There is something wrong with me...

[Desert Arabian]

I'm making all my ratties ill. I don't know how, but I am. We had to put Punkin to sleep on Nov. 25, 'cuz of congestive heart failure, Peanut is being treated for a possible case of pneumonia, Nugget is getting a tumor in her neck, and Sweet Pea might have a upper respatory problem (which we are getting checked out when the vet gets back from her vacation), I might just be going insane and making me think Sweet Pea is sick when she's not. I feel awful, like its my fault. AAAAAHHHH! I want to run around in circles with a dumb look on my face. Luckily, Peanut is getting better, I think. This morning when I gave her her medicine, I listened to her breathing and it is sounding a lot better. That makes me feel a little bit better. Maybe its their old age? They aren't very young thats for sure! What ever the reason..it is still making me nuts. They were perfectly fine, then all of a sudden WHAM- their sick. OI!

[mugsy]

It's not your fault. Pets like humans get sick and sometimes pass it along. I'm sorry your poor little ratties are sick. Give them a little squeeze for me. I'm glad at least one of them is getting better. See...you're a good mom.

[jenluckenbach]

I am sorry your ratties are sick. I am certain that it is not you. If they were all about the same age, and now they are all old at the same time, it could just be coincidence. But I do have one question that may lead you to a problem. Do you use pine shavings? as these are very bad for small animals.

[Desert Arabian]

Nope, I have never had a pine bag in my house. I used to use aspen shavings, but we were paying $18.00 a bag for it, and to top that off, the rats would fling it out if the cage- making quite a mess. Now we use $3.00 pellets for the big girls, and I am using $ 5.00 corn cob bedding right now for the little dumbos. We usually bounce around to what type of bedding we buy, but we have never bought a bag of pine or cedar . I do wish we could buy a bag of pine or cedar, because it smells *so* good to me, but obviously my childrens health comes first.

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by YellowLabLover
Nope, I have never had a pine bag in my house. I used to use aspen shavings, but we were paying $18.00 a bag for it, and to top that off, the rats would fling it out if the cage- making quite a mess. Now we use $3.00 pellets for the big girls, and I am using $ 5.00 corn cob bedding right now for the little dumbos. We usually bounce around to what type of bedding we buy, but we have never bought a bag of pine or cedar . I do wish we could buy a bag of pine or cedar, because it smells *so* good to me, but obviously my childrens health comes first.

I am glad your mom took my advice and started using the wod stove pellets. However just a word of caution on corn cob bedding. Some rats eat it and it can cause impactions and death. I would advise against using that stuff, the would be fine on the pellets.

Older rats can indeed have heart problems, especially rats who were bred for health in mind. Most breeders including myself breed only rats who have no health problems and keep a few babies from litters until they cross rainbow bridge in order to keep track of the "healthiness" of the lines. It's just a fact of the ratty life.

Tumours are also very common and another trait we breeders are trying to breed out of the fancy. Tumours can be easily removed. Most likely it is a mammary tumour, even though it is located on the neck the mammary tissue goes very high up there, you wouldn't believe it. Just hope it's not cancerous and that surgery can remove it. There is a product onthe market which slows the growth of tumours and also protects the rat from getting another one. You can also feed your rats pine nuts which have anti cancer agents in it. My rats get this in their mix daily. THey are very high in fat though and only a few a day is enough.

You haven't had a case of strep throat lately have you? Strep throat is highly contagious to rats and can lead to death if not treated asap. May I ask what type of antibiotics the vet prescribed. I would recommend Baytril for older rats, this is the best antibiotic for respiratory problems in rats. Tetracycline is good also along with Amoxi drops, however a case of pneumonia should call for Baytril. I always keep a supply of tetracycline on hand inthe rattery and treat all new rats with it and treat any sign of respiratory illness with it right away. To ease their symptoms you can put them in the bathroom and let it steam by turning onthe hot water in the bathtub. This has been known to actually save a few rats lives and dramatically reduces the raspiness.


Another note on feeding though if I haven't mentioned it before. Kaytee rat food contains cancer causing agents int he food so be advised not to feed that stuff.

[luckies4me]

Also it is highly recommended to NOT touch other rats in the petshop without first washing your hands and taking a shower before playing with the rats you have at home. SDA is a VERY HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS disease which can spread via air and also contact with mucous and secretions etc. Do not take your rats to the petstore with you. If there happens to be a sick ratty there your rat can be infected just by breathing the same air, which is why breeders quarantine new rats in seperate households with a seperate air supply. It could be a MYCO flare up also. ALL rats are born with MYCO, however not all show symptoms. It usually shows itself when there is stress in their environment, new ratties, a trip etc.

