Got a Rat!

[J.huff23]

I got a rat for free from a friend. Dont know how old she is. She is a female albino.

She is sneezing like crazy. Is this because of the bedding they had it in?

Also-can I keep her on a diet of fruits and veggies?

 

[Laceface]

I'm pretty sure she'll need some sort of staple, but I know they looove the fruits and veggies too. And mealworms. That is the cutest thing in the world, when they eat mealworms. Rat's are awesome pets, you'll love her to pieces.

 

[J.huff23]

I already do. I changed the bedding because I read that they sneeze a lot with a certain bedding. So I changed it just to be safe. Of, course...I need to get her a cage mate!!!

That brings up another question-Can rats of different sizes be cage mates? Im pretty sure mine is full grown but I want to get another one as a baby. And I want to keep them together so they can keep eatchother company.

 

[Diggy415]

careful some wont get along with the age difference, males will kill babies that aren't theirs best to keep two females together unless you want to breed. the sneezing can also be a serioous respitory disease rats can get, if you can hear the chest and you hear wheezing, but antibiotics that are fed to cattle, chickens etc, PM me for more, if this is the case it's contagious to other rats, so don't do anything until your sure.....

 

[bigdog999]

A staple of fruits and vegetables would be bad, probably have a lot of loose stools. A rodent feed would be the appropriate staple with the addition of fruits and vegetables.

 

[mouse]

you'll find out that rats are great, loveable and affectionate. i just picked up a free 3 story critter cage that i want to clean up and put a rat in. got offered a free hamster... decisions, decisions ... free hamster or pay ~20$ for a rat...
i want a rat
enjoy your ratty

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

be extremely careful when introducing new rats to eachother, they will kill eachother if its not done properly =/

 

[J.huff23]

Sadly I dont think that she will live much longer. She looks full grown and is sneezing like crazy even though I changed her bedding.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

she probably has a respiratory infection. take her to the vet and see if you can get an antibiotic

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Sadly I dont think that she will live much longer

Unless you're a vet, I don't think you can diagnose this from SNEEZING. Take her to the vet, get her treated, she'll probably be fine.

 

[Hedorah99]

The new one may not like the bedding. Changes in bedding would make all of ours at the zoo sneeze.

 

[J.huff23]

Ok, I will try to make a vet appointment for her.

 

[Lucara]

Mostlikely a resperatory infection. Aiden had one when he was a baby. It cost $200 in vet bills before he was better. Hasnt had any problems since. It might be the bedding as well. I had to stop using bedding because their in a converted bird cage. They just push the bedding out even when I had a barrier at the bottom. I just thoroughly clean the whole cage every day and bleach the whole cange once a week.
For food, I mainly feed my Harlan Teklad. Its supposed to be one of the more healthier of the lab blocks. I give them soybeans and dry noodles as snacks. =) Fruit tends to disappear and rot before they actually eat it. They are horders!