# Sneezing but no other symptoms..



## KennaBoo

I'm a first time rat owner who's already had a sick rat, in fact two of them. They were sold to me sick from PetSmart, and unfortunately my poor Lily didn't make it to the vet in time, however her sister Luna did and she is still doing great.

I recently adopted 2 more female rats for her so she could have a rat family and company for when I'm not around. I got these two girls from a different place than Luna & Lily (NOT from a pet store at all). I've had them for less than a week or so now and after the bathtub introduction and scrubbing their cage clean and spotless to put them all in a clean and neutral environment, the new girls have been sneezing since I put them all in their cage, but Luna was still fine. She didn't have a red nose, unlike the other girls and was not sneezing at all.

So at first I was sure it was just the bedding. The bedding I had previously bought was super dusty, so right away I went out and bought some Oxbow natural mix bedding which is great! It has VERY little to no dust. After scrubbing their cage clean again and adding the new bedding their little red noses went away, but the sneezing has continued. It's definitely not as constant, but it's still enough to worry me..

They are not having any fluid or blood leakage anywhere but their little noses sometimes get reddish and then within seconds turn light pink again. However Luna is absolutely fine. She does not sneeze and her nose is always pink.

I read somewhere that some rats need to take a few weeks to get used to their new home and environment, and sometimes they'll sneeze quite a bit. I was wondering if this may be the case, because before I adopted them they were in a closed off, designated rat room with completely sterile conditions in small clear tubs with a barred top, and dust free wood bedding.

So I'm wondering if they're just adjusting to my home that is not completely sterile of course. What could be going on? Did I seriously just adopt two more rats just to get sick? I'm so frustrated that I don't know what to do. Should I wait a bit and see? Or is this serious? Any help and thoughts would be kindly appreciated! Thank you all for your time, have a great day/night!


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## Lach2016

I have a rat named Lilly and she dose the same thing. I bought her from PetCo and the whole way home not one sneeze but soon as she got into the cage she would sneeze after a few weeks she dosen't sneeze as much as she use to but every once in a while she will sneeze. From what I can tell they aren't sick but it's just the dust in the room messing with them kinda how humans are in a dusty room. It's nothing to worry about. If it becomes very constant sneezing and blood leakage then I would be worried. It's perfectly normal for rats to sneeze every once in a while. Hope this helps clam the nerves! Have a good day! :relaxed:


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## KennaBoo

Alright, thanks for sharing your story! I'll definitely keep an eye on it just in case. Thanks for responding  Have a great day!


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## KennaBoo

Update: One of the new rats just sneezed and red liquid came out. It doesn't seem to be blood though. I'm assuming she needs medical attention as soon as possible. Which also leads me to believe my two other girls need medical attention as well..


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## nanashi7

It is porphyrin. They are probably grooming it away. If you have ruled out bedding, there shouldnt be any sneezing except for a small amount per day. Porphyrin can be normal as well. however if it is a upper respiratory infection, earlier is always better than later as a lower respiratory infection is terrible.


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## amandad

Are you noticing any other issues, such as wheezing (put their sides-where their lungs would be-up to your ear and listen), frequent sneezing (more than the occasional sneeze), labored breathing, lethargy, etc...? If not, then I would just say she has a bit of a runny nose that they occasionally get like we do. My girls get a runny nose every once and a while, in fact, one's eye runs pretty frequently so I have to constantly wipe her eye with a damp Q-tip.


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## KennaBoo

Well my two new girls have had barely any to no human interaction before I adopted them. So it's hard to pick them up right now like that to listen to their lungs and heart because they become scared and bite/squirm. I've tried, and to no avail yet.. Their sneezing isn't as constant as it was, but it's enough on and off to get my attention for awhile (if that makes sense since I haven't timed their sneezing frequency), but I would assume it's a bit more than usual? There seems to be no signs of labored breathing, but the occasional deep breath while intently sniffing. They have had absolutely no signs of lethargy though and act absolutely normal (eating, drinking, pooping & peeing, playing, etc.). Any thoughts? I know it's Porphyrin, which I've asked questions about in my most recent post. So any help and information on that would be amazing! Thanks both of you for responding and helping, I really appreciate it!!