[Desert Arabian]

Peanut is on Baytril, and is getting better. I have done the steam thing many times, and it does help. Thanks for the advice on the corncob bedding. As soon as it is solied enough, I will switch it to something else. The reason I was using cornbob bedding for the little guys is because the wood stove pellets are extremely dusty, and it was bothering little Freds nose. I know that sneezing a lot is also a sign of respatory problems...but he does not have a lot of red tears- infact none at all, and his breathing is just fine. They have a vet appt. on December 3rd for their neutering, so he will get checked out then. I doubt we are going to have the tumor removed- it is over $500.00, and she is a "senior citizen" to add to it. Where can I get pine nuts? I have never heard of them before, and I have never seen them in stores. I haven't been sick at all for a couple of months, so I don't think I gave them anything to make them ill. What do you feed your rats? What is in the Kaytee product that makes it a bad food? Thanks for your help, and thanks to everyone else for their responses.

[luckies4me]

Kaytee contains a product called Ethoxyquin, which is a known cancer causer.

As for pine nuts, they are found at the grocery store in the organic food section or at your local Trader Joes. They are tiny little nuts that taste VERY yummy.


Have you tried Carefresh? It is a bit spendy but you can try mixing that with the pellets, which is what I do. It makes the pellets last longer and can help with dust. Make sure when you use the pellets that you let any dust settle before adding the rats. If you do use this you need to freeze it first for a day because sometimes it contains mites. Might be a good idea to have your guys get a dose of Ivermectin when they go get neutered.....which of course is on my birthday!

[Desert Arabian]

Oh...why.... happy early birthday. Might as well tell you know before I forget. I also forgot to tell you that I try not to handle the ill ones too much, only to check progress- or see if they have gotten worse, and to give Little P her medicine. I do wash my arms and my hands when I am done. This is how I didn't know Nugget got a tumor, because I didn't hold for a long time, so I wouldn't make her sick from Peanut. I noticed she was hiding in the hidebox a lot, so I took her out to check on her. There was a little lump in her neck. Two days later, there was a large lump in her neck. The next time we go to the grocery store I will look for those pine nuts. No, I don't think I know what Carefresh is, for sum reason "cat litter" keeps on popping in to my head. Is that what it is? What would you recommed for me to feed my rats? Thanks for all your help.

[luckies4me]

To get an idea of what I feed my rats look at this picture of their food. I also supplement this with fresh fruits and veggies such as apples (without the seeds, these are toxic!), collard greens, bananas, papaya, romain lettuce, mustard greens, broccili (sparingly as it can cause gas), cooked mushrooms, cilantro, carrots, green beans, frozen peas so they can "fish for them". I put them in water and let them go ratty fishing, it's one of their favorite pastimes.

Also I am sure I posted this link once but here it is again. What to feed your rats...

[luckies4me]

here it is, a pic of my ratties mix...

[Desert Arabian]

Thanks for all the information.

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by YellowLabLover
Oh...why.... happy early birthday. Might as well tell you know before I forget. I also forgot to tell you that I try not to handle the ill ones too much, only to check progress- or see if they have gotten worse, and to give Little P her medicine. I do wash my arms and my hands when I am done. This is how I didn't know Nugget got a tumor, because I didn't hold for a long time, so I wouldn't make her sick from Peanut. I noticed she was hiding in the hidebox a lot, so I took her out to check on her. There was a little lump in her neck. Two days later, there was a large lump in her neck. The next time we go to the grocery store I will look for those pine nuts. No, I don't think I know what Carefresh is, for sum reason "cat litter" keeps on popping in to my head. Is that what it is? What would you recommed for me to feed my rats? Thanks for all your help.

Thanks!

[Kfamr]

It's not your fault... maybes there's just somthing going around... or one got ill and made the others ill.

[luckies4me]

Also if they are all housed together inthe same cage, the whole colony will be infected if it is a respiratory thing, they are very contagious especially SDA, but like I said it would just be a Myco flareup. I would suggest handling them while they are sick and you don't have to worry about touching the others if they are all inthe same cage. A sick ratty needs lots of love and some of the time this is the only thing that can pull them out of it.

If they are senior citizens and the Baytril isn't working ask your vet for a dose of Gentocin. It is an injectable and fast acting antiboitic. Or you can try Tylan which is also a great broad spectrum antibiotic. But keep in mind as everyone is saying, this is not your fault. Rats get sick and that's just something that happens.

Carefresh is used as cat litter, it is also a very safe bedding though. It is made out of recycled paper and not too dusty, however it is expensive. It is a very cozy bedding for small animals and I like to mix it with my pellets so that they have much more softness. I also throw some into their hidey beds.