# My rats are sick, need advice on antibiotics



## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

I think my pet rats are sick / beginning to get sick and I need some advice on what antibiotics to give them before this gets worse. I know I'm going to get recommendations to go to the vet, but I just can not afford that. I called two places and they BOTH charge 80 dollars for both of my rats. I'm sorry, but 80 dollars to do a CHECK-UP on my two rats is not only ridiculous,not including the price of medications and whatever other little fees that the vet feels like adding in there. Quite frankly, I think it's disgusting that these veterinarians are holding my two little girls hostage, but what can you do? That's what happens when you have a system that allows doctors and veterinarians to profiteer off of the suffering of humans and animals. Anyway, I'm thinking that I'm going to do this the old fashioned way by ordering some antibiotics online for them. The two big antibiotics out there for rats are Baytril and Doxycycline and I have found a site that sells Baytril. One of them sells 68mg tabs of Baytril for 2.99. I've also found Doxycycline tabs online for 1.00 for 100mg tabs. These tabs are meant for cats and dogs, but I can simply cut the tabs down to an appropriate dosage for rats. My main question is, what dosage would you guys recommend and which one do you think would be more appropriate for an upper respiratory infection? Any other info on these antibiotics would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for helping me to take care of my little girls when the system has failed me and my rats.


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

What are your rats doing that make you think they're sick? How long have you had them? How old are they? How much do they weigh? 

These are basic questions that need to be answered before anyone can tell you what you need to know.


Also, vets spend years and a LOT of money to go to school and become a veterinarian. So, they deserve to make enough to pay their bills/employees. The price you were quoted was reasonable for 2 rats.


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

They have stuffy noses and when they sneeze, there is a squeaking noise. I also noticed that they look a little sickly and they're just not acting like themselves. I've had Riddle for a month now and Melody for a week. I've lost two rats already to upper respiratory infection and I know that this can turn bad pretty quickly. I'm not sure how much they weigh. They are mid-sized rats and they are fairly young, possibly












3-4 months old. I'll upload a picture of them. The thing about this illness, though, is that they are not showing full-on signs of illness just yet. I can tell that it is coming, though. I just want to find a way to distinguish between which of those two antibiotics that I will need to use and what a good dosage would be.

I didn't really make this thread to hear people justify profiteering off of the suffering of others, but it doesn't really matter that vets went to college. There are plenty of countries where healthcare for humans is free for everybody and doctors still make a good living, so there's absolutely no reason that veterinary care should be any different. No animal deserves to die just because the owner can't afford to pay for their health treatment. I'm not really here to debate that, though. I'm here to get a treatment for my rats.


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

ArborWeek said:


> They have stuffy noses and when they sneeze, there is a squeaking noise. I also noticed that they look a little sickly and they're just not acting like themselves. I've had Riddle for a month now and Melody for a week. I've lost two rats already to upper respiratory infection and I know that this can turn bad pretty quickly. I'm not sure how much they weigh. They are mid-sized rats and they are fairly young, possibly
> View attachment 126449
> View attachment 126457
> 3-4 months old. I'll upload a picture of them. The thing about this illness, though, is that they are not showing full-on signs of illness just yet. I can tell that it is coming, though. I just want to find a way to distinguish between which of those two antibiotics that I will need to use and what a good dosage would be.
> ...


I think baytril can't be given to rats under 4 months old. Not sure on the Doxy. There's a forum member, dr.zapp, that's very good with dosages. He will still need to know the weight. Hopefully, he'll chime in. I'm not good at figuring the dosages, but you still might need to find a way to weigh them. If you go to Staples or another office supply store you can get a digital scale. Don't worry, you can return it after you weigh your rats if you can't afford to keep it. Then you'll have an accurate weight on your rats and you can get the proper dosages for them.


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

I actually already have a digital scale, so I won't need to return it. Plus, scales are only ten dollars around here. There's a big difference between ten dollars and eighty+ dollars. I will try and get into contact with this "Dr. Zapp," though.


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

Hey, guys, I apologize if I come off as having a negative tone. I'm just very stressed out at this whole situation. I think I have a good way of keeping it under control. I'm going to keep giving them the natural treatments (giving them dark chocolate, taking them in the bathroom when I shower to let them breathe in some warm and moist air, trying to keep them happy) and I think I have a way of getting some doxycycline, so the situation isn't as bad as it could be. Whenever my rats feel bad, I feel bad as well. I didn't mean to come off as having a negative tone.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Being working at a vet, baytril 68 mg , no matter how small you cut it, it would be way to much. You would need liquid baytril in the correct mg.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