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## Rat Daddy

The new rat sneezes are common when hot house rats enter the real world.... It usually starts shortly after you take them out of their original homes and handle them or as soon as you get them home. The symptoms don't get worse after the first or second day, they last about a week and then go away. Most actual respiratory infections go from bad to worse... So if the situation is getting worse, or is lasting too long, you should see a vet.

As to sneezing, rats can do it on purpose to clear their noses... We had one rat with a very particular wake up routine... she would get up and pee and poop, then she would drink and then she would sneeze several times to clear her nose before eating breakfast and then she would climb up onto her cage to go outside with us. The whole procedure took between 5 to 10 minutes, but it was exactly the same routine every day. And if you rushed her routine, you were pretty sure to get peed pooped and sneezed on...yuk. She would also intentionally sneeze before smelling something particularly interesting. Occasional sneezing is absolutely normal for some rats.


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## nanashi7

I saw your other thread. You'll be fine waiting a week and actually don't need to treat anyone not showing symptoms. If you could order some Baytril online and give us their weights we can help you treat them from home!


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## KennaBoo

Okay, I'll see if I can try to weight them! Thank you!!  As an update: I just picked one of the new girls up (the one that sneezes most and sneezed the Porphyrin yesterday), and right when I picked her up it sounded like her nose was clogged or wet and there was a squeaking/almost clicking-like sound (she wasn't actually squeaking at me or anything, I'm just not sure how else to describe the noise). I can't tell if it was coming from breathing out of her nose or if it was her lungs. However after I put her down to eat she gobbled up her food like normal and is still acting fine. As I type this right now she's having a sneezing fit in the cage. I'm worried, I'm assuming these aren't good signs..


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## Nev&Remus

My Neville has the same sneezes at the moment. He hasn't had any porphyrin though. I took him to the vet last week, diagnosed with URI and she put him on Bentryil twice a day for a week. Nothing *too* serious if treated before it develops. He's the same as your little one, still acting normal just with the sneezes!


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## KennaBoo

I might need to take them to the vet then. I was hoping I could wait until next paycheck (in a week and a half), but I guess we can't control these things..


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## Nev&Remus

I thought it was just new home sneezes but the noise worried me a bit. After 4 days on Baytril the noises have stopped but he's still sneezing quite a bit.


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## KennaBoo

Yeah, sometimes it's difficult to decipher what it could be.. I hope the medication helps him and he feels better though! Hopefully the continuous sneezing stops or lessens soon!


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## Nev&Remus

Thank you, I hope so too! Keep us updated on how you get on.


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## KennaBoo

Thank you, I will! The veterinary clinic I go to is opening up again tomorrow since it's Monday, so hopefully I can get the two new girls in tomorrow or Tuesday, the sooner the better!  Keep us updated as well with how little Neville is doing! Best of luck!


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## nanashi7

Really, if we are talking you needing money to survive until the next week they should be fine. You can even take precautions, like super dark chocolate, a humidifier, switched to fleece washed with out scented detergent or any softener. As long as the nose is the problem, you are only having a URI. Once it moves lower you get a fluffed rat, breathing hard and labored whose breaths may make a whistle. When you put their bellies yo your chest you can hear a LRI. Can very rarely hear a URI, since it is usually all nasal.


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## amandanicollee

My little one, Rogue sneezes constantly throughout the day. But the vet said as long as the liquid is clear, which it is, it shouldn't be bad since she doesn't have any other symptoms. However, Storm, the older, who is on medication rarely sneezes and its only been lately that she sneezes. My vet also advised to get a humidifier or take them into a hot steamy bathroom if you dont have a humidifier. See if any your friends who have had kids (or anyone), they may have a humidifier. I hope she gets better!!


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## KennaBoo

Okay, thank you both a ton for helping me out! She has red around her nose now, like on the fur surrounding her nose. So I'm going to monitor her, take precautions, and see what happens. I'll either take her in to the vet this week or next week, depending on how well she's doing or if she takes a turn for the worse (I sure hope that's not the case though!). Thank you all though for the help and advice, I appreciate it so much! By the way, I hope Rogue & Storm do great and stay healthy!  Best of luck!


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## Cyrix

> in fact, one's eye runs pretty frequently so I have to constantly wipe her eye with a damp Q-tip.




