# Worried about cooing



## tori_m (Mar 5, 2013)

I just posted in behavior but I think this is best suited to health...

I brought home two hairless rats a week ago, quarenteed them, and they seem great. No sneezes, runny eyes or nose, running playing eating drinking.
So after a week I put their cage next to my other girls for the night, then I introduced them and it's great. They all love each other and cuddle, it's so sweet.

This morning I heard one of my new rats "cooing", like a pigeon or an owl. It didn't last long but it was loud. There is no wheezing, no breathing noises at all.... she just let out this cooing noise. 

Should I be worried?


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## tori_m (Mar 5, 2013)

IF you guys think this is an respitory infection, I'm fairly certain my vet will give me meds without an exam (when I first got my other girls, they sneezed like crazy for weeks and she said it was something they would get over on their own, but if it got worse or came back, just come get the meds) so I guess I'm wondering what meds I would ask for. I've seen one on here that starts with a B....the name escapes me. Would that be what I would buy?

Or should I just wait and see if any other signs occur/cooing happens again?


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

I think you're thinking of Baytril maybe.
I would take her in to a vet to be properly examined just to be certain that it isn't anything serious. The vet will most likely prescribe Baytril if it is a URI. 
One of my lil guy also used to make like a buzzing sort of sound. The vet told me both my boys needed to go on the Baytril course, just struggling giving it to them, gonna try giving it to them with baby porridge tomorrow. 

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## tori_m (Mar 5, 2013)

see the thing is i'm not sure if her cooing once is a bad thing, or if it was a happy sound, or a sleeping sound like snoring.... i've been googling and can't find anything.

i think that since she's active, eating, drinking, curious, not sneezing.... that if i took her to my vet, she wouldnt even perscribe anything since the last time my girls were sneezing horribly and she still said give them a chance to get over it on their own. so if i take her to the vet over nothing, that's $80 gone (that i could have spent on toys for them )

i guess i'm just not sure how concerned i should be?


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

My rat was making what I could only describe as a cooing noise too...I videoed it, does it sound anything like this??

http://youtu.be/ffhyDpTd70I

I took this video a month or so ago, got a course of baytril for what the vet diagnosed as an URI which lasted a couple of weeks and stopped the noises within a week. Recently, it's come back and the vet fears it could be chronic, and now he's on a blend of 3 different medications, including baytril, for 4 weeks which should hopefully clear it up once and for all. 

If your rat is making sounds like mine did, do take them to the vet! Your vet may not be able to hear a problem in the lungs because the infection is in the upper respiratory system - I ended up taking all 3 of my boys to the vet during the first session because they all started making the noises (though the vet could only hear a mishap in the lungs of one of them). 

Like yours, mine have always been playful and eating and drinking like normal. Apart from the cooing and wheezing noises, there have been no either signs of infection at all.


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

Oh, and I should add that the first vet I took my cooing boy to dismissed it as "just one of those noises rats make" because he couldn't hear anything in the lungs, so just be aware that not every vet understands things like this :/


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## tori_m (Mar 5, 2013)

Hmmm... no it really wasn't like that, it was more deep, longer, louder and lasted about 10 seconds. It sounded like a pigeon's coo or an owl's "whooooo, whooooo" !


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

Hmm, not heard that in my boys, so can't help there I'm afraid :/ hope they're okay!


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

You should rather take your ratties to another vet if they dismiss things like that, I really don't think it's normal. Mine also acted normal, they ate, played, drank their water, just like any healthy rat would but it's something that can be easily misinterpreted if taken to a vet who doesn't really specialize in rats that often.
My rats didn't even sneeze really although one did have a bit of nose prophyrin which I did get very worried about.

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I've heard the "cooing" noise before. One of my girls does it when she's sleeping sometimes. I think it's snoring. But one of them also starting making snuffling noises last thursday so I took her to the vet as soon as I could on monday morning and she is on meds for the start of a URI (it's ony in her nose and luckily hadn't spread to her lungs at all). If I stop hearing the "snoring" noise once she is better, then I can only assume that she was the one making the noise and that the cooing noise was a precursor to her URI. I'd keep and eye on your babies and make sure no one is in the beginning stages of getting sick.

How old are your babies? DO NOT give them Baytril if they are under 4 months old. It is detrimemtal to their growth and damages their joints. I am using Doxycyclin for my girl's URI now and I only just started her treatment yesterday so I'm not sure how effective it will be. In the past I've used different sorts of antibiotics for other ill rats, but I can't remember what the names were specifically. But if you have a vet that tries to give you Baytril for a young rat, find a new vet, since they don't know enough about rats. It's been REALLY difficult finding vets for my rats over the years. I don't know the technical medical things, but I think there have been lots of times where I've sometimes known more about rat behavior and good/bad drugs that I had to tell my vet about. The last 2 vets I've seen have never even heard that rats can get Megacolon, but was still willing to thankfully give me the prescription meds I needed for my 2 MC babies. 

Good luck with your babies! They sound adorable, I'm glad everyone is getting along!


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

OMG!!! My vet gave me Baytril, I didn't know this  my boys are just over 3months, I want to cry!!! 

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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

My vet gave me baytril at just over 3 months too. I didn't realise until afterwards, but if it's any consolation, it hasn't affected my boy badly at all. In fact, he's the biggest of the three, despite being the youngest


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

OK that's good to know. I was in such a panic when I read this that I started Googling as much info on this as possible. Some don't agree with Batril and others do... One article stipulates that if given the correct dosage there should be no harm done. They've tested large amounts of Baytril on Lab rats obviously causing bad side effects but that is to be expected. It's like taking too many painkillers or using antibiotics for longer than the prescribed duration, the outcome would be bad.
My rats are also fine, no side effects, they've only been on it for 4 days now though, giving them 0.5mg a day with porridge, my vet prescribed that according to their weight. 
Anything can be bad for you if taken excessively 

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## tori_m (Mar 5, 2013)

just an update..... i havent heard the noise since, eyes and nose are clear.....minimal sneezing (considering new home sneezes before i panic)

i hope i just heard a pigeon out the window and thought it was her... lol.


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