New Rat Owner...HELP!

Question

Hi There... just hoping someone could give me a bit of advice...

I just adopted two male baby rats two days ago and am very happy to have them. I am an experienced pet owner, as I have owned many different types of animals, but have never owned rats. Since this is my first time owning this animal, I just want to make sure I’m doing everything correctly and I would like to be informed so I can be a good owner. (I might be being a little too cautious – I want everything to go perfectly with them as they seem to be the perfect pet)

They are about 6 weeks old, was told they are brothers (from the same liter) and also was told they were vet checked before being sold, they seem to be pretty tame/used to being handled. Originally I purchased a very large, three-story cage and was told that it was made for rats. We bought our little ratties, set up the cage, and load and behold they could squeeze right out between the bars with no effort. So, we had to bring the cage back, and they had nothing really suited for rats in stock, so we had to order a proper cage. Currently they are in a cage that is roughly 25"L x 18"W x 16"H. I feel bad about keeping them in a cage that size (I feel like its too small, but I suppose they are babies and its okay for a little while.) I had every intention on getting them a great big spacious cage that they can have lots of fun in, but for the time being that's all I have. The new cage should be arriving in about 7 days, so they'll get to be in their mansion soon. The new cage is 30"L x 18" W x 30"H and is called: Super Pet® Deluxe My First Home Cage for Exotics.

I have them in Aspen wood chips and that CareFresh stuff in their litter box. I am feeding them Lab Blocks, and am mixing in a bit of 'Rat Food Mix' just to get them eating. Also, I bought 'Yogurt Drops' and have been using those as treats to get them to like me! They have places to hide; some chew toys, some tissue paper to shred and nest in, as well as a couple old (clean) socks with some holes in it. They are still a little bit timid, since I have only had them for a couple days but come to the cage door when I open it. They still won't climb into my hand, but have no problem being picked up. They don’t really like to sit still when they are out of the cage, I wish they would get comfortable with me so they can just relax on my lap and let me pet them. They like to snuggle in the hood of my sweater together and are content being in there for a couple hours at a time.

They both have been drinking water just fine and have been eating, or at least taking it from the bowl, bury it and then go foraging for it later (even though they seem to be picky eaters already!)The cage is in my bedroom, therefore away from any loud noises and there’s isn’t a lot of foot traffic. I understand that rats are nocturnal, but my ratties seem to be sleeping a lot; most of the day and half of the night. I hope this is normal; perhaps their schedule is just a little mixed up from coming from a pet store where there's activity during the day and nothing going on at night. I suppose they are just re-adjusting their sleeping patterns.

A couple things I have noticed that I am a little worried/concerned about are 1) they seem to tussle/fight quite a bit, but only when they are in their cage. 2) they take turns mounting each other, which I understand can just be their way of figuring out who is the dominant but I am concerned that these are signs that they will only continue to get aggressive towards each other and maybe even have to be separated when they are older. 3) I have noticed that they often don’t sleep together, which is unusual because they just came from a cage together at the pet store where they slept together and didn’t fight. And lastly, 4) one of them seems to be sneezing like crazy and seems to have a bit of red around his nose. I understand that rat's saliva is red/pinkish so after they groom themselves it could look like they are bleeding, but this is only around his nose. The other rat looks just fine and isn't sneezing at all (mind you, he is scratching like crazy sometimes). I'm just wondering if there could be something wrong with my little rattie already. Is sneezing a sign of something bad? Or is he maybe just adjusting to the new environment/smells? Everything else seems to be okay with him; no wheezing or laboured breathing...

I appreciate all your help and advice and look forward to hearing from you soon,

A

Answer 1

Sneezing is a sign of a respitory infection in rats but they also as you said may be sneezing because they are new to the environment. I never use Aspen bedding. Gave my girls horrid respitory infections. We just used carefresh bedding. If your new rattie is still sneezing by tommorrow I would look into taking your little one to a vet. Respitory infections in rats are deadly and the mortality rate is high. Here are some things to look for also in a sick rattie:

Pneumonia

Back to Lower Respiratory

Definition

An infection and inflammatory process of the bronchioles, alveolor spaces, and interstitial tissue of the lung parenchyma.

Clinical Signs

May observe any of the following:

Porphyrin (rust colored) stains about nose and/or eyes.

Wheezing, small coughs, congestion, sneezing, increase in rapid breathing, labored breathing, use of abdominal muscles to breathe, and gasping.

Hunched posturing with rough coat

Lethargy

Poor or loss of appetite.

May hear Rales (crackling, often sounds like rice krispies in milk) when listening to chest with stethoscope.

May hear Rhonchi (rumbling indicating presence of thick fluid) when listening to chest with stethoscope.

If significant consolidation present in lungs breath sounds may be diminished even when listening with a stethoscope.

Presence of head tilt if otitis media/interna (ear infection) is present.

Presence of secondary illness, eg: tumors.

Panic type movement related to inability to get enough oxygen into lungs.

Changes in behavior due to illness (e.g. nipping, biting, avoidance)

Feet and tail tip cyanosis (as oxygen in blood decreases) may be a late sign.

If you see any of these symtoms get your little one to the vet as soon as possibe. Respitory infections if not treated will create a bubble like abcess on the rats lungs. After a while the rat will eventually die from this and it is the most heartbreaking thing to watch. They basically suffocate. But it sounds to me like your doing everything you should be doing. Just watch your little one. And also keep them away from drafts. This can also cause a respitory infection. If in the end your little one does have a respitory infection then your other one needs to also be treated. Most of the time if you take them to a vet and tell the vet how many rats you have at home they can give you enough antibiotics for all of them. Good luck with your little furball and hope I helped.

Answer 2

I think you are doing an amazing job for never having rats!!

Just a few things.

