Pet rat owners? I have a couple of questions...?

Question

I have two male albino rats. But there are some problems I really need help with.

1) My rats- both- sneeze a lot. I don't know if it's the bedding or maybe because of the bath I take them (I take them a bath in warm water without wetting their heads) I also use 'care fresh' bedding. ANY Suggestions please.

2) I bought rat food from petland (I should really not trust them anymore) and found these small beetle-like bugs on them. (is it the store or something?) but anyway I threw out the whole thing.

3) I clean my rats and their cage once a week but in between they still smell. What else can I do to keep them from stinking so fast?

4) and this is the bIG ONE- Whenever I clean their cage I always find these extremely white tiiinny bugs. I hate bugs! I also find these bugs in the container of my hamster's food. Is there any air- tight thing or something I can get to keep bugs from going in my pets' food?

PLEASE HELP... My mom's already threatening me of throwing them away.!

Answer 1

I too agree with lgwig, your rats could have parasites & arespiratoryy problem going on. so please take them to see a vet.

As for litter, walmart carries a corn cob bedding that i found works great for rats & it costs less than $5.00 for a big bag.

As for food I always buy mine at Petco, the brand is Kaytee the food is made especially for rats (a sealed up bag) & they live it & not once did i ever in the past 10 yrs of having a rat for a pet ever found bugs in the food. the price depending on what size bag you buy is between $3.99-$6.99    Also i would advise that once you open the bag, keep the food in a actually tupperware container to keep it fresh & bug free.

I hope i was able to assist you.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

1.) They could have a respiratory infection, which rats are extremely prone to, i'd call your vet.

2.) I used to get those a lot, freeze your food when you get it home, are they like moths? Those are meal moths if they are and they are killed by the freezer.

3.) scoop out clumps and poo every day, that should help.

4.) aah, i don't know!

Answer 4

1) Your rats sneeze alot - this could be a serious problem and should be checked out by your vet. All rats carry the disease Mycoplasmosis, but when it is flared up it can turn into respiratory disease, snuffles or colds which are all serious conditions that will make your rats very uncomfortable and shorten their life. You should get them to the vets as soon as possible who will be able to diagnose respiratory problems and if necessary prescribe a course of Batril to treat them - however it is highly likely that they will be left with respiratory damage, such as mild sneezing and a wheeze for the rest of their lives.

2) Rat food - that is very unfortunate, you should complain to the store and ask them to remove all of their current stock for inspection, or the health of other animals that eat it are in jeopardy. The best food for your rat is a recognized brand of complete rat mix or if you can find them, lab blocks.

I am very concerned about the white bugs - that could mean your rats have worms or mites as they definitely sound like some kind of parasite. Again, get this checked out by a vet who will be able to diagnose the problem and provide you with treatment, and you will also have to treat the rats cage and the surrounding environment for the parasites larvae and eggs.

It is possible that the parasites are what is making your rats smell because it is very unusual for two young rats to smell, rats are very clean animals and they usually smell fine. Are your rats in a big enough cage? It should be at least 4 cubic feet or they are in a hamster cage which is too small - small cages mean ammonia builds up fast making them smell. If they are in a tank, there is not enough ventilation and in the welfare of your pets health you should swap it for a suitably sized wire cage immediately - I would recommend a Savic Freddy 2, it's cheap, good quality and easily available. Make sure that you clean out your rats cage furorely and disinfect all the accessories and change the floor covering once a week. You should mop up urine, remove faeces and damp patches every day either in the morning when you feed them or the evening before you go to bed. Rats also sometimes develop the annoying habit of wetting their beds so you should change their paper wool bedding every 3-4 days.

I would recommend you stop bathing your rats - rats are very clean animals and groom themselves and they rarely need baths. I never bath my rats and they smell fine - I only occasionally bath if they've been playing in the garden and are muddy or if they have an upset tummy and have had an accident. It sounds like you bath your rats alot and that will have stripped the coat of its natural cleansing oils which is another probable reason as to why they smell. Stop bathing them - they will smell for a while but once they start producing the oils again they will be fine. Bathing should be a very occasional thing not a regular practice.

Carefresh is an excellent bedding and is unlikely to be the source of the parasites - if you got your rats from a pet store is likely that they were factory bred by profit hunters and were not well socialized or looked after whilst they will young meaning that they have been bred with a sickly disposition which has caused their respiratory problems and parasites. In future, only ever buy rats from a responsible breeder or adopt them from a rescue centre - pet store rats are often problematic and sickly and so should be avoided.

Check the size of the cage, clean it regularly, stop bathing and get your rats to the vets!!

Hope this helps!

p.s in response to the person above me, I would not recommend you use smelly oils on your rats bedding to make them smell nicer. These oils are likely to irritate your rats as they have very sensitive noses and can at worst make respiratory problems even worse. You can however dab a tiny bit of vanilla essence on your rats tummies and bedding if its only a bit and not regular practice. When in the right-sized cage, cleaned out every week and with spot-check cleaning everyday rats should not smell - even if they are males.

Answer 5

Okay,

1) rats are allergic to ALL pine things,so shavings,cat wood pellets.. you name it,& many other bedding's,if you can stat the bedding you use that would be great! =)

2)EWWW.. that's disgusting,you should report that,its not right i have NEVER had beetles in my pet foods!

3)I found this problem the smell a HUGE problem,you can buy rat safe,nice smelling bedding but this is uncommon,so Lavender,citronella,lemon oil can be used & it smells lovely,or strong smelling candles can help,or other things like that. Have you try inscent sticks/Joss sticks? this are a life saver you can buy the stands & sticks for hippy shops.BUT don't use any of these oils/sticks in the cages,i didn't mean to use it IN the cage,ONLY OUTSIDE as these oils can damage the rats nasal passages if used in the cage itself.

4) Are you sure that the bugs didn't come from that Sh*t pet store? Because it could of been it the items/food you brought there. Buy a insecticidal spray for cages(make sure its for rodents/rabbits & its not from that pet store!!) remove the rats and throughly clean out the cage,with washing up liquid then rinsing & drying & then spray the cage well with the spray only return the rats when the spray has DRIED!

Hope this helps & you get to keep your rats! x*x