -so be sure to monitor themclosely. :)

It is best if you can have the wound site stitched and glued, that way if the rat chews throughthe stitches the glue should still hold until you can get them back to the vet.It has also been suggested that glue and staples make a hematoma less likely to occur.

On occasion the rat can develop a hematoma or a seroma after the tumor is removed.

Hematoma -a mass of usually clotted blood that forms in a tissue, organ, or body space as aresult of a broken blood vessel.

Seroma -A Seroma is fluid that has accumulated in a dead space left from the tumor removal.This is when the body tries to fill in the empty space of the rats body.

The area will appear to be a lump and can be filled with pus, liquid and blood. It is not recommended to drain a Hematoma -which was what most vets did in the past buthave found that by letting it absorb naturally back into the body without draining it helps it healquicker and faster.To help heal a hematoma faster, if possible, wrap the area with a bandage to apply a smallamount of pressure. In most instances hematoma's will absorb back into the body within a weekstime.

Hematoma's can appear and disappear for several days before disappearing completely.

Pineapple contains Bromelain which can help reduce Hematoma's.

Beware of Bumble foot:


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Bumble foot is another name for Ulcerative Pododermatitis.It is a bacterial infection usually caused by Staphylococcus Aureus.Bumble foot is a foot problem that is on the bottom pad on the back of a rats foot. (usually onlyon the back feet)It is caused by rats walking on hard surfaces, wire cages & unclean living conditions.It is also suspected that Bumble foot can be caused due to the rat having sprained or injured theirlegs/feet earlier in life.

*We suspect this was the case with my hairless rat, "Sid." He sprained his ankle, then it healedand the next week he sprained his other ankle (He was not the most skilled climber) and thenabout 2 weeks later the bumbles appeared.

Bumble foot is very hard to treat and usually can not be cured.Medicines can be prescribed to help heal the wounds but they are usually unsuccessful bythemselves.It is referred to as Bumble foot because of the sore like bumbles that appear on the feet, the sorestend to bleed from time to time, and are commonly misdiagnosed as tumors.Bumble foot is most common in birds & Guinea pigs.Bumble foot should be cleaned once to twice a day, everyday with Nolvasan solution or otherwound cleaning solution -This is an absolute must!

Tips to avoiding Bumble foot:

Make sure your rats cage and living space is safe. (They will not catch their toes or feet on orthrough any of the cage materials, they can not easily fall, the floor is not wet, etc.)


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Make sure that their feet and bodies can not fall through any part of the cage.

Make sure shelves, houses and ladders are secure and will not be easily tipped over by a fatrattie.

Make sure there are flat surfaces available.

Provide plenty of blankets, towels and soft bedding to cover surfaces.

Some Hairless rats have very sensitive skin and can be more prone to skin conditions -such asBumble foot.Hairless rats need lots of soft bedding materials.

To stop bleeding Bumbles:

The bumbles can get sore and worn away from normal walking and may bleed from time to time.

Apply light pressure to the bleeding source and try to hold the rat still so their blood can clot.

I find it easiest to wrap the rat in a towel so they can not escape.

Dip the rats foot/bumbles in flour to stop the bleeding.

Hold ice or hold the rats foot under cold water for a few minutes. This will help slow the

circulation and can help slow the bleeding. Sometimes the rat will loose quite a bit of blood and will not have much energy for a fewhours. If you notice your rat has lack of energy be sure their is plenty of food and water aroundfor them. The rat will usually get their energy back within a few hours.

Another trick i have found that works is to put the bleeding rat onto a pile of shreddednewspaper and let the paper get stuck onto the bumble, let the paper stay on the bumble until youare sure bleeding has stopped, than remove paper.*My Rat, Sid was always getting paper stuck onto his bumbles, so you frequently saw himrunning about with newspaper feet. :)

Bumble foot surgery:

Surgery to remove the rats bumbles from the feet is an option but is only viable in certain cases.Bumbles can be very hard to remove surgically as the rat may not have enough skin around thearea to properly close the incision.Bumbles have also been known to form again only days or weeks after surgery.

Bumble foot Blu Kote Treatment

Some people have had some success in decreasing the bumble wounds, by using the below 3 stepprocess.

