Am I allergic to my rat?

[Nataly]

Backstory:
ok so as you can probably tell i'm a first time rat parent with no experience. I got my boy Jack from my teacher because she bought him and a few others so the second year students could draw blood from them and the first years (me) could practice administering oral and optic medication (water and eye drops). The first day she brought them to our class she told us that if we wanted to we could hold a rat during class and since I had never held a rat before I jumped at the opportunity. I fell in love with him instantly. Everyone else had to return their rat within five minutes because they were either defecating everywhere or squirming and clawing. Keep in mind that these were feeder bin rats. Jack on the other hand was calm and he snuggled into my hoodie pocket or elbow. I did notice some weird pimples on his right ear and he was sneezing every five minutes. The next day I chose to hold a rat again but couldn't remember with certainty who he was but after picking up another rat I knew it wasn't him. Over the course of a week I fell more and more in love with the stinky little boy (she kept them in a tank, 4 total. It was cleaned daily). And everyday I felt my heartbreak because my teacher had told us that if they didn't get adopted they were going back to the store. And I wanted to keep him so badly but my mom HATES rats (she thinks they're disgusting) and I knew she would never say yes, but my friend convinced me to try anyway. So, I explained to her how sweet he was, how he had never peed or pooped on me, or bitten anyone despite having water shot into his mouth over and over. How he deserved better and that I would just foster him until I could find a home for him. And to my surprise she said yes. And I swear on Jack's life I started crying then and there in the middle of class. I felt a huge weight lifted off my chest. At the time I didn't expect to keep him long and I hadn't bonded with his siblings so I only got one, which I now know was wrong. I got everything ready and brought him home on Friday February 1,2019 and he was 4-6 months old. the other rats ended up getting adopted by my teacher's friends. One died after he started sneezing, one turned out to be female and pregnant, the other is thriving. I'm currently trying to adopt one of the male pups to keep Jack company. There is a 1/3 chance he might be the father (rats have a 19-21 gestation period, they were bought 1 week before I met Jack, I bonded with Jack for a week, and the babies were born 1 week after he came home). The pups will be 6 weeks old next week so I will hopefully get at least one.

Issue:
I've had Jack for about a month and a half and I'm used to him climbing all over my arms and neck but today I had to keep him in my sleeve longer than usual because my ride didn't tell me she was getting an oil change (about an hour) and I only had a large bin for him. She then dragged me to a store and he climbed up and down my arms about a hundred times and l ended up very scratched.

Long story short Jack scratched me and the cuts are itchy and raised. Is it an allergic reaction to him or normal? I've never had an allergic reaction to anything so I'm not sure.

1&2 are the scratches 3. He's hiding in my elbow in class 4. He's snacking on the couch

 

[Dena]

Oh he's DEFINITELY not 3 or 4 months old! I'd say maybe 2.5-3 months at the oldest. You'll see the comparison when you get a baby. Itchy rat scratches are pretty normal. Just wash with soapy water, and if need be, take a bit of benedryl. The itching shouldn't last long. I have sensative skin and sometimes the itching lasts a couple of days, but goes away. It really breaks my heart about how the rats were used for people to draw blood on, and do eye drops and stuff! That had to be super stressful for them! I'm sure the one who died, probably got water in its lungs if people had to shoot water in its mouth, along with the stress. Also, feeder rats make just as good of pets. Only difference is, they are usually bred for food, and therefore, not handled and socialized normally. I've gotten plenty of great pets from the feeder bin. Anyway, Jack will be much happier with a friend or two.

 

[SQ]

Awwwww .... Jack is adorable!

It sounds like you are sensitive to rats or may have a mild allergy. Many rat owners experience the same thing and those who are sensitive or allergic have different ways to cope with it. A few were mentioned above. Some people wear long sleeves when handling their rats to prevent scratches.

