Sneezy Rats - may not be what you think

I received a very informative email from one of my adopters the other week that I felt important to share.  Thank you Sarah for taking such great care of your rat babies!

Thanks to Sarah's diligence in investigating the root cause of Damien's sneezing, she was able to determine that her laundry soap was to blame.  I will add that she was careful to rule out illness FIRST!  That is important, as waiting to treat a myco flair-up could be extremely detrimental to you rat's health.  

If you use fleece or other soft materials in your cages, invest in some fragrance free/sensitive skin variety detergent for your rat laundry.  I use an essential oil based detergent for all my laundry, human and rodent. I also use an essential oil based cleaner for my cages in the rattery.  Essential oils are safe and beneficial to our body systems, they also kill bacteria and viruses.  Perhaps this should be the next blog topic.

​Rat's hide symptoms of illness, and by the time WE see them, they are often very sick and should be seen by a Veterinarian as soon as possible.  Remember this is the time of year, as the weather is changing, that our pets can suffer from upper respiratory infections just like we do.  

• Try to keep their environment at a constant temperature and keep fluctuations minimal.
• Run a humidifier or diffuser if possible, dry air can irritate airways.
• Keep their enclosures/cages clean so ammonia does not build up - if you can smell it, imagine what its like for them!
• Give your rats fresh fruits and vegetables at least a few times per week, the vitamins and minerals are good for them too.
• Keep an eye on their fur/coat - dry flaky skin, irritation or fur loss on the outside is often an indicator that something is not right on the inside.  A good quality feed is important to good skin and fur, you can add a little olive or other organic food grade oil to their food to help.  Health comes from the inside-out.
• Keep your rats treated regularly for mites and lice.  An itchy rat is a miserable rat.

Feel free to ask questions or let me know if there are other topics you would like me to cover in further blog posts.