The sneezing and red discharge is definitely due to the wood chips!

We use and I've always used towels...that way you can keep them washed and they don't get dusty and cause sneezyness.

We wash them about once a week and replace where they pee the most every other day! Id definitely consider doing that when you get the new house for them. We glued velcro to the floors of their house and got towels fitted and sown(not sure of the spelling?) onto the towels so they cannot move the towels and pee all over the floor.

This helps with keeping the floors cleaner..not having to scrub them all the time!

The sleeping all the time is quite normal for males..Ive got two! lazy.

Another thing is feeding them! A dry rat mix is always good to have in the house make sure its not refilled all the time because they will leave the stuff they don't like, which is usually whats good for them! so you wanna make sure they get it all!! We refill the bowl every 2 days.

Puppy food is an excellent source of protein...we give our rats small a bowl, to share, of peas with a little puppy food and either 1 or 2 other fruits or veggies usually every other day sometimes everyday depending on how hungry they look. haha.

Because they are so young you're going to want to introduce new foods slowly and in small bits. Their tummy's need to get used to things other than seeds!

Fighting = normal

I think thats alll........i hope that helps!

Answer 3

everything is perfect, except for the sneezing. you rat is in the early stages of a respiratory infection and should be taken away from the other rat. they are very contagious, very common, and unfortunately, untreatable.  it will only go down hill from here and you rat will start gasping for air, which is sad to see. the mounting and fighting is normal rat behavior. because theyre young its playful and its also a dominance thing, which is fine.

Answer 4

Sounds like you're doing pretty well so far! I know of the cage that you've ordered, and have heard good things about it from other rat owners. That's a good sized cage for two boys! :]

About the yogurt drops.. I'd be careful with those because they are EXTREMELY sugary. They should only be a veryyy once in a while sort of treat. A good "training" treat or "getting to know you" treat is Cheerios! They're much healthier than the drops and rats seem to love them just as much!

Some great toys for rats are bird toys! They love anything hanging from the sides or top of the cage to play with. Ladders, too! And they also tend to adore hammocks. You can make them out of virtually anything.. old t-shirt, fleece, etc. PVC pipe also make great tunnels for them to play in, and they're pretty cheap.

The fighting is totally normal. They're boys, and they will be testing each other out and figuring out whose dominant. They also just tend to love to wrestle! I have three 2 month old boys who still do this all the time, and it's all in good fun. As long as there's no blood, all is well.

The red stuff is something called porphyrin, not really saliva. Rats excrete this from their eyes and nose at times, when they just wake up or if they're stressed or excited. It's likely just because they're in a new environment getting used to things. I'd attribute the sneezing to that, as well. Some rats sneeze every time they get excited, too! I have one like that. If the sneezing doesn't die down in a week or so, you may want to get him checked out or change the bedding. Yesterday's News is one of my favorite "bedding" beddings, personally. But the best are fleece blankets (a lifesaver!). They don't pull like towels and I've noticed rats less prone to chew them up. Just take them out on cleaning day and wash them! Less mess and less money spent on bedding all teh time! I use the blankets as bedding and Yesterday's News in the litter, it's less dusty than Carefresh. Respiratory problems are prevalent in rats. But I'd say it's probably just a new place.

As for the energy.. that's just babies for you! It will take a while for them to start settling down with you, a few months. Once they're grown, males tend to become fur slugs and love to relax with you.

I'm glad to see you taking such an interest in your ratties! They're incredible animals! You might be interested in a couple of rat forums, there's loads of great advice there and interesting ratty chats!

http://www.ratforum.com

http://www.goosemoose.com/component/opti...

Answer 5

CongRATulations on your new boys.  You're doing great, but you might want to use something other than aspen (we've been using Total Comfort, but transitioning to fleece,which we already use for hammocks.

The wrestling is nothing to worry about unless someone is bleeding.  It's normal & they're probably just playing.  Several of our rats have even enjoyed wrestling with my hand-- they're amazingly gentle, but if one bites in play, just say "No" firmly in a high voice (like an annoyed rat) & bring the play session to an immediate end.  They learn quickly not to bite you, even in play.

As you mentioned, the "mounting" behavior is simply a way that they decide who the alpha rat is, and this position isn't always permanant so you'll probably see them do this every now & then.  It shouldn't lead to increased aggression.  It's not strange to notice that they don't always sleep together, too-- depending on their mood, they sometimes prefer a bit of privacy.  It helps to have multiple hammocks & nest-boxes so they can have plenty of options.  I've noticed that our rats aren't strictly nocturnal, but nap on and off like cats do.

Don't worry about having them in a small cage, since it's only temporary.  Also, your little guys might *never* hop onto your hand-- we've had several who we've had to simply haul out of the cage, but they were perfectly loving & playful once they were out.  On the other paw, 3 of our 4 girls will jump on my arm & run right up my shoulder the moment their cage is open, & we've had free-range rats in the past who would hop onto our shoulder from a bookshelf (how sweet is that?).

The sneezing & porphorin *could* simply be from new surroundings, but keep an eye on him & if he stops eating or seems ill take both of them to a good vet (he'll be less stressed if he has his bro with him).

Good luck.  Rats are awesome companions.

Answer 6

Fist of all, fighting is normal, but keep an eye on them because it could get really serious and they may eventually need to be separated. As for the mounting thing, I have no idea. Rats get sick very easily and the red stuff may be discharge, so take both of your rats to the vet, even though only one appears to be sick.

Also, they run around because they're energetic and playful, I'm sure they're very comfortable with you. They may love you but still never crawl into your hand. You seem to be doing a wonderful job and I'm sure those rats are as happy as they could ever be. :)

And as perfect as you are with them, most rats only live up to 2 years (but i've heard of rats that lived up to 6)

Good luck!