My rat has had a bit of red stuff around her nose and has been sneezing a ton what should i do?

Question

i just got my rat 3 days ago and ever since i got her home she started to have a little bit of a bloody nose. after it started she started sneezing and now it diddent happen on the second day and now it is back and the sneezing is way worse than the second time what should i do because my mom wont let me take her to the vet because she sais that if she dies thatn she just dies but i realy dont want that to happen so what can i do without haveing to go to the vet?

Answer 1

Listen to your rats lungs.  If her lungs sound wheezy or there is a 'clicking' like sound, then she needs to go to the vet ASAP.  Rats can become stressed from the change in environment, an over crowded cage (most likely at the petstore) and since I am guessing you got her from a pet store, that she has very poor genetics, which make her more prone to illnesses.

if there is wheezing of clicking, that she has an upper respiratory infection and needs to be put on antibiotics.  If she is not, then she will go into an respiratory distress (meaning she goes into a panic in which she can not breath well and causing her to stress even more and become even more ill and even die).  

Like the first poster said, when you brought this rat home she became your responsibility and now you need to provide her with all the care she needs (inlcuding a vet).

Also, rats are very social creatures and need to be housed in same gender pairs to live a happy life.  A lone rat will become bored and depressed.  With depression comes a weaker immune system, with a weaker immune system comes illness... and so on.. I think you get the picture.

Take your rat to a vet and get her a same gender friend.

Good luck! :3

Answer 2

She needs to see a vet. It was your responsibility when you took her in to provide her the care she needs, if you can't, it's best to rehome her.

The "blood" is not blood, but a red pigment in rat tears called porphyrin. Excess amounts can be a sign of stress or illness. Coupled with the sneezing, it likely is illness in this case.

A good small animal vet will be able to prescribe antibiotics to clear things up.

Is your rat a lone rat? If so, she also needs a same s*x friend since rats are so social. It isn't fair to keep them alone. Can you afford vet care for two rats? If not, it'd be best to just rehome your girl with someone who can.

Answer 3

You can try giving her yogurt and foods high in vitamin c. Yogurt has natural antibiotic properties and vitamin c will help boost her immune system. You can also get a product called Rabbit Rx which is basically Vicks Vapor Rub for small animals. If you have a humidifier, get it and put it in your room to help break up any congestion. You can also get some Pedialyte and fill her bottle with it to help keep her hydrated. You can also crush a vitamin c pill and mx the powder with the Pedialyte and give it to her in a syringe. Or you can mix it in some baby food. This should help clear it up if it isn't too severe. If you do all this every day and it doesn't get any better, you will have to take it to a vet to get antibiotics. Your mom sounds like a *****, btw. :/

Answer 4

Rats sometimes just sneeze because of dust in the air just like us so don't worry about going to the vet just yet.

The red "blood" coming out of her nose is actually mucus. Rats get this out of their eyes, nose and sometimes their mouth and it is usually caused by stress. This could simply be stress from being in a new home. My rats had this mucus for a few weeks after we got them but it went away soon after this.

If the sneezing gets worse or stays for more than a week and your rat shows signs of weakness or it doesn't want to get out of bed, you may need to fork out some of your own savings for a vet visit. Your rat may have caught a cold from yourself, your family or some friends. Human cold viruses are very strong and can sometimes kill a rat. If your rat shows signs of human colds then please take her to the vet.

Good Luck with everything and i hope your rat gets better!