File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
So I think my rat has mycoplasma or whatever.

I can't take him to the vet...He's been sneezing a lot, and sometimes makes chirping noises. Is there anything I can do to stop it? Any medicine I can buy online or something?

If not, is he going to die or what?
>> Anonymous
All rats have that problem. It sucks.
If he gets stuffy, give him a tiny bit of chocolate.
For now, try to boost up his immune system. Give them stuff with Vita. C or Echinasea.
Also, see if you can locate a possible problem source. Do you have a moldy spot that needs to be cleaned or that is hidden somewhere? Are they stressed? Have you been cleaning the cage often enough? Stuff like that.
>> Anonymous
>>345028
I've got boxes in there that they run around in that I haven't really changed much. I usually change them once I notice they're getting peed on.

We also haven't been getting real bedding since we could just cut up paper towels and stuff to use as bedding since it's cheaper. I'm gonna fix both of those problems....

If I do get rid of all the boxes, and any problem source, could he recover on his own?

And are there any specific foods i could feed him to help with the vitamin c? I've heard that oranges can cause cancer in them, so I don't want to give him any of those...
>> Anonymous
pet rats are for fags and naive bitches. its as good as dead, just flush it.
>> Anonymous
>>345043
Real men get pets like dogs because dogs are manly cuz they smell and get drool everywhere

and drool is good because it's gross and manly men arent bothered by gross things
>> Anonymous
- Take a hot, steamy shower and bring your rat into the bathroom with you to let him breathe in the steam. Do this 1 - 3 times daily. If you can afford the water bill, allow him to stay in the steamy bathroom for a while. Afterward, he may cough up some phlegm.

- Wipe his eyes and noses with a warm washcloth to remove any porphyrine. This will also make him feel good. :)

- Give him small amounts of dark chocolate, dried cranberries (Craisins) and other dried fruit for vitamin C, and some Emergen-C dissolved in some yogurt or melted ice cream (not the whole packet, though, about 1/4). Don't worry, the ice cream won't hurt your rat and the Emergen-C has vitamin C and minerals in it. If you give him too much, though, he may get dysentary.

- If you give him echinacea, make sure it is alcohol free.

- Try to see when he's wheezing. The time of day/what they're doing/etc. This information is very helpful, because if you can treat them now while its still in the AM/PM, you can eliminate the infection and help stop him from having long-term health issues.

- You can try buying Baytril for dogs and cats online and dosing your rat with 0.2 mL two times daily for 3 weeks. Baytril is the best antibiotic for him, unless he is under 8 months old. Then you'll want him to have Amoxicillin.

- If he doesn't stop wheezing in about 7 - 10 days, try taking him to a vet. It costs anywhere from $25 - $75 for an exotic visit, and $10 for the Baytril. If you can't afford this, try borrowing money from family and friends. If they care about you they'll understand your rat's health is important to you!
>> Anonymous
>>345049
>Wipe his eyes and noses with a warm washcloth to remove any porphyrine. This will also make him feel good. :)

I wanted to do this but I was worried I would hurt his eyes. Guess I'll try it...

I'll do the shower thing tonight. And I doubt any family members would care about it since it's just a rat to them. 75$ is a lot for us, so yeah.

Will I have to keep him on the antibiotics his entire life? That would be a huge money drain on us..
>> Anonymous
>>345055

Wipe his face gently. My girls love being wiped with a warm washcloth, they even "purr".

Your probably won't have to have him on antibiotics his whole life, unless you let him go untreated. If it gets really bad, you'll have to buy him an inhaler and a humidifier. It will become expensive. Alternatively, not treating it also will lead to him having to be put down, which also costs money. So, its best to treat it now and get the bacteria out of his system. Since you can't afford the vet, try all of my other suggestions. My girls got myco and I read up on it like a fanatic...

How old is your rat, by the way? How large is he, too? What type of enclosure does he live in? What is his bedding? If you let me know, I can probably help you more...
>> Anonymous
So are all you people who post in these rat threads sexual for them or what? Is it a sub-group of furfags?
>> Anonymous
>>345130

yes, only furfags post on /an/
>> Anonymous
>>345130
The rat is not a common "furfag" animal. That would be the fox and the wolf. The people who post in rat threads are the people who are aware, thanks to the dissemination of information through the internet, that rats are the most ideal pets in the world.
>> Anonymous
All this info is very good! (yes, I've read that oranges are not very good for male rats)
I hope all this info helps him start to feel better!
I've used the steam trick before as well but I generally avoid trying to get my rats wet a lot if they don't enjoy it. I usually take a hot shower and let the rat simply inhale the steam.
>> Anonymous
You can order Terramycin Soluble Powder from online feed stores. It's a powdered antibiotic that you can put into their drinking water. It helps.

