Sneezing Rats

[cocad]

My rats have been sneezing for about a week now. They also get a little hiccup spell now and then where their body sort of make little jumps while I could hear tiny squeaks from them. Very very soft squeaks.. wouldn't hear it if the room wasn't pin-drop quiet.

Any advice on whether or not I should start medication? Vet said (a week ago) that their lungs sound clear. Is the hiccuping thing normal?

[Colleen]

I recently had two rats who developed a really bad respiratory infection, and only a few months ago they sadly passed away. I think i know what your talking about... the hiccuping, they had it to, I'm not sure what it is but i think it is related to the sneezing, but I'm not sure. My rats would do i off and on, it was almost like there were struggling to breath! Considering my rats died from it, i would get your rat to the vet as soon as you can so you can get them on treatment and it will hopefully knock the infection off.
I'm not an expert on this, so i cant be 100% about what i just told you! but i would still recommend taking them back to the vet!
good luck!

[ashana]

I am by no means an expert but can you tell us what sort of housing materials you are using and how old your rats are.

I know that some bedding materials and litters could be causing an allergic sort of reaction, much like dust getting up your nose will make you sneeze.
Are their eyes clear or are the weeping, this could also be a sign of a breathing problem.

Aimee

[Gothic Shadows]

Sorry ratztree that I didnt see this post sooner.

Respiratory disease is an overriding health problem and cause of death in rats.

Mycoplasmosis (Myco) is the leading cause of respiratory symptoms.

A rat can be infected without showing symptoms, but mycoplasmosis eventually causes respiratory disease in most rat.

Mycoplasmosis can also cause lung damage even if there havent been any overt symptoms.

The first symptom of myco is sneezing. The sneezing might go away and then come back again. Even if you dont hear sneezing, you may see the results: red spatters on the walls or bedding.

The red comes from a pigment in rat tears that run down the inside of the nose and are sneezed out. This is called Porphyrin.

After several months the symptoms usually progress to wheezing.

People sometimes mistake wheezing for the rat "talking", but any noise made while breething is wheezing.

Wheezing can sound like grunting, squeaking or chirping.

Eventually the lungs are damaged and the rat exhibits laboured breathing.

The symptoms may then advance to acute respiratory distress, which causes rats to gasp through their mouths or dash about in panic when they cant get enough air.

A rat with myco is usually active and eats normally throughout the progression of the disease.

Treatment with antibiotics is necessary when wheezing or other severe symptoms occur.

Secondary bacterial infections can occur along with the myco infection and can result in an acute infection that has a more rapid onset of symptoms, including lethargy, loss of appetite, runny eyes and nose and laboured breathing.

Many rats with Myco can live to 18 months to 2 years, depending on the symptoms and severity.

[ashana]

Wow Kris,
Thats really interesting. Thanks for the info, it is always good to have a range of disease symptoms as this helps with diagnosing problems early

[erynne]

My little boy Billy has been sneezing for a while now. He was quite rattly when we got him home but us being new rat parents just thought it was something similar to ferrets "dooking" silly us.
I've been trying to find a rat vet near me so I can take him to get checked out but no such luck so far, I think he might be to far gone now, he has such trouble breathing.
Sorry if this is off topic and a bit rant worthy but I'm still new so be nice

[gardenangel]

Hi Guys,
I think one of my rats have this. Jasmine sneezes and chats all the time. She has dark sleep in her eyes. She doesn't eat much, and is always in bed. I let her out, while I was cleaning her cage, and all she wanted was to get back into bed.
Our other rat Amy is fit and well. She loves to cuddle, and climb on us. She is really healthy.
Is this disease transmitted to other rats in the cage? Can it be transmitted to other animals, eg. rabbits or dogs?
What do you suggest, I could do to help her?
How much would it cost to take her to the vet?
Thanks
Angie

[Leeann]

ANY rats that are showing signs of severe sneezing NEED to go to a vets asap.

Angie, you need to get yours to a vet asap, as she is also off her food, then she is very unwell.

Erynne, first off, Welcome to the forum,
Where about do you live?
There are alot of vets around that will see rats, some have less knowledge and experience with rats than others.
If you still have trouble finding one close, then look up the Warrenwood clinic (Ringwood way) and book an appointment with Brendan.
Cost may be a little more than some vets to see him, but they are prob the best clinic for rats around.

[cocad]

They actually stopped sneezing for about a week after I tried them out with lysine which the vet recommended and echinacea. But the sneezing is back, not as often though and coupled with some noisy breathing when they are first let out and then it goes away after awhile. It happens every time I let them out. Could this be an aftermath of what they went through with the previous bad sneezing episode, possibly leaving their lungs hurt or is this myco?

[Gothic Shadows]

A rats lungs can be damaged even before it starts sneezing.

All rats apart from Lab rats are born with the Myco bacteria already present, but it takes a trigger to set the bacteria off.