I would suggest getting an air purifier with a permanent hepa air filter and replaceable carbon filters that is large enough for the room Jack lives in. Do not get one with an ionizer as they are harmful to rats.

Neutered boys have 100 times less allergen in their urine - the allergen is what you are likely reacting to. Thus people are less allergic to neutered boys. (Neutering boys is expensive but costs much less then spaying girls) https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/why-spay-or-neuter-rats.35402/

It is extremely important that you find a good vet with the knowledge and experience to treated rats or at least likes rats and is willing to learn. Rats become ill and die fast without medical care.
As previously mentioned, Jack is likely still a baby rat - he was probably only 4 weeks old when purchased - too young to be away from his mama. Rats are considered babies until 12 weeks old.

You will need to get 2 babies (unless Jack is under 12 weeks old) because intros take time and because babies need another baby to play with. (for info on intros please see the Reference Thread)
Hopefully the person who has the mama and babies knows that rats need to be rehomed in same sex pairs (never alone) and that baby boys need to be separated from their mama and sisters at 5 weeks so no more pregnancies.

What your teacher had the class do to these babies (they were baby pet rats that people decided would be snake food and had not been handled or given good care) is never done to animals - and as previously mentioned it likely killed the other baby, he likely died from an untreated lung infection or pneumonia. The babies were pooping and trying to get away because they were terrified - even many well socialized rats would have reacted the same way to such a scary situation and later to being hurt.

Stress causes illness in rats, and shooting water into their mouths will often cause the water to go into their lungs.​

Basically your teacher had her class torture those babies and she did not provide them with necessary vet care - which is animal abuse.
Blood is rarely taken from rats because it is so incredibly painful, medication is given one tiny drop at a time into the side of the mouth so that it does not go into the lungs, and given the other info you provided I doubt the eye drops were administered properly. (Eye drops usually contain preservatives etc that make them very painful - there is only 1 type I am aware that do not cause pain in addition to the discomfort of getting drops in your eye.) I have no idea what course you are taking but your teacher is abusing animals, and not teaching her students how to properly give medication etc

How is Jack now? Is he sneezing or breathing hard etc? Does he sound congested when you hold him up to your ear and listen to both sides of his chest?

The Reference Thread has a lot of information that you will find helpful https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

This may contain information you have not thought of https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/thinking-of-getting-a-rat-things-to-consider.32306/

Btw Welcome to the forum!
Jack is a very fortunate boy to have found such a good caring owner ​

 

[SQ]

Please post pictures of the bumps on Jack's ears (as he may need medical treatment)
and post a video of Jack's breathing if possible (post it to youtube and put the link on here)

 

[DapperRat]

awww. i love your story. and im sorry jack had to go through that. i have two feeder bin rats and my other sibs aregonna get two as well. another question as well is, what kind of bedding are you using? that there could be your problem right there.

 

[Nataly]

Oh he's DEFINITELY not 3 or 4 months old! I'd say maybe 2.5-3 months at the oldest. You'll see the comparison when you get a baby. Itchy rat scratches are pretty normal. Just wash with soapy water, and if need be, take a bit of benedryl. The itching shouldn't last long. I have sensative skin and sometimes the itching lasts a couple of days, but goes away. It really breaks my heart about how the rats were used for people to draw blood on, and do eye drops and stuff! That had to be super stressful for them! I'm sure the one who died, probably got water in its lungs if people had to shoot water in its mouth, along with the stress. Also, feeder rats make just as good of pets. Only difference is, they are usually bred for food, and therefore, not handled and socialized normally. I've gotten plenty of great pets from the feeder bin. Anyway, Jack will be much happier with a friend or two.

Jack was the one that was medicated cause the others were too squirrely, but yeah, he was not happy. He pooped himself once when someone accidentally touched his eye with the eye dropper.

 

[Nataly]

Awwwww .... Jack is adorable!

