Do you quarantine your new rats?

[nimojohnson]

I got two more boys to add to my old pair today. They're currently in a separate cage right across from my old rat's cage, with a little space in between. The thing is, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD TO QUARANTINE THEM IN TWO SEPARATE ROOMS!!!! I'm so stupid, I even touched the old rats right after handling the new ones. I live in a one room apartment so I have no where to quarantine the new boys too. I'm worried sick my old boys are gonna catch something nasty from the new ones through the air.

Are there any signs I should watch for?? Do you guys quarantine your new rats??? I heard parasites like giardia or pinworms are a concern as well. I really regret touching them without washing my hands!!!!

By the way, I got them from a pet shop.

 

[Nyn]

Personally, I have never quarantened new ratties in a different room. It depends a lot on where you got them though. I usually have them checked out by a vet pretty early on just to make sure. And if the ratties are very scared, I have them in a separate room so they can get used to living in their new home. I would just check for general diseased including mites (shown by itchy itchy behavior and also little parasites on the skin) and ear infections (mostly by loosing weight, general fatigue and not wanting to come out of the cage or play). All in all, I think they will be fine

 

[BlueApples]

I've also never quarantined rats in different rooms simply because I don't have a good spot for them. I do try to keep the cages a fair bit apart for the first few weeks and try to wash my hands between interactions (just to get rid of their scent so the other rats don't get upset). But big agree with Nyn, it depends where you get them from - if from a petstore or rehome I'd try to keep them separated until their first vet visit, if from a breeder I'm less worried about them being sick.

Sickness isn't the only thing you should look for though, see if the new rattos get stressed out if their cage is close to the existing cage. Stress can very easily lead tot hem getting sick even if they were perfectly healthy upon adoption.