my rat sneezes a lot.

[Lourice]

honestly i feel like the problems never end with my rats... they're lucky i love them so much.

anyways.

my rat maurice sneezes a lot. not very often, but he goes into sneezing fits. what can i do to help him out?

he doesn't wheeze, and his cage is cleaned about once a week or so, so it's not a dirty cage.

 

[temblabamomo]

Its impossible to say if he's sick or not without trying some meds for him. Sometimes rats can have allergies, or sneezes when they first wake up, or sneezes from environmental factors like dry air. I have a boy who would occasionally have sneezy fits, I kept the cage so clean and he was still very bright and active, so I was convinced it couldn't be an upper respiratory infection. Finally tried antibiotics after a vet visit when nothing else worked, the sneezing fits stopped within days. You may want to look about a vet appointment.

 

[lilspaz68]

What bedding do you use? Are there any strong scents in the room with him (candles, perfume, air freshners, etc)?

 

[Lourice]

Its impossible to say if he's sick or not without trying some meds for him. Sometimes rats can have allergies, or sneezes when they first wake up, or sneezes from environmental factors like dry air. I have a boy who would occasionally have sneezy fits, I kept the cage so clean and he was still very bright and active, so I was convinced it couldn't be an upper respiratory infection. Finally tried antibiotics after a vet visit when nothing else worked, the sneezing fits stopped within days. You may want to look about a vet appointment.

i just found a good vet for them, so they will be taken in soon

 

[Lourice]

What bedding do you use? Are there any strong scents in the room with him (candles, perfume, air freshners, etc)?

i use the recycled newspaper bedding for them, along with towels.

and i try not to have any strong scents in the room, like i will put on my perfume outside the room and never use air freshener, but it has been stuffy in here because of the heat and the air conditioner and the humidity. so i'm hoping that is why.

 

[jorats]

Has there been a change in weather lately? Do you leave a window open? There are many factors that could make a rat sneeze.

 

[Lourice]

Has there been a change in weather lately? Do you leave a window open? There are many factors that could make a rat sneeze.

it keeps going from humid and hot to chilly and then back to humid and hot. and my room has been stuffy lately because i can't open the window due to the air conditioner on.

but he also hiccups! so why does he do that :\

 

[jorats]

Some people think that hiccups means a respiratory illness. Maybe the very start of one. I'd keep an eye for other symptoms like lots of porphyrin around the eyes and nose, loss of appetite, change in activity level. That sort of thing.