Washing/soaking the bumbles once to twice a day in Nolvasan solution (A wound cleaning

solution.) Giving oral antibiotics prescribed by a vet to help fight the infection from the inside as well asout.*My Rat "Sid" was given "Clavamox drops" (Amoxicillin) to be given orally to try to help fightthe Bumble foot infection from the inside, but "Sid" got ill from the medicine causing diarrheaand his appetite to decline, so we had to stop using the medicine.

Coat the foot once to twice a day using a product called Dr. Naylor Blu Kote.The Blu Kote can be found at some feed stores or can be ordered on line from theRMCA
http://www.rmca.org/http://www.rmca.org/http://www.rmca.org/


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website.You may have to call a few feed stores before finding one that carries the Blu Kote, Blu Kote is aproduct used on horses hooves.Blu Kote is blue and comes in the U.S.A in a yellow bottle with a applicator tip. In the U.K. it ispurple & comes in a spray bottle.

It is very important to try to keep the Rat, rats feet and rats area clean to prevent furtherinfection.The Blu Kote will stain everything, your hands, your rats feet, fur, body & towels blue or purple.There are other products with Blu in the title but you want the "Blu Kote."

*I tried the Blu Kote on Sid, at first it made the bumbles harden up and look more like scabs thansoft tissue and it was hard to tell how healthy the tissue was because it was so discolored blue forthe Blu Kote. After about 3 months i stopped the treatment and Sid's feet became soft again. Alsohis tissue began looking healthier and peeling off. The Vet said his feet looked much healthierafter i discontinued the Blu Kote treatment and to just keep soaking/cleaning his feet everydaywith the Nolvasan solution to prevent the infection from spreading and killing off more tissue.

Bumble foot Veruco freeze Treatment

This Treatment will need to be done by a Vet.

Wash once to twice a day with Nolvasan solution. (wound cleaning solution)

Veruco freeze -Veruco freeze is a freeze treatment used to freeze off warts or skinabnormalities.Veruco freeze comes in an aerosol type spray can.To make spraying the solution on the feet easier you may want to wrap cardboard or some sort ofwrap around the feet to make it spray only on the bumbles and not on the healthy skin orflapping tails.Spray onto the bumbles and cover them completely with the spray. You can freeze the skindifferent depths depending on how much you use.The frozen bumbles will be cold to the touch for several hours and sometimes days.The skin on the bumbles will start to deteriorate and peel away. You can help remove the extraskin if possible, the best way i have found to remove the dying tissue is to wash the rats feetunder running water and gently rub the bumbles, the loose skin will usually fall away on its own.Be careful and don't remove the peeling skin before it is necessary, it may cause bleeding.

After cleaning the feet, apply Kerasolv cream (Vet prescribed) onto the bumbles once to twicea day.

*My Rat Sid received 5 freeze treatment and then we decided it was not working, at first itappeared to be decreasing the size of the bumbles, but after the third treatment the bumblesbegan to grow larger again, and by the 5th treatment we decided it best to stop the treatments.We think maybe if we would have stopped at less treatments and possibly spaced them apartfarther the treatment may have worked better.
http://www.rmca.org/http://www.rmca.org/http://www.rmca.org/


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Here is a picture of "Dr Naylor Blu Kote"

Here is a picture of Nolvasan wound cleaning solution(Available at most vets & some farm/feeds tores -such as Fleet Farm.)

Sprained Ankles/torn toenails:


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Rats can break or sprain their legs or ankles by jumping or by falling, so try to make theirenvironment sturdy and safe.

Rats often get off balanced and can often fall if they are overweight, have poor eyesight,broken whiskers or are getting old.

A Broken bone can be extremely painful and your rat will need proper medical attention. The

leg may need to be wrapped, bandaged, and painkillers may be needed. A broken bone can usually be seen by a protruding bone or your rats lack of mobility. A Ratwith a sprained ankle will usually still get around pretty well and may limp some.

Rats can sprain their ankles, most commonly a sprained ankle will swell up and get very large,sometimes many, many sizes larger then their healthy foot. Sprained ankles tend to heal quitequickly. Day 1 is usually minor swelling, day 3-4 the ankle usually gets quite large swelling tovery large proportions. By day 5-6 the ankle is usually fully healed and pretty much back tonormal.

Rats can also occasionally get their toenails snagged or caught onto things or nipped on byanother rat, which can cause a lot of bleeding, to try to help stop the bleeding you can use flouror cornstarch. (Sprinkle the flour or cornstarch over the wound and rub it in.)

