Chimney
Member
Hi, new rat owner here. I own a pair of rats (one from a family owned pet store that breeds their own rats, and the other from petco [one of the rats I got as a pair from the family owned pet store passed away recently, so I made sure that the old rat would not be lonely. This was before I found out that there is a breeder near me]).
Minion was bought at a small family owned pet store near where I come from, and was going to be driving through there and I knew they had rittens. I thought this would be preferable over getting an old surly rat who I am illequipt to handle. I picked out two; a male (friend called first choice of what animal i would be getting, since I owed her a favor) fully intending to have him neutered before he could leave his mark (oopsies) and a female who I named Minion.
The first rat passed away when he escaped from his cage and decided to come snuggle with me, to my distress.
Thus I picked up a petco rat (despite knowing that they are not necessarily the best choice, but I had no idea that there were breeders and rescues in the surrounding area)
For a good week and a half, everything was rainbows and ponies.
So, my rat Minion (who may also be pregnant, likely from the male I had) is making sounds that allude to a respiratory infection. Mostly just "chuckles" or slightly wet breathing. And this is only on occasion. She will huffle for a few minutes then go back to regular breathing, almost like a coughing spasm or an asthma attack. I do not have a lot of money right now for vet trips, and am wondering if I can get antibiotics over the counter/over the internet for rats. The other question here is if it would be a good idea. (Generally, what should I do based on the limited money I have. I have to pay rent still, but would rather not have my rats die)
Here are some pictures:
Minion, chilling on the coffee table
And Hipster, trying to make the great escape back to her cage.
Both sneeze a fair amount, but Minion is the only one who seems to be showing major signs of distress.
What should I do?
Minion was bought at a small family owned pet store near where I come from, and was going to be driving through there and I knew they had rittens. I thought this would be preferable over getting an old surly rat who I am illequipt to handle. I picked out two; a male (friend called first choice of what animal i would be getting, since I owed her a favor) fully intending to have him neutered before he could leave his mark (oopsies) and a female who I named Minion.
The first rat passed away when he escaped from his cage and decided to come snuggle with me, to my distress.
Thus I picked up a petco rat (despite knowing that they are not necessarily the best choice, but I had no idea that there were breeders and rescues in the surrounding area)
For a good week and a half, everything was rainbows and ponies.
So, my rat Minion (who may also be pregnant, likely from the male I had) is making sounds that allude to a respiratory infection. Mostly just "chuckles" or slightly wet breathing. And this is only on occasion. She will huffle for a few minutes then go back to regular breathing, almost like a coughing spasm or an asthma attack. I do not have a lot of money right now for vet trips, and am wondering if I can get antibiotics over the counter/over the internet for rats. The other question here is if it would be a good idea. (Generally, what should I do based on the limited money I have. I have to pay rent still, but would rather not have my rats die)
Here are some pictures:
Minion, chilling on the coffee table
And Hipster, trying to make the great escape back to her cage.
Both sneeze a fair amount, but Minion is the only one who seems to be showing major signs of distress.
What should I do?