The RMCA says:
> 1/2 to 1 teaspoon/8 oz water/Fresh daily

>When Terramycin is mixed in water bottle, be sure to cover the bottle as the drug is light sensitive. You can keep the mixture in the refrigerator for 3 days, changing the water bottles on the cages daily. Place one ounce per rat in the water bottle daily. Remove moist foods from diet while treating with medication in the water to encourage drinking.

I have used it, it does help when they have minor flare ups.
>> Anonymous
>>345231
Another ideal pet is a cockroach. They're clean, don't eat much, and they're so cute when they've just molted. I'd rather hold a cockroach than have a rats nasty urine marinated nut sack dragged all over me.
>> Anonymous
>>345231
Ideal only if you like having your pets die within 5 years. I prefer a pet that's still kicking at 15 and could well live to be 25.

When they learn how to boost rat lifespans like that, I'm ready to reconsider.
>> Anonymous
>>345289
Why would you want one to live that llong? So you can abandon it when you get kicked out of your shitty rent house have to move into an apartment? Or you move back in with your allergic mom?

If you like 25 year old pets you best be getting a tortoise or a parrot nigger.
>> Anonymous
>>345297
You know, not all of us get kicked from our own homes, nor have allergic moms we'd have to move to. Seems like you've adopted a loser's point of view to life from the get-go.

And what the hell is a parrot nigger anyhow?
>> Anonymous
>>345306
No I just assume the worst from /an/on.

>>And what the hell is a parrot nigger anyhow?
iseewhatyoudidthere.jpg
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>345126
He's around 3 months old now, both of them.

I did the shower thing this morning, wiped his eyes and all, and renovated his cage a bit. His bedding was just scraps of paper towels and stuff like that, but later tonight we're getting him some regular bedding.

Here's his cage before and after. Yeah, I went a little overboard before. And those are my shirts in the second picture for today until we get their bedding. I know there wasn't enough "bedding" before, but their cage is pretty big as you can see. Storebought bedding won't come cheap at the rate I'll be using it.

>>345254
So is that something I have to keep them on forever, or what? Gonna try getting them the amoxycilin soon by the way.
>> Anonymous
>>345413

3 Months, huh? Then you do not want them on Baytril. It can damage younger rat's bone structure, causing spinal damage. :(

Also, too many boxes in the cage. Though they love cardboard boxes, they're just an ammonia traps. Try getting a plastic igloo or a make a wooden box with no floor and drill a bunch of holes in it. You win points on cage size and creativity, though. :D

>>345254

Follow this advice and update us in 2 - 3 days.

Good luck! :)

PS - If you are looking for really, really good advice on rats in the future check out the Critter City website by Sandra Todd.
>> Anonymous
>>345542
>>345254
Have any links to some decent sites to order some from? I found one, but it looks like a website from 1999. Seems a little untrustworthy.

And one other important question....if by chance my rats DIDN'T have the respiratory infection, or whatever it might be...would it hurt them for me to give them it?
>> Anonymous
Also, I saw on a website that water soluble medications aren't any good since to get the recommended dose, they have to drink all the water.

I'm still interested in getting it, but I don't suppose there's any way I could get any doxycycline without taking them to the vet?
>> Anonymous
>>345413
WAY too many boxes in the first one
>> Anonymous
>>345666
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?mpe_id=12075&cm_cr=No+Camp
aign-_-Web+Activity-_-Cross+Sell+Up+Sell-_-ProductDetail_Espot1-_-Terramycin+Soluble+Powder%2C+6.4+O
z%2C+Pfizer+Animal+Health%2C+Drug&catalogId=10001&productId=43411&evtype=CpgnClick&i
ntv_id=15001&langId=-1&storeId=10551&ddkey=http:CategoryDisplay

I ordered from QC Supply before also, but it's listed now as Terramycin 343 and I have no idea if it's exactly the same or not.
http://www.qcsupply.com/Products/654.aspx


>>345669
My rats are constantly drinking so I haven't worried about it, but bottom line is it can't hurt to try. It has worked for me and cleared up their sniffles, I promise, but I wouldn't recommend this method if they're really sick. It won't hurt them, though, it's just a basic broad-spectrum antibiotic.

Here, read through this:
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm

It has the more common rat drugs, how to administer, and whether you need to get a prescription for them.
>> Anonymous
>>345669

Good on you for reading up, but if your rats are sick and you're on a budget, this is the best thing you can do. You could also try giving them the powder in yogurt. Rats love yogurt.

Terramycin works well with myco. Just remove any moist foods from their diet to encourage them to drink more.

Also, as the other person suggested, read this:
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm
>> PackRat !!si1wSSzRYcf
>>345231
This.
>> PackRat !!si1wSSzRYcf
>>345017

Open a jar of that Vicks (sp?) and set it by his cage. It isn't bad for rats, and it works great.
>> Anonymous
All right, we're getting the terramycin now.

So I can just give them their daily dose of it in yogurt? It doesn't hurt to give them it all at once?