rats makingg weird noise :(

[lynette09]

hi , my albino ratty , has been making some wierd noises and is breathin very wierd its like a runting noise , please dont tell me anything to horrible what could be happenin because im very panic attack prone and i cant get to a vets till about 4 when i can get a lift but how can i help her , she seems to be droping weight over a few days !!!!! , please

[lynette09]

i know rats have a fast metablisim , is there any foods that will stock her up ?

[lynette09]

shes eating cheerios i just gave her some there her favourite so shes still eating , could it be that i have moved a snake into the other room?
maybe she cna sense it ?
will have to move it later its to big for just me also , iv noticed that her nose is abit bloody?

they have loads of beding a hamack and a rodent heat pad , so i dont think its cold?? they have a large cage with a littter tray with cat litter init with they use , could it be the cat litter?
iv always used it thou .. was told it was better to it when i got my first rat 5years ago ,

[cpiggott22]

Hiya, taking her to the vets is definitely a good idea as it sounds as though she may have a respiratory infection. These are very very common in ratties so don't panic, a course of baytril solves the problem in a majority of cases. The 'blood' around her nose is porphryn, it's produced by a gland behind their eye which acts as a lubricant for the eyelid. When rats are poorly or stressed it can leak out around the nostrils and eyes. Most rats have this from time to time anyway and it's nothing to be concerned about, it could just be a sign of the infection.

It's correct that this may have been triggered by stress (possibly from the snake but I don't own any so couldn't guess really), all rats have something called 'myco' present in their bodies (I forget if it's a bacteria or something else) but sometimes it can get multiply if the immune system is weakened for some reason and trigger a respiratory infection. Some rats suffer from bouts of it throughout their lives whilst others never have any problems.

I'm not a vet so there's a chance it could be something else but respiratory infections are so common in ratties that that's the most likely explanation from your description. Good luck with your appointment this afternoon, I hope rattie gets better soon xx

ETA: what substrate and cat litter do you use? As some rats are more delicate than others it could just be that this one is particularly sensitive to dust or chemicals. You're best using a cardboard substrate and paper litter (such as biocatlet). Have you changed your washing powder lately or can you think of anything that's now different in or around thier cage?

[lynette09]

oo thankyou , i will move the snake upstairs with the rest anyway if they can sense it i wont be nice for them and they are ma baba's lol i will definatly be taking her to have her seen to ,shes not making the noise anymore but she still is breathing very different but i will get her sorted i hope fingers crossed i hope she doesnt have a tumour , i had a black rat called roland who got a inner tumour actually iv had 2 rats who have had it , am i buying rats from the wrong people ?
or is this all common?

[cpiggott22]

Tumours are also extremely common in rats, I lost my first girly to internal tumour near her brain and the second to a mammary tumour.

Where are you buying rats from? It's very important both ethically and health/temperment wise that you buy your rats from the right place. Emailing the NFRS for a list of registered breeders is your best bet, although be aware that the breeders aren't regulated so you must check they agree with your own ethics. Rats bought in pet shops often come from 'rodent farms' where they're kept in horrific conditions and are the rodent equivilent of battery chickens so should really be avoided.

A good breeder should be able to tell you the lineage of your rats and breed primarily for good health and nice temperment, with colour and markings being secondary. They should also be able to tell you if there have been any specific problems within the line and keep in regular contact with you to keep their own health records on the line up to date. Any breeder who doesn't want to meet you to check you out first or who doesn't do the above things is breeding for money or simply because their rat is 'cute' so they want to make more. A good, ethical breeder is responsible from start to finish and should sell you happy, healthy and well handled ratties

[lynette09]

my albino rats are from a pet shop , werent really that well handled , i got 3 hairless rats from a seller on here , 1 died , i think the other 2 are ok , but i dont breed them myself even thou i have got a male and3 females.. cause .. i just dont want to there just pets , i was going to get another , as 1 of my hairless rats died , i didnt want to get another and after this lil girls taken abit of a turn for the worst , im not sure they all seem badly bred tbh, which is a shame ,

my first ever rat i brougth when we lived in spain , i brought it as 1 live food , it was the best pet id ever had used to take him everywhere bt he also died of a tumour when he was quite old thou

il have to take alot more care it seems if i ever where to get another

[cpiggott22]

It can be so misleading trying to find a good breeder, just keep your wits about you and I'm sure you'll find someone worth buying from

Hairless rats are relatively new in the mainstream rat world if you see what I mean. They've become really popular lately so a lot of people are trying to breed to meet demand. I'm not saying in the least that whoever bred them for you was a poor breeder, just that the line is very new so no-one really knows what problems to expect. There's a lot of conflicting information about health problems with hairless but the fact is that no-one's bred them to a high standard for long enough to really be certain *as far as I'm aware*. If you're interested, there's an excellent breeder down my way who I've just bought some incredible bubs from...they've started up a hairless line and I can assure you they're very conscious about health and are lovely people

ETA: just re-read your post and respiratory infections aren't necessarily a sign of bad breeding. What substrate do you use and which cat litter?

[lynette09]

premium cat litter natural clay , thanks

[cpiggott22]

I think clay substrates are a bit on the dusty side to be honest, for reasons I've already posted, some rats may be fine on it whilst others suffer chest problems. Have you considered a paper litter such as Biocatlet? What do you use on the floor of the cage? Shredded card seems to work best