If your rats toenails or injury (Specifically leg injury) starts swelling you can run the rats footunder cold water to reduce swelling and if they will let you put a cold compress on their injurythis will help as well. If your rat will not tolerate cold water or a cold compress you can get atowel wet and cold and let them lay on it for a while. Most rats also enjoy playing with ice, so ifthe rat has a injury on their front hands giving them ice will allow them to get their hands coldand can help.*My rat, Sid sprained his ankle, he limped around for about a week, using mostly his other 3legs, then the next week he sprained his other ankle! His ankle and foot got very red and a bitswollen and he would squeak when we touched his foot, he still ran around everywhere andrecovered fairly quickly.*I Once had a rat, Squatter who was sleeping and he started having a bad dream and kicked his

foot out, he kicked it into a wood door on my headboard and it got very, very swollen (About 4times the normal size) and appeared infected. I brought him to the vet and they said it looked likehe would never recover and might have permanent damage to his foot. They said they could doan expensive x-ray but that even if they confirmed his foot was broke or sprained they didn'treally have anything for us to do for him, as far as treatment. Well, Squatter spent most of histime lying down for the next 2 days, hardly walking around, we soaked his foot in Nolvasansolution several times a day and tried to wrap it in gauze the best we could. Squatter was walkingon his foot again after about a week, but the foot remained swollen and reddened for about 3weeks.

Rat Wounds:

Rats, especially when babies, are very active and love to chase, tackle and pin one another.Occasionally things can get out of hand and a rat ends up with a big bite.If the Bite is really bad, injuring deep into the skin, a visit to the vet may be needed.Be sure to clean the wound regularly and keep the rat clean.Bite wounds have a great potential for infection as bacteria can be transported under the skinfrom the rats teeth during the bite.You do not want to risk getting an infection, it can be very dangerous.


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Clean the wounds with wound cleaning solution or Nolvasan solution. Hydrogen Peroxide can beused but is not recommend since it kills both dead and healthy tissue. (If you use Hydrogenperoxide be sure to rinse with water after a few minutes or dilute with water before disinfecting.)If the rat has lost hair during the fight, their hair will grow back if the wound is properly caredfor and is small.

Large wounds can leave scars and permanent hair loss growth in certain areas.

Here is a picture of Zombie after his brother took a big bite out of his side.

Tail Degloving:

Degloving is when a part of your rats tail breaks off from being pulled to hard.Parts of the tail can break completely off or be left only partially connected, turn black and blueor the skin can fall off only leaving bone and muscle exposed.

To Prevent Degloving:Never pick a rat up by their tail!Never swing the rat around by the tail!Never pull on the rats tail!Also degloving can happen if the rat gets their tail caught in between cage bars or caught onsomething in the cage or play areas.If you need to get a hold of the rat very quickly to prevent escape or injury try to grab for a footrather than the tail.

Degloving Treatment:If your rat experiences a degloving or tail injury, be sure to clean the wound with woundcleaning solution, such as saline solution, Nolvasan Solution, Chlorehexadine, or HydrogenPeroxide diluted with water.Most rats who suffer from a degloving or tail injury NEED to be seen by a Vet immediately.In some cases the tail may need surgery, stitches and/or amputation.Antibiotics will most likely be needed to prevent infection from starting or spreading.A rats tail is directly connected to the spine, and if a serious tail injury is left untreated infectioncan set in and proceed into the spine which would cause great pain, discomfort and eventualdeath.


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If you leave a tail injury untreated an infection might start and spread throughout the rats bodycausing Gainge green and other bacteria infections which could result in the rats death.

Rat Aggression:

Rats come from all types of backgrounds and sometimes will show aggression to humans if theyhave been abused or mistreated.Rats may bite when they feel scared or threatened.Sometimes loud unexpected noises can startle your rat and they may bite.Try not to sneak up on sleeping rats, you may startle them.When you first bring a new rat into the home, they may act scared and weary and occasionallybite.Most rats will come around and lose their aggression after they have time to adjust to the newhome, new food, new living areas and new people.Their are many forced socialization methods that can be used to help socialize you rat.A few Forced socialization ideas:

Wear an old shirt (Make sure it is a shirt that is O.K. to be nibbled and chewed on by your rat.)around all day and then put that into the rats cage, this will help the rat get used to your scent.

