New rat squeaks for no reason.

[ATez]

So i was going to get one old boy to keep Crank company... intead i got 3! TODAY! :shock:
They are very tame, i had the people put them in the bathtub and let them say goodbye (mommy said the kids had to get rid of the rats because her new boyfriend is allergic) so i have 3 lovely new boys! :dance:

BUT!

They got lice. lol

Which is why i wanted them in the bathtub! I put them in a spare cage, threw out the food i was given and washed anything (my clothes and some towels) that came in contact with them. I'll see if i can get my boyfriend to get the treatment med for me tyoday since i work very very soon.

AND i'm concerned about the random squeaks one of them is making. He won't even be close to his brothers and out of the blue he'll go "Squeak!". I'm not sure if this is linked to the beginning of an RI but the girl told me his nose did bleed a bit in the past. First i'll see if i can take care of the lices since they're an obvious problem and i'll keep an eye and ear open for any noise. I HOPE it's not the beginning of an RI but i guess we'll see.

I don't think these guys had hammocks before, they're not sure what to do with the ones i gave them. :lol:

EDIT: I've had them for barely an hour now, letting them settle down in the cage.

Second EDIT: Kenny, the one who's making the random Squeak every 15-20 minutes, i noticed is also often licking his lips or it looks like he is. Or it looks like he's playing with his mouth from the inside? I'll upload a short video i took. Mind he might just be grinding his teeth but i hear no chatter and i've never seen Crank or Pickle do this so i'm not sure.

 

[temblabamomo]

Is it a squeak or a sneeze/wheeze? What is he doing when you notice this, i.e. does he jerk and rub his nose like it was a sneeze, or is it more the kind of squeak you hear when he and his brothers play/wrestle?

 

[ATez]

Is it a squeak or a sneeze/wheeze? What is he doing when you notice this, i.e. does he jerk and rub his nose like it was a sneeze, or is it more the kind of squeak you hear when he and his brothers play/wrestle?

So far i haven't noticed him jerk or rub his nose when he does it, he just squeaks it sounds just like a complaint that would come out of a rat playing but this happened when he wasn't close to his brothers. They were all exploring their own corner of the cage. It also didn't sound like a wheeze or a sneeze at all. :/ Out of the 3 i think i might bring him to the vet. I know i should bring all 3 but they need med for lices.

 

[Joanne]

Check his teeth to make sure they look like a normal length/size/shape seeing as how he's licking his lips, etc.

edit: And congratulations!!!! on your new additions...

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Just so you know lice are species specific so the only the rats will be affected. What treatment are you getting for the lice?

If the lice infestation is that bad it might be the cause of the squeaks.

 

[jorats]

Some rats are just squeakers. I've had a few silly squeakers before, I found it adorable.

 

[Katzedecimal]

Maybe he needs a shot of WD-40? :giggle:

 

[jorats]

Maybe he needs a shot of WD-40? :giggle:

ROFL!!!

 

[arresai]

:laugh4: I could use some WD40 myself

 

[ATez]

Ah! You silly people! HEhe! XD

I got my vet appointment on Monday, i'm bringing in all 3 of them! =D I'm not sure what type of lice they are but when i checked their skin it looked just like Crank and Pickle before, bunch of little red dots on their behind! :O And okay i'll have the vet check his teeth. I don't think i trust them 100% yet, they don't scare me but i might scare them. They also tend to check my fingers with their teeths A LOT!!!! I mean if i didn't wiggle them a lot they woulda left with a finger or broke skin several times but it never got to that.

I'm sure Zac is starting an RI and i suspect Kenny might be too. But with Zac i'm pretty sure... after work i found red crust around his eyes and he was wheezy. I heard no sounds at all coming from Matt and Kenny is pretty much sqeaking here and there.

I'll keep u guys posted after my vet visit on Monday!

 

[ATez]

This is what Kenny is doing with his mouth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUM7GOvkJ8
If his grinding his teeth then i've never seen my rats do it this way.

