Baby Rat help

[shade]

I just bought a baby rat from my local pet store (I know it's bad) but I trust the lady that owns the place and she even told me herself she prefers to sell the babies as pets.

My rat has been sneezing ever since we brought him home, mainly when you try to do anything with him. We're still in the process of trying to socialize him and get him used to being handled. He doesn't bite but he's very afraid of being picked up. The cage I have for him is a temporary fix until we are able to build his new cage that I just recently found instructions for. The entire cage is wire, and I knew that was bad so I layed out a towel in there for him and he burrows/ hides his treats all inside of it. He also has a small box and a running wheel in the cage. The bedding is in the pan below the cage wiring and it's Care Fresh. I was wondering if that was possibly the reason for his sneezing. He has no snot or anything else coming from his nose, they're just a short series of quick sneezes.

I'm worried because i'm supposed to be picking up his cage mate this friday which will be my friends rat and I don't want to bring him in right away if my rat is sick.

We also have dogs and a bit of dust in the house, could that be another reason why he's sneezing? his cage is up high away from the dog and floor dust.


And another question I had was How do you tell the age of a rat? I can post a picture sometime next week but from what I saw in a picture in a rat magazine, he looks to be about 5 weeks but i'm not completely posotive.

I really appreciate the help.

 

[lilspaz68]

Rats often have New Home Sneezies in a new environment, which goes away in a few days. IF other signs of illness show up like porphryin (red fluid) around his eyes/nose, lethargy, wheezing/gurgling/chirping/crackling sounds when he breathes, lack of appetite, sleeping too much, hunched posture with puffed up fur, half-closed eyes, etc, then you have a sick baby who will need a vet fast. His cagemate that you are getting, is he from the same store?

 

[mamarat2]

Does your new boy have any red discharge (called porphyrin) from his eyes or nose that accompanies the sneezing? And is he wheezing? (whistly breathing)

Some rats get a bit stressed when they go to a new home and will get sneezes however if he has any other symptoms might want to get him to a vet to have a check up.

Sounds like maybe quarantining your new friend may be a good idea before intro'ing him to your other rat.

 

[shade]

His breathing is perfectly fine and there is no discharge or anything red around his nose. I'll keep watch on him for those signs though.

And yes, his cage mate is from the same store. My friend really likes the grey/blue color and I asked the lady if she had any like that. She said not at the moment but she could try and get one for me and I'm going to pick it up friday because i'm at college during the week. (my boyfriend watches over my baby while i'm gone)

 

[Bronwyn]

This is completely irrelevant but I had to say hello - "shade" is my typical alias around the web, lol, I was so confused for a minute there, haha. Welcome to the forum!

 

[shade]

Oh ha ha yeah I use that name too :lol:


One other question for whoever can answer this:

How do you tell the age of a rat? I know with dogs you can look at their teeth and obvious size but rats seem harder to tell the age.

 

[SQ]

What they look like and how they walk are good indicators.
If you post a pic, some people could probably give you a good idea as to his age.

 

[AlexandraBoo]

my rats were very sneezy with the carefresh.

I would try just using fleece liners

And washing them every second or third day

Worked for mine.
btw, put a little litter box in and they will poop and hopefully pee in it.

They catch on quikly.

 

[shade]

Ok well here are pictures of my babies and their cage, we just got the new rat this weekend (black one).


This is my rat Guinness who was purchased last friday

and this is my friend Dara's rat, Quazar who was purchased this thursday

I was thinking they were about 5 weeks old but I could be wrong.

And the cage which is only temporary until I buy them a new bigger cage.

Also, ever since we introduced quazar, both the babies have picked up a habit of trying to bite your hand when it's in the cage. They both seem braver now and I was wondering if there was a way to get them to stop nipping at our hands. when we're holding them they're fine it's only when we're messing around in their cage.

My rat also started getting these light markings on his body. His legs are lighter, the spots around his eyes are lighter and there's a stripe running back from his tail. Is this possible hair loss or just his natural markings?

 

[Willow Bean]

The color changes are probably just his adult coat coming in. Emma's coat changed on her face around her eyes and on her legs and sides first then moved up her back. ^_^ Your Guinness is very cute!!! Quazar is a cutie as well!!!

 

[lilspaz68]

I would say about 6-7 weeks old, and yeah Guinness sounds like he is going through that first baby molt.

When they nip you should "eep" at them, its rat language for "enough! I don't like that! It hurts!". They are silly obnoxious babies and don't realize the boundaries yet. They are really just playing but now is a good time to nip it in the bud. When my babies are nibbling at me I tell them No in a deep voice, when they are good and maybe licking me, I raise my voice and say "What a good (insert name here)" I also use "Gentle, gentle" if they are scraping their teeth when grooming me.

They are adorable.

 

[shade]

Ok thank you so much for all your help!