Take the rat out of the cage and continuously hold the rat for 15-20 minutes. You can put therat on your shoulder and walk around, cuddle with the rat and just hold the rat. But don't let therat get away for at least 15 minutes. Do this everyday several times.

If your rat is overly aggressive where it is hard to handle them, you can wear gloves.

Many rats will overcome their aggression when showered with a little much appreciated love.

Rats love to chew on band aids and fingernails and can get carried away chewing on them andbite you.

A rat bite can be very painful.

Immediately after being bitten, put a compress (Kleenex, towel etc.) around the wound until itstops bleeding.

Next, Clean the wound with wound cleaning solution and wrap with gauze or band aid.

If the wound is serious please consult a doctor.

Make sure to clean the wound everyday to prevent infection.

Ear infections:

Rats can get ear infections.A common sign your rat may have an ear infection, is if you notice a head tilt -otherwise knownas Wry Neck.

Pink eyed rats commonly will sway their heads from side to side because they have poor dayvision and this helps them focus. Swaying is usually normal, but shaking can be attributed to anear infection.Other signs of infection are frequent shaking of the rats head and/or digging in their earsfrequently with their feet.Ear infections can cause the rat to scratch around their ears, which could cause scratches,scabbing and bleeding around the ears.Ear infections can also cause the ears to have excessive wax build up and cause the ears to smell


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foul.In certain instances the rat could scratch at their ears so frequently that it could puncture or injuretheir ear drums causing the ears to bleed and have trouble clotting.If you notice excess wax in your rats ears you should clean them with a q-tip or a cotton ball.If you notice a head tilt you should bring your rat into the Vet asap to get some medication. If an

ear infection is left untreated the infection can spread through all the sinus cavities. Head tiltsshould be treated as soon as noticed, if they are left untreated for to long the rat may stay tiltedand never fully recover.On occasion it has been known for severe respiratory infections (Pneumonia/Mycoplasma)tospread through the nose and ears and cause an ear infection.A common prescription for ear infections is an oral dose of Baytril and an ear drop ointmentcalled Baytril Otic.Most ear infections can be easily treated with ear drop antibiotics prescribed by a vet.When putting ear drops in your rats ears, hold their head still for several minutes and try tomassage the medicine into the ears.They love to shake their heads and spray you in the face with the medicine!

Cleaning rat ears:

It is important to keep your rats ears clean to prevent infection, and dirt from getting or becomingtrapped inside the rats ear.Rats ears should be cleaned frequently to prevent excessive wax build up and infection.When cleaning rats ears, you want to clean out the dead skin and wax.

There are a few ways you can clean your rats ears:

You can use a Q-Tip and clean the outer ear and just barely put the Q-tip into the ear canal -bevery careful not to insert the Q-tip to far, you could puncture the ear drum if the Q-Tip is inserted

to far. You can take a cotton ball and get it slightly damp and rub it inside the rats ears to clean outthe dead skin and wax.

You can also use a wet wipe and/or baby wipe to clean out their ears.

A few things to be aware of to help prevent Ear infections are:

Try to avoid getting water into your rats ears (Example: when you are giving the rat a bath, trynot to get water in their ears, and if water does get in their ears, dry their ears with Q-tip andtowel, and try to make them shake their heads so the water does not stay in there.)

Be careful when you are cleaning the rats ears, you could puncture the ear drum.

Bite wounds on or near the ear can cause ears to get infected.

Another reason for rats to be scratching at their ears, is if they have ear mites. (Which can onlybe seen under a microscope.)

Make sure to keep your rat and their areas clean, if a rat gets feces on their hands and thenscratches their ears, it could be transferred into the ear and cause infection.

*My Experience with an eardrum puncture. I had one rat "Sativa" who started having a bit moreear discharge/wax then usual coming from his ear. I started cleaning his ears out daily. Afterabout a week of the increased amount of wax discharge, i awoke one morning to find him, with


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blood coming from his ear, his blood was not clotting properly and was coming out in bloodclumps. He was continuously shaking his head which would spray blood all over the place. Werushed him to the vet who confirmed he had an ear infection and he had stuck his foot so far inhis ear trying to clean it, he punctured his ear drum. The vet gave us "Tresaderm" ear drops todrop into his ear twice a day for 4 weeks. We also had to clean out Sativa's ears once to three

times a day as needed. For the first week his ear discharge still had hints of blood in it. After 2weeks the blood was gone, but there was still a lot of wax build up, so his ears still neededcleaning everyday. Sativa recovered but did have excessive ear wax/discharge in his ears for therest of his life, so he needed frequent ear cleanings once to three times a week.