It sounds like you are sensitive to rats or may have a mild allergy. Many rat owners experience the same thing and those who are sensitive or allergic have different ways to cope with it. A few were mentioned above. Some people wear long sleeves when handling their rats to prevent scratches.

I would suggest getting an air purifier with a permanent hepa air filter and replaceable carbon filters that is large enough for the room Jack lives in. Do not get one with an ionizer as they are harmful to rats.

Neutered boys have 100 times less allergen in their urine - the allergen is what you are likely reacting to. Thus people are less allergic to neutered boys. (Neutering boys is expensive but costs much less then spaying girls) https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/why-spay-or-neuter-rats.35402/

It is extremely important that you find a good vet with the knowledge and experience to treated rats or at least likes rats and is willing to learn. Rats become ill and die fast without medical care.
As previously mentioned, Jack is likely still a baby rat - he was probably only 4 weeks old when purchased - too young to be away from his mama. Rats are considered babies until 12 weeks old.

You will need to get 2 babies (unless Jack is under 12 weeks old) because intros take time and because babies need another baby to play with. (for info on intros please see the Reference Thread)
Hopefully the person who has the mama and babies knows that rats need to be rehomed in same sex pairs (never alone) and that baby boys need to be separated from their mama and sisters at 5 weeks so no more pregnancies.

What your teacher had the class do to these babies (they were baby pet rats that people decided would be snake food and had not been handled or given good care) is never done to animals - and as previously mentioned it likely killed the other baby, he likely died from an untreated lung infection or pneumonia. The babies were pooping and trying to get away because they were terrified - even many well socialized rats would have reacted the same way to such a scary situation and later to being hurt.

Stress causes illness in rats, and shooting water into their mouths will often cause the water to go into their lungs.​

Basically your teacher had her class torture those babies and she did not provide them with necessary vet care - which is animal abuse.
Blood is rarely taken from rats because it is so incredibly painful, medication is given one tiny drop at a time into the side of the mouth so that it does not go into the lungs, and given the other info you provided I doubt the eye drops were administered properly. (Eye drops usually contain preservatives etc that make them very painful - there is only 1 type I am aware that do not cause pain in addition to the discomfort of getting drops in your eye.) I have no idea what course you are taking but your teacher is abusing animals, and not teaching her students how to properly give medication etc

How is Jack now? Is he sneezing or breathing hard etc? Does he sound congested when you hold him up to your ear and listen to both sides of his chest?

The Reference Thread has a lot of information that you will find helpful https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

This may contain information you have not thought of https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/thinking-of-getting-a-rat-things-to-consider.32306/

Btw Welcome to the forum!
Jack is a very fortunate boy to have found such a good caring owner ​

Jack stopped sneezing about one week after I got him and the eye drops were some moisturizing thing ( I can't remember) . I really don't think he was 4 weeks old because he was about 8 inches at the time( without including tail) and now he's about 9-10 inches and weighs 325 grams. I know it's small for his gender but the vet says he's perfectly fine. We did a bacterial culture test on his ear masses and it came back clean. We also looked at them through a microscope and the vet couldn't identify it, but they don't seem to affect him. Most of them fell off when they rubbed his ear with a cotton swab for the culture test and he only has one now.

 

[Nataly]

awww. i love your story. and im sorry jack had to go through that. i have two feeder bin rats and my other sibs aregonna get two as well. another question as well is, what kind of bedding are you using? that there could be your problem right there.

I use Kaytee's clean and cozy without any scents,it's supposed to be 99.9% dust free and I spot clean daily and deep clean every 2 weeks.

