Just got rat, Its not eating, but is drinking a lot, looks great, but also was sneezing. Whats wrong?

Question

Male rat, by himself (will be getting another one in a few weeks/month).

Got him at a family owned pet store; spent an hour with him and he seemed perfectly fine, no sneezing, or anything.

I'm using a good bedding...cant remember the name, but it was recommended by the staff, who are very knowledgeable (I've been going to the pet store for years and know them)

once I arrived home, the little guy showed some signs of sneezing...other than that was fine. I've also noticed that he hasnt really eaten since we brought him home, and he also did not respond to my offerings of cheese as a treat.

I also noticed that he was drinking a lot of water... almost for a whole 3 minutes straight. normal?

anyway, thank you in advance for your responses, I really want to try and help this little guy...I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and ask about it.

Answer 1

Okay, let's break this down.

1.) Sneezing isn't unusual in rats, especially when moving home. There could be more dust in your home than there was in the pet shop. As long as there is no other symptoms such as rattling in the chest, tiredness, blood around the eyes or nose, there's nothing to be concerned about. Rats sneeze, like humans sneeze. Just make sure it doesn't become a cold, which is easy enough- keep him out of the cold, keep away from him when you have a cold- etc. etc.

2.) Not unusual. Do you know how hard it is to get water out of those things?! Rats can go longer than camels without water, but if it's avaliable to them, they drink. A three minute drink to him is normal as the bottle is very clumsy to get the liquid out.

3.) Rats don't eat a whole lot- I notice that too. I work in a pet store, and clean out the animals on Sunday mornings, and the rats are normally the only animals who still have food left from Saturday morning. And rats don't like cheese a lot- that's a cartoon rumour! It's very bad for them, and they're not keen on it- they like vegetables like cucumber, carrot, cabbage etc. etc.

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You can call a vet, but they'll most likely say the same. A little bit of sneezing in rats is fine without other symptoms, they tend to appear to drink a lot because it's hard to drink out of those bottles, and they don't eat a whole lot, and they don't like cheese, which is bad for them anyway.

Nice and simple.

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Kierstien is also right.

Male rats can be very hard to keep together.

In the store, we only sell rats that have been together since they've come in, and only mix female litters if we need to- if, for example, we have five male rats and sold two sets, leaving one, he would be sold on his own; we wouldn't try and introduce him to another male rat, because it's quite risky.

Whereas if that was the same situation and female, you could gently put another one in there, mointer them for about half an hour, and they're likely not to fight.

So you may want to reconsider the possiblity of getting another one.

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Oh, and if you want something cheaper bedding-wise than Carefresh, though we sell carefresh and I agree it's the best- some cat litters are suitable.

Where I work, we use Biocat Litter. It's not dusty, absorbs well, and is cheaper than carefresh.

Answer 2

Law L put a  very knowledgeable answer and true.

As long as there is no discharge it's probably just from dust and not respiratory infection.

Get yourself some "CAREFRESH" litter, the white kind not the other kinds. It's low to no dust and that should help your furry friend:) (It's also WAY more absorbent than pine cedar -which should never be used- and aspen. It will cut down your cleaning as it lasts alot longer. But for this reason it is more expensive.

Also rats DO drink alot of water. They are just thirsty little creatures. Were bubbles coming up from the tube while it was drinking? If not you may have the lid on too tight.

The rat just moved to a new home, probably wasnt handled much in the store. The rat does not trust you yet, it's not going to take treats from your hand. Yet.

You do realize males kept in pairs will most likely fight right?

You should always house two females together, males should only be housed together if they were litter mates and have lived together their whole lives.

This is YA! you will get conflicting answers. I found that out the hard way trying to get my tank up and running. But for the most part people here are very knowledgeable and very helpful.

I wish you luck on your new furry!

Answer 3

Ok, cheese is not that great for rats. best off sticking to the pet food, or giving fresh fruit or veggies, or even a bit of cat food (mine loved that).

All of my rats were sneezers. you only really need to worry if you see that their nose is bleeding.

The not eating thing, he's still getting settled in, give him some time. But adult rats don't need much to eat, especially given that he's in a cage, not running about like in the wild.

Don't hesitate to call the pet store though, the more you know, the better care you can take of your rat. :D

Answer 4

he could be sneezing for a number of reasons. sometimes rodents sneeze when they're sick, other times they sneeze if they have allergies. my best advice would be to take him to a vet who has experience with rodents just to have him looked over and see if he is indeed sick or not.

Answer 5

don't use wood shavings as bedding. they can breath the dust in and hat can make them sneeze, use torn newspaper.

ask a vet how much it will be to desex it. price with vary