My new rat may be sick and I can't take her to the vet...

[ShadowDialga]

Reposted from my Yahoo Answers page, if your answer is just "take her to the vet, you shouldn't be a rat owner if you can't", please don't bother posting I already got about 4 of those...

We got a young female from an aquarium store yesterday where they kept them as feed rats... the guy there said they get them from the breeder and they're clean (not sick) but she was sneezing the whole way home and this morning she softly wheezes when she breathes and is shivering slightly (note: not shivering anymore)... is she going and how can I make her comfortable without even knowing what she likes?

Additional Details
Unfortunately, the decision to take her to the vet doesn't lie with me, and my mom's very unlikely to go for antibiotics for something we've had less than 24 hours when she was hesitant to move our other rat to something larger than an aquarium.

If I had the authority, transport, and money to help her I would, but my mom isn't willing to drop $100+ to maybe help something we got yesterday... also I think that even if it dies in comfort it's a better fate than being thrown to a snake from a crowded bin unceremoniously.

so then should I take her back?

I'll say it for a third time: the ONLY time we have taken a pet to the vet was my guinea pig who liked chewing on plastic bags because we didn't know how to treat it because it was kinda forced on me with no knowledge of how to treat it and I was like 7... she lived about 3 years btw. Our first rat got sick very quickly after we introduced our second rat and died, our second rat is 4 months and lively, and the rat we just bought, my mom will not spend $100+ to diagnose and treat when we barely even know her... we simply don't have the time or $ to give our pets a higher standard of living than ourselves. I've only gone to the doctor's on a non-checkup once when my back spasms floored me for half an hour for crying out loud!

I read that aspen bedding is good so that's what I use... my old rat's still on carefresh natural though. (don't worry they're fully separated and I wash my hands thoroughly after handling the possibly sick rat)

She's still lively, and seems shy but not lethargic. Also I noticed her often rubbing her face and nose, sometimes after a sneeze. Maybe a nasal irritation?

Update: Right now she's sitting in her house quietly and not interested in the chunks of burger I dropped by her but not visible ill (apart from an ocassional sneeze). I noticed that I barely hear her sneezing when she's alone but when I pick her up she begins.

 

[temblabamomo]

Rats often have "new home sneezes". Just the excitement and stress of a new environment. That could be the case with your little one. It also may be that she has a URI, which really won't get better without antibiotics from a vet. Give her some time to acclimate to her new home, but if she seems to get worse or is struggling to breathe, you really need to try to get her to a vet. Is she comfortable being held? If so, hold your ear to her side and listen for wet sounds or crackles.

Burger may not be the best treat. Offer peas or corn, fresh veggies are great for rats.

 

[ShadowDialga]

Rats often have "new home sneezes". Just the excitement and stress of a new environment. That could be the case with your little one. It also may be that she has a URI, which really won't get better without antibiotics from a vet. Give her some time to acclimate to her new home, but if she seems to get worse or is struggling to breathe, you really need to try to get her to a vet. Is she comfortable being held? If so, hold your ear to her side and listen for wet sounds or crackles.

Burger may not be the best treat. Offer peas or corn, fresh veggies are great for rats.

She was sneezing the car also... I tried playing rattyphone but couldn't get much since she squirmed a lot. She sounded like she had the sniffles a few times when she breathed though, sounded a bit wet. And I gave her a piece of the patty (In n Out so all natural and such) and veggies. I gave her a chunk of tomato she nibbled and some noodles earlier (our other rat loves noodles).

 

[jorats]

It's really hard for use to advise much because our replies really should be go to a vet but since you can't... I would get her on the best possible food for a rat. I'd get her on rat blocks and lots of colourful vegetables. The reds, dark greens, oranges, the more colourful the vegetable, the richer they are in antioxidants and flavanoids. Maybe remove the the bedding and put down scraps of fabric and newspaper. Aspen can be dusty and irritating. Some rats are fine with it while others are not. The tank will need to be cleaned very often because of the poor air circulation in those things. But at least it's good to prevent any drafts near her. You could bring her into the bathroom and run the shower to help her clear her nose especially since you hear a wheezing.
In the meantime, if you are old enough, I'd get a small job in order to save money for future vet visit. Show your mom how responsible you are and maybe she will be a proper pet owner. Because, all animals, by law, deserve medical attention.

 

[SQ]

What Jorats said.
Hopefully it is new home sniffles and a good diet will help.
If she has a respiratory infection, boasting her immune system may help but she will need antibiotics.
As Jorats said, taking her into a steamy bathroom may help her to breath better ... but depending on what is wrong, it may also make her worse.

As you know, when you are responsible for an animal, you are morally and legally required to provide good care - including medical care.
Bedding you are using may be dusty and also needs to be frozen for 72 hours after purchase to kill parasites that may be in it.
Many of us use dollar store fleece blankets, cotton baby blankets as bedding in their houses, and an unscented paper based kitty litter (such as yesterdays news) in litter boxes. This needs to be changed frequently as ammonia will build up and damanage their lungs.

