Rats have sensitive respiratory systems. Stress lowers their immune system and moving to a new home can be the most stressful thing they experience with new smells, sounds, rats, and humans. As respiratory disease is the leading cause of illness and death in pet rats, it can be very scary to see your rat sneezing when you bring them home. This is why it’s important to quarantine new rats for a minimum of 2 weeks to monitor for illness, but also essential to learn the signs of respiratory disease and when to call the vet.
Signs It’s a Respiratory Disease
•wet breathing sound, audible chest noises when put up to your ear
•coughing noises
•excessive porphyrin (red discharge on eyes/nose or on fur from grooming). A tiny bit upon waking up is normal but persistence over a few days is a sign of illness
•lethargy (not eating or drinking as usual)
•sneezes continue after 2 weeks
When to Call Vet
If any of the above occur, it’s a good idea to call a vet.
What Can I do to Prevent it?
Many rats are born with Mycoplasma bacteria which exacerbates respiratory disease when their immune systems are down or their environment is causing irritation to their respiratory system. Ammonia, dust, and stress are 3 things you want to prevent in their new home every day during their 2 week quarantine.
•Ammonia: use only proper bedding. This is kiln-dried aspen, Kiln-dried pine, or hemp. Bio-active is safe as long as it’s properly maintained. Paper brands such as carefresh, bare shelves, cedar, and fleece do not control ammonia at all and the smell of their own pee will burn their noses. Cedar is toxic. Try to use the bedding that the breeder is using to minimize irritation from the change, but only if they use those 3 proper types.
•Dust: Only use bedding that says 99% dust free. Ideally you want 100% dust free, you can throw the bedding into a mesh laundry hamper and shake it outside before introducing to your rats to remove that 1% of dust. I prefer having an air purifier blasting at all times as it draws most of the dust out of the cages. An air purifier is also a good aid in removing ammonia from cages.
Stress: quarantine reduces stress for the new rats, which helps many systems within your rats properly develop and stay healthy.
“Stress… has widespread effects on physiological systems in laboratory animals including changes in the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, central nervous and reproductive systems” (Obernier & Baldwin, 2006).
Quarantine helps determine if there are signs of illness and reduce the risk of spreading it to your human family and other rats if you have some. This adjustment period helps them get used to your home before the possible stress of introductions between your new rats and older rats begin.
Overall
New home sneezes are very normal, it’s important to know when it’s likely a respiratory disease and how to ensure a proper adjustment period and quarantine.
It’s also a good idea to stay in contact with the breeder or source that you get your rats from, as they will want to know if their rats have a genetic predisposition to Mycoplasma or any other disease, which every source of rats should be working towards eradicating.
Source
Obernier, J. A., & Baldwin, R. L. (2006). Establishing an appropriate period of acclimatization following transportation of laboratory animals. ILAR Journal, 47(4), 364–369. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.47.4.364
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