Respiratory infection? Or not? (Odd noises)

[IndigoBlueYellow]

So—here’s the backstory. I have four rats, Bean, Peanut, Pancake, and Pistachio. The latter of the three are all younger (about three months old) Recently I’ve noticed that Pancake and Pistachio have been making this cooing sound; almost like a pigeon. Not all the time, but sometimes, and I know that this can be a sign of respiratory problems. They seem to be eating fine and have had bounds of energy, even after we put them in a quarantine cage. I’ve also not noticed any sneezing or mucus from anywhere. My older rat Bean had to get his teeth trimmed at the vet today, so a few days ago we called up the vet and asked if he could take a look at the babies while Bean was there. He obliged. We took them to the vet, and he listened to their breathing, and felt them over. All that jazz. He even heard their noises. He said that they are fine, but should I still be worried? I should note that my veterinarian is older. If it’s not a respiratory problem, what could it be?

 

[Kye]

Can you try to get a video of the sound.? If they're acting fine and seem to be breathing fine I'd try not to panic. If you can get a recording of the sound it might help others determine the cause.!

 

[IndigoBlueYellow]

Can you try to get a video of the sound.? If they're acting fine and seem to be breathing fine I'd try not to panic. If you can get a recording of the sound it might help others determine the cause.!

I’ll try as soon as I get home. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[IndigoBlueYellow]

Can you try to get a video of the sound.? If they're acting fine and seem to be breathing fine I'd try not to panic. If you can get a recording of the sound it might help others determine the cause.!

Here’s a quick video of the tail-end of a noisy fit. Could it have something to do with the fact that he has red eyes? His brother who’s also making the sound has ruby eyes, and the two rats that seem fine have normal black eyes. Could just be a coincidence.

 

[Kye]

Hmm that sounds more like congestion to me than an infection itself. How long ago did you get them.? Rats often get something called 'new home sneezes' and it normally clears up in a week or two. Could there be anything in the area causing an allergic reaction ? I think the eyes is just a coincidence too !

 

[IndigoBlueYellow]

Hm... makes sense. Got them a little less than two months ago, but recently moved them into a new cage with my older rat (Bean) about a week and a half ago. They didn’t make the noise in their old cage, but they do in this one. Their old cage had paper clump bedding, and this new one has fleece lining, because that’s what the old man is used to, and this new cage has flat pieces, so it couldn’t hold the paper bedding anyways. I’ll have to try switching to a different detergent to clean the fleece. Would that help? Thank you for your responses!

 

[Kye]

Hm... makes sense. Got them a little less than two months ago, but recently moved them into a new cage with my older rat (Bean) about a week and a half ago. They didn’t make the noise in their old cage, but they do in this one. Their old cage had paper clump bedding, and this new one has fleece lining, because that’s what the old man is used to, and this new cage has flat pieces, so it couldn’t hold the paper bedding anyways. I’ll have to try switching to a different detergent to clean the fleece. Would that help? Thank you for your responses!

Changing the cleaning product could very well be the fix ! It also could be that they were moved into the new cage and it could go away in a few days.