My Experience with Head tilt/Wry neck -Respiratory related. I had a rat "Raindrop" whose lungswere compromised with a severe respiratory infection -Mycoplasma & Pneumonia -due to badGenes in her bloodline. She was being treated for both. We got the infection to subside but herlungs were so scarred and compromised from the congestion she continuously was havingrespiratory problems. We noticed her starting to have a head tilt, we put her on med's and treatedher for months with little improvement. She straightened out a bit but was crooked for the rest of

her life.

Ear Hematoma:

Stormy's ear before surgery. (notice Gambians ear's stand straight up and can usually swirl all theway around, her ear is drooping over and she can't really move it around.)


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Ear hematoma's are quite rare in any animal. Most commonly occurring in dogs than in otheranimals, but on occasion can happen in rats.I personally haven't heard of them occurring in regular rats but my Gambian Pouched rat, Stormydeveloped an ear hematoma.At first i noticed Stormy's ear was becoming very swollen, i thought she might have pinched it in

between something or possibly an abscess could have been forming -i tried to puncture her earwith a needle as the ear appeared to be filled with pus -however only a tiny small amount of puswould drain out and the ear was becoming more swollen.I did some research on line and found some pictures of dog hematoma's, and Stormy's earappeared to be the exact same thing.So, i made a vet appointment for Stormy, and she had to have surgery on her ear. The Vet cut theear down the center to drain out the pus that had filled inside. Than the Vet sewed the eardownward on both sides of the slit. That would allow the ear to continue to drain -connectingstitches would not have allowed it to drain. Stormy was also prescribed Baytril for a week. After10 days the stitches were removed.Stormy's ear had a lot of scar tissue that was created by the hematoma and now appears wrinkled

and will be that way for the rest of her life.Stormy's ear after surgery -and how it looks now.

Mega colon:

Mega colon is when an animal develops an enlarged Mega colon / Large Intestines.Mega colon can be genetically passed down from Parents and other relatives.Rats with Mega colon to be known in their bloodlines should NOT be bred.Some signs of Mega colon are:

An extended stomach/abdomen.

Bloated or enlarged stomach/abdomen.

Failure for the animal to thrive or grow as fast or as large as the rest of their siblings.


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Abnormal, limited or the inability to have bowel movements.

Diarrhea, constipation or foul smelling stools.Most animals will not live very long with Mega colon and will suffer and have a very poorquality of life, the kindest option is to have the rat euthanized.Some people have treated Mega colon with minimal success that can at least help prolong the

rats quality of life a little longer.Treatment requires feeding the rat a special diet of soft foods and giving the rat Enemas to helpbowel movements.

Check out the Rat Guide for more in depth Mega colon information.

Barbering -Power Grooming:

Barbering is when your rat chews off their hair in certain areas of their bodies by chewing it off.Power grooming is when your rat is over grooming themselves, causing hair loss.Most commonly rats will barber themselves on their necks, & wrists.

Rats can barber themselves if they are sick or scared. (such as they might over groom themselveson their arms, you don't know why and then a few weeks later a tumor or lump appears on theirarm.)Rat's may also do this out of stress due to recent cage, cage mates, environment, food or litterchanges.If you notice your rat chewing off their fur, another possibility could be bugs, such as lice, mitesor fleas.A few things to do to help try to persuade your rats to stop power grooming or barbering is whenyou notice them doing so or notice patches or hair loss clean the area with wound cleaningsolution, bathe them, and put cortisone on the area.

Old age symptoms:

Rats tend to live 1 1/2 to 3 years.If you have a rat live to be 2 years old you are considered lucky, if you have a rat make it to 3years old you are considered, very, very lucky. A rat does not necessarily have to be "Old" to diefrom old age type symptoms, as sometimes they- like humans, can age differently.A few signs of old age are:

Many rats have sudden breathing problems that develop a few days or hours before death, youcan hear their loud breathing, and see them struggling to breathe.They can also make loud gasping, gagging sounds. Occasionally when really struggling tobreathe you will hear a clicking sound coming from the rats throat.

It is common for elder rats to lay in one place and then all of a sudden become frantic, turn incircles, jump and hop around.

Old rats tend to urinate on themselves, and you will need to give them baths frequently to getrid of the urine smell and the yellowing of their hair.

As rats age their appetites tend to decrease.

Elder rats teeth and bones can become sore causing them to no longer want to eat their dry ratfood mixes and only wanting to eat soft chewy foods.
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Elder rats tend to loose weight quite rapidly and their bones start showing.

Elder rats tend to slack off on their grooming habits and their hair tends to be messed up quitefrequently.

It is common for old rats to loose the use of their legs -also referred to as hind leg paralysis.Hind leg issues can come in different levels.

Some rats will occasionally tip over when walking.Some rats will get turned about quite easily and have trouble determining where they are tryingto go.Some rats will learn to cope with the loss of their back legs and learn to drag themselves aroundquite effectively.Others will be overwhelmed with the lack of mobility and go down hill.

*My vet recommended doing leg exercises with rats who have mobility trouble.Stretch out the rats legs, slowly bend at the knee, (sort of like the riding a bicycle movement) rubthe rats legs gently massaging the muscles, this will help the rat maintain circulation in their legs,hopefully helping them to maintain some use of them.When rats start experiencing old age symptoms it is important to make their environment safe

and adaptable for their current condition -such as a lot of elder rats have trouble climbing somake sure food and water is available on lower levels so they will be able to eat and drink even ifthey can not climb to the higher levels. Also make sure ladders and shelves are sturdy so theydon't slip and fall.

If your rats appetite starts to decrease feeding them applesauce can help hydrate them veryquickly. Applesauce is great to give sick or ill animals because it is healthy and is a food and haslots of water in it, which helps hydrate them quickly.

If your rats appetite is decreasing and they are hardly eating or drinking on their own you cansyringe feed and water them.

If it is cold outside, be sure you rat has plenty of bedding material to keep them warm, as theircirculation starts slowing down they will be less likely to be able to maintain a normal body

temperature. If you notice your rat becoming cold, you can use heating pads, or electric blankets under theside of the cage (not in the cage) to help keep them warm.

If it is warm & humid outside make sure your rat does not overheat, if your rat is ill,overheating can quickly become life threatening.

Older rats tend not to be able to clean themselves as well, so they may need your help keepingtheir ears clean.

Older rats may also stop trimming their own nails, so trimming them might become morefrequent.


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Here is a picture of Sid & Rebel, you can see from the picture Sid's bloated body and hisshowing bones from old age.

*Sid's Story: Sid was a hairless Dumbo male at about 1 year of age he developed Bumble footand we tried many methods to try to cure it without any success, Sid was barely effected by hisbumbles and got along quite well. At about 2 years of age he started experiencing hind legparalysis, this made him very unmotivated and depressed. He stopped eating dry hard foods andwould only eat soft foods. He would rarely drink on his own and when he did, he was sodehydrated he would drink for several minutes trying to re-hydrate himself. We started feedingSid applesauce and water through a syringe. Sid also would eat yogurt drops and Raman noodleson his own, if in small enough pieces. I would feed him about 4 syringes full of applesauce about3-4 times a day -depending on how much i had seen him eat on his own each day. After about aweek of syringe feeding him, Sid finally developed enough strength in his front arms to be ableto start pulling himself around again. After he was able to pull himself around, his appetite

increased, although he still was only eating mostly soft foods, he improved and lived happily foranother 4 months. At 2 years 4 months of age, Sid's health and appetite began decreasing again,he began to get very skinny, with his bones protruding the skin, he appeared to be rather bloated,he continued pulling himself around and eating up until his last day. On his last day he stoppedeating and drinking all together and was breathing so heavily it was very difficult to try tosyringe feed him, he passed away later that day.I tell this story to inspire others that in some instances their is something you can do, if we hadnot pampered and cared for Sid when he first developed hind leg paralysis he would not havelearned to cope with his disability and would have passed away, but since we fed and wateredhim and cared for him, he held on and lived another 4 happy months.

Tips to keeping a rat healthy:

Overweight rats are more prone to health problems, such as diabetes & heart conditions.