 

[SQ]

Using some lava ledges attached low on the side of the cage that Jack has the option of using to get to another level may help wear down his nails.
This is what I am referring to https://www.amazon.ca/Kaytee-Super-...0YECH5CWFGT&psc=1&refRID=HFZRE9B4J0YECH5CWFGT

 

[SQ]

Sounds good.
I was thinking Jack might have sarcoptes mites (mites are too small to see)

You are right, Jack is a teen, not a baby so you will need to get two babies and do gradual introductions (please see the Reference Thread for reliable information on how to do this).
Babies will need to be at least 8 weeks old (10 weeks is safer) before starting physical introductions

 

[Nataly]

The last two show the ear pimples more clearly, these are all before I officially adopted him. The second to last one is from the day I brought him home and I had him on my desk in a Happy Meal box. I feed him carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and honey nut cheerios as treats and Kaytee's fiesta mix as his regular kibble but I pick out the peanuts and dried corn. My teacher thinks that the ear situation might have been some type of allergy because they were kept in a 5 gallon tank with some type of wood bedding and I could smell the tank from across the room. When he was in my hoodie pocket I could smell him. The strong smell has since gone away and I can only smell him if he's close to my face. Now he has a pleasant cranberry juice-tortilla chip smell. One of the reasons I fell in love with him is because even though he was never properly socialized he was still so sweet and gentle. He's also started silvering since these pictures were taken. Looking back at them he's grown so much. <3

 

[Nataly]

Using some lava ledges attached low on the side of the cage that Jack has the option of using to get to another level may help wear down his nails.
This is what I am referring to https://www.amazon.ca/Kaytee-Super-...0YECH5CWFGT&psc=1&refRID=HFZRE9B4J0YECH5CWFGT

Thank you for the tip,I actually got one on Tuesday.

 

[Nataly]

if the pic looks weird it’s because he was mid scratch.

 

[lilspaz68]

It looks like your Jack may have ear mange mites.

Notoedres muris (also termed the ear mange mite) burrows into skin, and can present as yellowish crusty appearing warts on edges of ears and nose, or can appear on other extremities as reddened bumps. Both of these are not often seen in the domestic pet rat.

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_2.php (note they say sarcoptes mites but this is actually incorrect and was never amended)

Revolution for cats/puppies/kittens or for Dogs can be used to treat this. One dose every 3 weeks (two doses total) should cure this issue. Watch for any more sneezing, and get him used to you holding his sides to your ears to listen to his lungs (we call this ratphoning). Healthy rats you either don't hear their breathing or just a gentle whoosh as air goes in and out...any sounds and you could be looking at a respiratory infection.
What a beautiful and lucky boy

 

[SQ]

I messaged your pic to lilspaz68 to see what she thinks
Glad that Jack is doing well now

Please see the Reference Thread for reliable information on diet and nutrition https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

Lilspaz68 believes that Jack has ear mange (which is caused by mites)
You will want to have him treated with kitten revolution.
Revolution is the best and safest treatment for mites in rats.
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php
http://ratguide.com/meds/anti-infectives/selamectin_revolution.php

 

[SQ]

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_2.php (note they say sarcoptes mites but this is actually incorrect and was never amended)

Ahhhh …. that is why I thought it was sarcoptes mites. thanks Lilspaz68

 

[SQ]

Thanks for posting the videos …… Jack is certainly a handsome smart little guy

 

[Nataly]

Notoedres muris (also termed the ear mange mite) burrows into skin, and can present as yellowish crusty appearing warts on edges of ears and nose, or can appear on other extremities as reddened bumps. Both of these are not often seen in the domestic pet rat.

Thanks for the input but the microscopic images I saw for Notoedres muris are very different from what we saw under the microscope. It was circular with no arms, legs, teeth, or antennae. it was like a bunch of circles, similar to a tree trunk's rings. The vet techs and vet were dumbfounded too so, *-*? The one he has left isn't itchy and it hasn't spread anywhere else in the month and a half i've known him.

 

[SQ]

Personally I would treat with kitten revolution anyway ….. it kills most internal and external parasities.

 

[Nataly]

Thanks for posting the videos …… Jack is certainly a handsome smart little guy

Thank you I'm surprised he learned so quick since it took him almost three weeks to learn how to use a ladder and hammock