Those factors that can contribute to the triggering of the disease are:

Rats that are stressed
Rats with secondary illnesses
Over-crowding in cages
Poor ventilation of the animal’s habitat including ammonia buildup from urine and feces
Use of bedding or litter that contains phenols (e.g., pine and cedar).
Continued drafts
Cigarette smoke
Incense smoke

Some rats are born with genetically weaker immune systems which is why you can have 2 rats in a cage and only one seems to be effected by it. As the rat with the weaker immune system finds it hard to stop the bacteria turning into a disease.

There seems to be 2 age groups that this disease shows up in easily.

One is between 2 and 6 months, if a rat hasnt already got symptoms by then, they may not get any until they are between 12 and 18 months.

Some things things you can do to try and help rats with severe symptoms include:

Provide humidification with a humidifier, or stay with rat in a closed steamed bathroom at 10 to 15 minute intervals, to loosen secretions.
*Note: cool mist humidifiers or vaporizers may be helpful where steam has not benefited.
It is important to remember to clean humidifiers or vaporizers following each use to prevent growth of organisms from standing water.

If antibiotics are given remember to give your rat yogurt with live active cultures, to prevent normal gut flora from being destroyed by the antibiotics.

Provide additional warmth using a hot water bottle or heating pad on a low heat under one half of the cage (ensure rat does not overheat and become dehydrated).

Provide additional nutritional supplement , such as Soy baby formula, Nutrigel paste (for dogs and cats found in pet stores), mashed avocado, and baby foods. If the rat is not willing to eat on its own, provide feeding in an oral syringe (no needle) every 2 hours being careful to prevent aspiration. Providing small amounts of food in this fashion will help to promote intestinal motility during illness. Include additional multi-vitamin supplement (can be found in pet store) if food intake is poor.

Place food and water close and on same level with the rat to prevent from exerting itself. Over exertion in a rat who already has difficulty breathing will prevent the rat from wanting to eat.

Provide fluids to prevent dehydration. If the rat is willing to drink on its own or by syringe (no needle), the following are suggested: fresh water, or a glucose mixture of 3 teaspoons of honey in 568 mls of warm water (be sure water is warm enough to dissolve honey and then cooled just enough so as not to burn rat’s mouth), or electrolyte replacement drinks such as Gatorade which can be found in local grocery stores.
Care should be taken to prevent aspiration when giving fluids with an oral syringe.

If the rat is not drinking or eating you need to go back and see your vet again as soon as possible.

All rats should be taken to a vet at any sign of sneezing, just to have their lungs listened to to make sure they are fairly ok.

If people want to wait until their rat is showing more severe signs before visiting a vet, be aware that lung damage is likely to have already occured and their rat's life span may already have been shortened.

Although all rats are born with Myco bacteria, not all rats will suffer from the disease and many can live fairly healthy lives right up to the age of 3, 4 or 5.

Those who do suffer from a slight myco condition where sneezing comes and goes can still live to between 2 and 3.

But you need to keep a very close on and take as much precausion as you can to make sure they dont get overly stressed or chilled and that their cage is cleaned a little more often.

[ashana]

Hi girls,

I am a little concerned about our new girl Hannah. She has with her a pinky of about 1 week old. I noticed yesterday (picked her up the day before) that her breathing is quite fast and her whole body moves with each breath, although this is what first made me wonder if she was ok i have been watching very closely and have not seen or heard any wheezing or sneezing etc. She eats well (what she wants though, none of this rat sort food) I have been hand feeding her banana, zuchini, lettuce, cashew nuts, weetbix, corn and peas. She also has access to seed and lots of water.
I noticed that on her "nesting" box (which is white) there are a few small spots of red (possibly from a sneeze during the night).

Is there anything i can do for her right now, I am thinking she may have an infection of sorts but am unsure for how long since i do not know her history. I am able to get multi-vitamin drops, but am unable to get to the vet at the moment.

Any help or advise would be great, I was hoping to be able to help her live out the rest of her life (however long that is) in comfort like she possibly has never know and am now unsure if she has long left.

Thanks
Aimee

[littleraton]

It really depends how frequent the sneezes are. If they are quite often, i.e. so noticeable it's hard to ignore them, then you should definitely start them on medication.

All rats carry the disease known as Mycoplasma, however only some became infected and suffer from the symptoms. Some recover, while others don't. My rat Pop suffered from a respiratory condition for a brief period after we purchased him (silly shop used bad bedding I think, it was awfully dusty) - he sneezed very frequently, hiccuped exactly like you have described and also suffered from small red dots/warts on his tail and ears. I quickly rushed him to the vet and started him on medication.

The vet, and what I now too suggest, suggested that I mix in one small spoonful (the spoon comes with the container) of green-ish looking powder into a mushy or liquid food once a day (or half a spoon twice a day). I'm not actually sure what the scientific name was of this treatment, though I know it was an antibiotic. I will try to find the container and post it on here asap.

The site www.2ndchance.info/ratlover.htm has some really helpful and comprehensive information on rat diseases.

Hope this helped!

little raton