By feeding your rat a Healthy diet, this will keep your rat from becoming overweight and keepthem from having obesity health related illnesses.

Mushrooms, broccoli, peas, potato's & other healthy foods in variety will help keep your ratsvitamin intake at a healthy level. Try to give them frozen and cooked vegetables.


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Giving your rat mushrooms -such as Mataki or Turkey tail mushrooms can help reduce thelikely hood of tumors and respiratory illnesses.If the rats will eat the mushrooms fresh or dried out whole then you can feed them that way,otherwise you can grind them up in a grinder and mix them with applesauce.

If your rat is dehydrated a quick way to help re-hydrate them is to feed them applesauce.

Applesauce has lots of water in it and helps to feed and water them. I have seen Applesauce helpmany of rats feel better.

It is important for your rat to be healthy in order to fight off infections.

Health issues can arise if your rat is kept in unclean conditions, so try to keep rat areas clean.

If you have several rats that live together try to bathe them all on the same day.

Do not keep your rats by fans or by windows, Drafts are not good for them.

Smoking around your rats, especially rats with respiratory problems can increase thelikelihood of Myco flair ups, Pneumonia or other lungs problems. Also the smoke can cause therats sneezing and wheezing. If at all possible, have a rat room dedicated to smoking, or a room inthe house dedicated to smoking that the rats aren't allowed in.

Make sure your rats bedding, food, litter and environment is as dust free as possible as dust

can irritate their noses and cause breathing trouble. You can add small animal vitamins (such as Vita drops) to your rats water to help them keeptheir vitamin intake high.

Brief Medication information:

Medication can come in many forms, such as concentrated liquid, tablet form and reconstitutedliquid.Liquid medications are the easiest to administer and can be given several different ways.

You can administer medication through an eye dropper or through a needle-less syringe, fill upthe syringe to the recommended dose amount and slowly squirt the medicine into the rats mouth.First try to get the rat to eat the medicine straight from the syringe by squirting it slowly in theirmouth, if they are weary, then you will need to restrain the rat and forcefully squirt the medicineinto their mouths. When giving large amounts of medicine to a resistant rat it works well to givethem half, and than wait a few minutes and than give the rest, this allows the rats to swallow thefirst dose, to help ensure the rat is indeed eating the medicine and not spitting it out. When youtry to give the whole dose at once the rat tends to spit medicine all over, and most of it ends upon you rather than in the rats mouth!


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If you are having quite a difficult time administering medicine, you can mix the medicine withsoft food, such as yogurt, applesauce, mashed potato's or other foods. If there are several rats thatare living together and only one needs medicine or several need medicine, make sure to separatethem and give the ones who need medicine separately -to ensure the others don't eat all themedicine and possibly overdose.

*The only food item i have found that guarantees my rats will definitely get all of theirmedicine is if i drip the medicine over a cookie chunk -they always eat the whole chunk -nomatter how much medicine is on it!

If you happen to get pills, they usually need to be cut in 1/2's or 1/4's and also need to bemixed with water, it can be a little tricky trying to get the medication to absorb into water, so ifyou have a choice liquid medicine usually works better.

Baytril & Doxycycline are two of the most commonly prescribed medications for rats.

Lots of vets will add flavoring to medicine to help it taste better, most commonly cherry orbanana flavoring.

Doxycycline (Generic name) (Brand name) Vibramycin -Can come in injection form needingto be injected into the rat (most commonly in the tail or back area) and can also come in oral

form. Doxycycline/Vibramycin can be used in conjunction with Baytril.

DO NOT let Pregnant rats or rats under 4 months old take Doxycycline/Vibramycin andbeware of using any medication in the tetracycline family on rats under 4 months old.

It can cause fetal development problems, retardation, adversely effect bone and tooth

growth & other serious problems.

Do not let pregnant mothers or rats under 4 months old take Baytril. (New studies(mostly studies on dogs so far) are showing it can cause development problems.)


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But if Baytril or Doxycycline is all your Vet has available and the rat is in a life or deathsituation, by all means it is up to you to use the medicine or not. Using the medicine for a day ortwo until another type of medication can be ordered by the Vet should be alright.

If you have a rat that is under 4 months old that needs medication, Zithromax a less wellknown drug is safe to use for young rats.

Zithromax can be used to treat respiratory problems with the recommended doses being 4 mgper lb. twice daily for two weeks. Than once daily for another two weeks.

