# isolation period??



## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

I just got a new rat, and i was wondering how long--if any--i should keep it confined. i've read up on it, and most people say about 2 weeks. Any input???


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Quarentine is a very, very, VERY good idea when bringing new rats into your home. To do a proper QT it should be in a seperate airspace for ideally 3 weeks, but 2 weeks is fine as well. It gives enough time for any possible illnesses to become obvious before your own rats are exposed.

Keep in mind that if the rat does get sick while in QT you must start the count over from the last day of the symptoms of the illness (so it would be an additional 2-3 weeks after treatment). 

Better safe than sorry!


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

ok thanks! yea that what i heard "in another room/airspace" i've got the new guy in the office while my older rat is roomin with me.


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

i was wondering--since i am goin to the vet for a physical for both my rats--new and old--if the doc says that both are healthy, can i introduce them, or should i still QT the new one?


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Keeping for at least 2 weeks is a good idea, sometimes things stay hidden I think of the rat could be a carrier without being effective to the disease.


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

ok--thanks guys


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Don't break QT even if the vet gives the all clear. Many illnesses don't present symptoms right away, and can pop up later within the 2 weeks.


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

alright. so then in two weeks, rex and roy will finally meet! i sure am excited.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

VayeraGirl, let us know if you need any help on introducing your ratties - you must do it right to be sure that your rats don't get hurt.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Vayera - true quarantine is only when they're in a separate airspace, meaning a different house or apartment, not a different room. Unfortunately, the only thing you're preventing your rats from getting currently is ectoparasites such as lice and mites. Airborne illnesses such as SDA and Sendai can still be passed to your rats, even if you try to take as many pre-cautions as possible (keeping doors shut, changing clothes after handling the newbie, et cetera).


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

DonnaK, I've read up on how to introduce them. this is how i plan to do it...
-first, just let them see each other for a while from a bit of a distance (have a friend hold one)
-then maybe let them sniff each other a bit
-then put their cages next to each other while repeating the above every day
-then put them in a bathtub together
-then hope for the best!! 

Night, well i guess i'm not doing a "true quarantine", but i'm really not too worried about it. i no that they should be in different housese, but i don't have the space to do that. i just have to rely on the greater force to guide by babies :wink: , and hopefully that will be enough. i appreciate your concern for my rats, but for now--or atleast untill one does catch a disease from the other when they're in two separate rooms--the way i'm doing it will have to do.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

VayeraGirl93 said:


> DonnaK, I've read up on how to introduce them. this is how i plan to do it...
> -first, just let them see each other for a while from a bit of a distance (have a friend hold one)
> -then maybe let them sniff each other a bit
> -then put their cages next to each other while repeating the above every day
> ...


The only thing I would change, based on our experience of introducing our two ratties recently, is I would go straight to putting the cages side by side after quarantine... close enough that they can check each other out, but not too close that they can grab each other.

The reason I suggest this is that we tried letting ours sniff at each other before doing the cage side by side thing and our resident rat went nuts and lunged at the young one. We didn't try again after that until their cages had been side by side for about 3 or 4 days (once they seemed settled in their own space with the presence of another rat) and the difference was amazing. No lunging, just a bit of wrestling (which is normal).


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Vayera, the only concern I would have with that is the fact that your current rats aren't protected from airborn illness such as Sendai or SDA, which can kill an entire colony, and can be very expensive to treat. Do you have a friend that could QT rats for you next time? 

They're your rats though, and in the end it's your decision to make on what you feel comfortable doing.


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