Good blocks include harlan tech 2014, oxbow regal rat, and living world hamster extrusion
A good block is 80% of the diet with the other 20% being daily vegs and occasional treats such as a piece of fruit, a cheerio, etc

You need to find a part time job and save up all your money for vet fees and medications.
Rats get ill and die fast. They die horribly, painfully, and often need to be humanely put to sleep by a knowledgeable vet - most vets do not know how to do it properly.
If you are going to be unable to provide vet care and medicines when necessary, please look into finding a good home for your pets.

 

[EDK]

I respect that others have told you to see a vet, though it was rude of them to say you're not a good owner if you can't afford it, that's harsh.

But at the end of the day if you cannot provide vet care for serious issues, you gotta think about what's best for your animal, even if it means giving them to a shelter who can care for them, or find someone who can adopt your little one and can afford to take care of them. If you get a rat as a pet it's not different to getting a dog or a cat, they deserve as much vet care as any other pet like Jorats said. If that cannot be accepted, I would recommend not getting rodents in the future till you can afford to care for them (Not trying to be rude and I totally respect your situation but the truth can hurt sometimes ). If the pet store employees told you rats or exotic rodents are easy to care for, it's a flat out lie when it comes to medical bills!!! They can be really expensive if you're not prepared, (trust me I've learned that the hard way ) rats can commonly come down with URIs as well as some forms of cancar/tumors. Some exotic vets aren't as expensive as regular ones, its just a matter of finding them. And it sounds like you rattie has got a case of URI, dunno it's just what I'm thinking out of my experience, in which case I took my boys to the vet and they perscribed anitibotics such as Baytril and or Doxy or even both in a cocktail together. But we've come across that as everyone else here as stated so I'll give home idea remedies:

First, an aquarium cage isn't that good of a cage as Jorats said the air circulation is poor, but at least it avoids drafts, but personally I'd replace it with open bar cage, large. Two, is it possible you might consider not using bedding and try training your rattie to use a litter box? Rats are smart and I trained my boys to use a litter box, their cage is covered in fleece, while their litter is Yesterday's News or pellets, this creates next to no dust, so this is less likely to cause URIs for them since their history has had it in the past. Third, food wise, I know its tempting to give your ratties food we eat, and they can eat about anything, but like people, you are what you eat, and if your rattie is sick, junk food like hamburger patties isn't the way to go (again this is just an opinion it doesn't make me right) giving your rattie healthy foods such as veggies, fruit will help. I also read up that giving them dry oatmeal can help clear up some sniffle issues but I'm not sure if it's true. I did give it a shot however for one of my ratties, and for awhile it worked, but he still needed antibiotics, and oatmeal alone as food could make your rattie gain weight, its not something to keep feeding them over and over lol!

That's really all I can suggest other then what the others suggested, but I still go back to what everyone is saying, if you can find a way to get your rattie to a vet, that would be the best way to go at the end of the day. I hope it all works out for you

 

[ShadowDialga]

Well she's still sniffling and sneezing sometimes but when I put her to my ear I think her breathing was OK... she's getting less shy and exploring my desk instead of sitting on my shoulder or chair when I'm at my PC (and leaving a mess since she's not yet housebroken). As for the cage situation, we keep her in the aquarium because our only cage is in use by our older rat, and I specifically asked mom to get the aspen bedding since I heard it was good, and I'm keeping her away from my other rat, washing my hands thoroughly, and lysoling the table and chair before playing with my other rat, so I'm trying my best. Rats are much harder than expected, i always thought of them as hardy and not very high maintenance...

Update: And not to mention, the main reason we bought a second one was because I heard rats shouldn't be kept in less than 2s so I was hoping to give my older rat company and even did some reasearch on how to do so safely (quarantine, slowly introduce, etc.)

Update 2: I'm mentioning her being energetic because when our first rat died (right after the introduction of our second one) she was sitting at the top of the aquarium and trying to wash her face in the fish tank nearby or something and looked half-asleep... she nibbled some tomato and died later that night . So I hope this one being energetic is a sign she's just nervous or something. Also for future reference:
Zhena/Eugene: First (now deceased) rat
Snow White: Current albino rat
Cinderella: New, young rat (all female)

 

[Bundyrats]

though it was rude of them to say you're not a good owner if you can't afford it, that's harsh.

I would have to disagree. Rats are prone to so many problems, I am at the vets every month or so and I only have four. They need veterinary attention through-out their life.

 

[victoria]

though it was rude of them to say you're not a good owner if you can't afford it, that's harsh.

I would have to disagree. Rats are prone to so many problems, I am at the vets every month or so and I only have four. They need veterinary attention through-out their life.

Exactly. I didn't get any pets until I was in my mid 20s because I couldn't afford their care before that. Even if she's not sick now, she will be at some point and will need a vet.

 

[jorats]

Update 2: I'm mentioning her being energetic because when our first rat died (right after the introduction of our second one) she was sitting at the top of the aquarium and trying to wash her face in the fish tank nearby or something and looked half-asleep... she nibbled some tomato and died later that night . So I hope this one being energetic is a sign she's just nervous or something. Also for future reference:
Zhena/Eugene: First (now deceased) rat
Snow White: Current albino rat
Cinderella: New, young rat (all female)

Yes, her being energetic is very good.