Click here to read an article about the effects Vibramycin causes in Pregnant mothers.

Transporting your rat to the Vet:

Here are a few suggestions on how to transport your rat to the Vet:

Small animal carrier, The plastic kind with a wire door.

Canvas duffel bag type carrier.

Small cage or aquarium Well ventilated Cardboard boxIf the rat is going to be in the carrier longer than an hour, it is important to provide drinkingwater.Some Vets will suggest that your rat not eat before surgery, but rats do not have a gag reflex soin most cases it is alright for them to eat beforehand.

Euthanasia

Please do not euthanize any animal unless it is absolutelynecessary.Please, Do not take the decision of putting an animal down lightly!

Please, Do not use home euthanasia methods! Most of these methods are untested, can be

faulty and can cause the animal to needlessly suffer. Please use a trained experienced vet. Preferably use a vet who will let you hold your rat throughout the whole euthanasia process, asopposed to a vet who will take your animal away to a back room where you can't be sure how theanimal passes.Please try to treat the rats medical condition if at all possible before making the decision ofputting them down, Rats are full of perseverance, i have seen many of rats look like they were onthe brink of death and than make a full or partial recovery.If your rat is still eating, drinking and mobile than the euthanasia decision should be put off untilthe condition worsens.Your animals lives are in your hands, please make the best decision you can.

Vet/Lab tests on deceased animals:If your rat suddenly becomes ill and dies and you are curious as to what the cause of death was,In some areas, Vet offices will offer to have a necropsy done, to find the cause of death.In some cases if you have a lot of rats and suddenly a bunch of them become ill and you areunsure as to what the illness is, a necropsy is a good idea, so you can properly treat the remainingrats.
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Having a necropsy done usually entails, that your rat will be sent off to a lab, (Usually aUniversity) to determine the cause of death.The tests can be pricey and in most cases you will not get your rats remains back.

Human Medical issues related to Rats:

Humans can be allergic to rats.Most commonly humans will be allergic to the dead skin or dander in the rats hair, sometimesallergic reactions can come on suddenly. Sometimes humans will start sneezing suddenly afterhaving the rats for a while, this may be because your rat has dandruff or the bedding your rat ison has a lot of dust which has gotten onto your rat. In most cases humans can take over thecounter or prescription allergy medications and can still live peacefully with their furry friends.If you are unable to treat your allergic reactions to rats and it is hard to live with them you canalways get hairless rats!

Don't confuse the occasional sneezes when cleaning rat cages with being allergic to youractual rats. Rat urine can smell rather strong, which can irritate your eyes and your nose. You

could also be sneezing because of the rat bedding itself or because your rats have thrown theirfood everywhere causing dust.

Rats can cause humans to occasionally have arm & hand rash's.Rash's can be quite common when handling your rats, most of the time the irritation is caused byyour rats toenails being long or sharp and it causes your skin to become red and causes smallbumps. The rats tail can also sometimes irritate the skin. The "rat rash" as i like to call it usuallygoes away after about 20 minutes, washing your hands and sometimes applying lotion helps also.If the rash gets worse or causes you trouble you can always wear long gloves or long sleevedshirts when handling your rats to help prevent getting the rash's.

Humans can also get rash's from their rats on your face or other skin areas.

*I had a skin infection on the skin between my eyebrow and my eye lid (some people do not

have skin there). It was very red, scratchy and peeling. I went to the Doctor and he insisted i hada stye in my eye, but i knew that wasn't the case since i had stye's before in the past and it wasn'tmy actual eye that hurt. I started doing research trying to find what the problem may be aftermany failed doctor visits and continued discomfort. I found that you can get skin irritation fromSeborrhea dermatitis (another name for dandruff.) While my rats have suffered from dandruffand i had been given "Seboloux" dog shampoo to wash my rats with from the vet.

A few recommended suggestions i was given to clear up the rash was to wash my face 3 timesa week with Baby shampoo. (The baby shampoo label says it helps "Seborrheic dermatitis.")

Use cortisone (Hydra cortisone or cortisone 10) twice a day or as needed until rash clears up.(Also on the label it says it helps Seborrhea dermatitis)

It was also recommended to try "Elidel" cream. This is a prescription cream and would need to

be Doctor prescribed.

Documents

Rat Illnesses