That's a pretty bad symptom... have you had that rat checked by a vet?


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## Nieve5552

Rat Daddy said:


> The new rat sneezes are common when hot house rats enter the real world.... It usually starts shortly after you take them out of their original homes and handle them or as soon as you get them home. The symptoms don't get worse after the first or second day, they last about a week and then go away. Most actual respiratory infections go from bad to worse... So if the situation is getting worse, or is lasting too long, you should see a vet.
> 
> As to sneezing, rats can do it on purpose to clear their noses... We had one rat with a very particular wake up routine... she would get up and pee and poop, then she would drink and then she would sneeze several times to clear her nose before eating breakfast and then she would climb up onto her cage to go outside with us. The whole procedure took between 5 to 10 minutes, but it was exactly the same routine every day. And if you rushed her routine, you were pretty sure to get peed pooped and sneezed on...yuk. She would also intentionally sneeze before smelling something particularly interesting. Occasional sneezing is absolutely normal for some rats.


Oh god that is ridiculously cute! That rat had her life sorted so much better than mine hahaha!
I'd love to know, which one was she?


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## Rat Daddy

Although all rats have some sort of a wake up routine, the rat I mentioned was of course the most remarkable Fuzzy Rat... She had a certain precision of thinking that made her do the same thing the exact same way, which made her easier to understand. 

The problem with many rats and likely people is that they are inconsistent. So it's harder to understand them... Almost like someone with OCD Fuzzy Rat did the same thing the exact same way every time... like little rituals... And she had lots of them... Being consistent and reliable made her easier to work with and understand.

That's not to say she wouldn't adapt to change and try something new if something didn't work... For example one day she got it into her head to explore some bushes on the private property next to the beach... So first she tried to run along the shore line to the bushes... we blocked her... she tried it several times, including pretending to give up and then making a dash for it.... Then after preen thinking, she tried to go the other way and make an end run around us.... again we blocked her... and she tried it several times... Then again after preen thinking, finally she jumped into the lake and swam around us, climbed the stone wall at the end of the beach, through the fence and into the bushes.... It was October and we weren't likely to jump in after her. She got what she wanted... she was also soaked and cold and came back withing 5 minutes... But she was methodical... first the direct approach, then the deceptive sneak attack, then the end run and finally the last resort, dive into the freezing cold lake and do the swim around. When she wanted to do something there wasn't much of anything that could change her mind, she would get laser focused. But she would always do the same thing the same way until she was sure it wouldn't work, then she would try another approach...

Waking up was one of her rituals... bedtime was another. As soon as I turned the computer off she would run and hide... Then she wouldn't come out until I offered her a treat. She realized that turning off the computer meant it was bed time, which was my ritual. Her ritual was to run and hide so I had to give her a treat to lure her out and take her to her cage... Simply put, no tasty treat, no rat, so I had to adapt by always keeping a tasty treat around for her at bedtime.

But being so consistent made it easy to understand what she wanted... if we were outside and she had to pee, she would pound her front paws on my hand and look down... so I would put her down.

If you observe your own rats, I would be surprised if they don't have little rituals too.


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## Erza

Not going to lie you guys got me scared for mine he's almost 3 years old and since I've had him he sneezes every once in awhile and maybe he will throw up but he always runs around like nothing's wrong I keep his cage clean the only problem I've had with him is I got him alone I didn't know they needed a partner is it to late for me to get him one now that he's this old? He's very picky on who holds him and what comes around him he's not stressed out in fact he scars my cat she's about a year old but he's super playful so I need to get him checked out or something?


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## KefirRat

Erza said:


> I didn't know they needed a partner is it to late for me to get him one now that he's this old? He's very picky on who holds him and what comes around him he's not stressed out in fact he scars my cat she's about a year old but he's super playful so I need to get him checked out or something?


It is possible to introduce a rat who has been solitary for most of their life to a new cage mate, though this can be a time-consuming and somewhat stressful process for the rats and owner alike.

Exactly how old is your rat? Unless he’s very likely to pass away from old age soon, I’d recommend getting him a younger friend or two. We can be amazing companions to rats, but we can’t play-fight or communicate with them like another rat can.


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