 

[jorats]

He's a flapper! Yes, it's bruxxing. I've had a few rats do this...so adorable.

 

[ATez]

He's a flapper! Yes, it's bruxxing. I've had a few rats do this...so adorable.

So he could be a flapper AND a sqeaker!! :mrgreen:

 

[mamarat]

I actually rescued a rat named Squeaker and he was a flapper too. Too funny.
Good luck at the vet!

 

[MissGuardian]

I´ve never seen that before! :shock:

 

[ATez]

Well, the vet said they are so badly infected with lice that they'll need 4 treatments of revolution for 4 months! :shock:
While my boyfriend was washing them to kill/wash off part of them you could really see how bad their skin looked! They are full of scabs, the poor little things! :?
Zak (we changed the spelling of his name so it sounds more english! ) is just starting an RI, she didn't hear any wheezing but she said he was breathing heavy. His eyes have red crust around when he wakes up and i've heard him chirp once or twice. Now he's on 0.05CC baytril for 10 days but if he's condition doesn't improve by the end of the treatment i'll try and give it for a bit longer.

As for Kenny he's been looking fine and he stopped doing his random squeaks. BUT, last night i noticed he had a nosebleed. It wasn't dryed up pory stuff around his nose but fresh and wet red blood. Within 5 minutes it was completely gone. From what i know of his history the girl said he had a nosebleed before. It didn't look like he had any claw or bite marks so i'm not sure how this can happen. :/ I've googled "rat nose bleed" and all i found was that with actual blood it could be a nasty infection that's going to require a lot of antibiotics.

As for Matt all is fine with him except for the lice. That and he's very skittish of us.
Probably because he was their "favorite" he might have been played with more then he wanted to.
He's going to take some work but in the end they're going to be 3 love balls! :dance:

Oh! And i wanted to ask you guys, how long does it take for revolution (lice med) to take effect? I'm asking because i want to know when it's going to be safe for me to let them out? I keep them in a seperate airspace then Crank and if i put my hands in the cage to treat them of change water and food i always wash my arms to the elbows to avoid spreading lice and viruses. And if i stay in front of their cage for a while to bond with them a bit i throw all my clothes in the washer and i take a shower. I'm being very careful and i was also told to keep Crank and the new boys seperated for 45 days which i will do.

 

[temblabamomo]

I'm no expert, but I would hardly think 4 Revolution treatments would be necessary for lice. One treatment is usually enough, if you are diligent about disinfecting all of their toys/hammocks/etc. 4 treatments over 4 months definitely shouldn't hurt them, but if I were you I'd check with one of the more knowledgeable folks on the forum; no sense paying for multiple treatments if they're not necessary (unless of course you just want to have extra Revolution on hand to treat future rats you might take in.)

 

[xxchelle]

I've never needed to do more than one treatment of Revo, and I've rescued some REALLY lice-infested rats.

Also, for URI's you'll want to do at LEAST 2-3 weeks of Baytril.

 

[Moon]

Rev should only be given once a month.

Nose bleeds are usually just from a scratch way up in the nostril... those back nails can get pretty long and catch in bad places, LOL

As Chelle said, you want at LEAST 2 weeks of baytril. Even if the symptoms go away after a few days, 10 days isn't enough to knock the infection out. 3 weeks is best.

 

[ATez]

Alright! I'll make sure to give it to him for 3 weeks, and if Crank starts showing synptoms (but i hope he doesnt) i'll put him back on it too.
I asked the vet why i needed it for 4 months and all she told me is they had WAY more then Pickle did when they found them. These guys will drop treats to scratch and i wouldn't be surprised if it's driving them insane. Also i've found hairy scrabs in the cage that were scratched off. After washing we saw how badly wounded they were from itching so much. Oh and they were FILTHY!!! I had a white towel at the bottom of the cage when i took them to the vet. They were in there for i would say 2 hours total and that towel went from white to orange/brown stains all over it.

EDIT: I know they prolly peed on it too but they wouldn't cover every corner of it with pee in 2 hours. D: