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poorly rat

rocky

hi my pet rat for the last 3 weeks has been treated for mites with ivermectin by my vet, i re-introduced him to his cage mates on friday, but since then he has gone down hill his skin is red again & he has ripped his ear somehow, also i have been on at my vet as his breathng has been funny but my vet says his chest is clear he doesn't have any red mucus around his eyes or nose. could his cage mates be picking on him? as he has never been an adventurous rat. please help. i am going to get him into the vets tomorrow but i don't think they now much about rats.

Symptoms: Breathing, Itching & Scratching, Sneezing, Ears, Weight Loss

• Experienced Advisor Selena Carnell says:

  January 20th, 2008 at 09:40 PM

  Hi, i'm glad to hear that your rat has been treated for the mites, but his cage mates should also have been treated, as they will probably be on the other rats too. The whole cage should be completely cleaned and refreshed every week to prevent any mite eggs re-infesting the Rats again. Red skin can be due to to much protein in the diet, but could also be an infection from the scratching, and he may be getting a little bruising from the others if he is a bit under the weather. Rats unfortunatley are prone to respiratory problems which is usually down to an infection called Mycoplasma or tumours. Mycoplasma is inbred and will often lye dormant untill the rat is a bit down then the infection takes hold and causes breathing problems and neurologial (brain) problems once it progresses. you can manage the problem with antibiotics like baytril or oxytetracycline. tumours can be seen with xrays. If you look for the Fancy Rat association they often have lists of Rat friendly vets. A routine course of antibiotics certainly wouldnt harm him. I have had many rats with Mycoplasma and a couple with Tumours and it is so distressing to see them uncomfortable. Please contact me if i can be of further help. Selena

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•   Shadow De La Luna says:

  January 12th, 2009 at 04:14 PM

  I would definitely completely treat all of your rats for mites if one had them plus detoxify your cage and all of your bedding material.  I would also look into treating your rat on an antibiotic such as Baytril.  Just because his lungs sound clear doesn't mean enough if you can audibly sense his wheezing.  Tumors are another issue but I would start small and hope for the best.  I would definitely also double check what you use for bedding, food, and cleaning.  Rats are susceptible to allergies and difficulties in dealing with certain materials as much if not more than we are.  What are you feeding them?  What is their bedding? How much room do they have (what square footage per rat and how many toys, food dishes, water bottles, litter boxes, beds, hammocks, etc.)? 

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