For young rats, and for uncertain diagnosis (without going to a vet, even though what you suspect is likely), I would go with amoxicillin. You can get it in any fish/aquarium store. Usually in 250mg capsules. You can buy a small bottle of 30 capsules for only $10, sometimes cheaper. Pop one open, and grind it up as fine as possible (it is already pretty fine, but still much too chunky to be even dosages. it should be as fine as flour if you can make it like that). Buy a mortar and pestle of good quality, ceramic is best, and it will be very useful for years for many things, even cooking. But anyway, for one 250mg capsule, mix in 5ml/cc of flavoring of something kind of thick. Don't use water or juice or anything watery. Ensure is great. Tastes good so they will be eager to eat it, and its thick consistency helps the particles of medicine stay evenly distributed in the liquid. Maybe even melted ice cream would work well. You can also double the dosage (I do, makes it easier!) 500mg to 10ml/cc of flavoring and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. It is only good for 2 weeks, so be sure to throw it out after that. Shake it up really well before each dosage and give 0.2ml per pound of rat. If you have a fat boy, he will most likely be close to a pound. But since you have a couple girls, they will probably have a different, smaller dose that you will need to figure out based on their weight in grams. Many vets would be happy to weigh your pets for free, so don't hesitate to ask if you have one nearby. Based on personal experience, it's much much much easier to have a vet's scale than to do one on a kitchen scale at home! I recently did all this with the amoxicillin and Dr. Zapp (Not sure if he is an actual vet or if it's just his username) said that I was accurate with my dosages. It's on a recent thread if you'd like to look it up.

If you don't see results by day 3, then definitely switch to a different antibiotic. And I would avoid baytril until your girls are older because it could be harmful for to the joints of growing rats. Amoxicillin can cause their stools to be a bit soft, but as long as they don't have diarrhea, they are fine. Make sure they have plenty of fluids and liquidy foods so their soft poops don't make them dehydrated. 

Here is a helpful article that I found to use the amoxicillin. It is good as the "go-to" first antibiotic before trying others.

http://ratfanclub.org/resp.html If you don't want to read the whole thing (though I recommend everyone should since rats get snuffles very frequently) then just scroll down a little bit to the third section and it will tell you what you need to know.

Best of luck for the girls! Since your vet seems a bit expensive, I'd try saving up some money for an emergency vet fund in case they ever get seriously sick and NEED to see a vet. It's no use to be mad at the vet for charging so much if your girls are in dire need in the future. Most of us have learned that rats can be VERY expensive pets to keep, even more than cats and dogs! D: Good thing they're so cute!

So to recap without all the the blah blah blah, 250mg capsule contents, powder only, not the outside shell, grind up very well. Mix the 250mg medicine into 5ml/cc of thick-ish flavoring. Give dosages as 0.2ml/lb of rat (you'll have to figure for your girl's weight of course, as 0.2 would be too much). Give twice a day, every 12 hours, for at least 10 days, or up to 2 weeks if they're pretty bad right now. Keep refrigerated and shake very well before using. Throw out after 2 weeks. **If symptoms have not improved by day 3, get different antibiotic.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I should maybe mention that one of my 8 month old boys was snuffly/crackly sounding a little while ago and I did what I said above. I kept him on the meds for twice a day for 10 days, but his symptoms were gone by day 3 and have not returned, so it worked very well for him!


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

Finnebon said:


> I should maybe mention that one of my 8 month old boys was snuffly/crackly sounding a little while ago and I did what I said above. I kept him on the meds for twice a day for 10 days, but his symptoms were gone by day 3 and have not returned, so it worked very well for him!


Finnebon! Thank you for this treasure trove of information! I am going to go out and find some amoxicilin today and do exactly what you said. If it doesn't work in 3 days, I will find a different antibiotic, such as doxycycline. This is exactly the kind of information that I needed. It seems as though my rat Riddle has gotten worse this morning, while my rat Melody has gotten better. Melody is up cleaning herself, running around, and coming up to the cage door when I open it. I hope that this treatment works!


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

You're welcome! I hope it helps!

Is Riddle acting like she is actually feeling unwell? If she is acting unwell, she might be worse than you think since they are good at hiding illness. Keep an eye on her, she should be taken to the vet if she is acting lethargic or especially if she starts gasping open mouthed for air since either one of those means she may be at death's door unfortunately. I'm glad Melody seems to be still feeling pretty perky though 

Let us know if you're able to find the amoxi and how your ratties like it! It shouldn't taste bad so most rats don't notice they're getting medicine while they're getting their "treats" twice a day, hehe.


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

Finnebon said:


> You're welcome! I hope it helps!
> 
> Is Riddle acting like she is actually feeling unwell? If she is acting unwell, she might be worse than you think since they are good at hiding illness. Keep an eye on her, she should be taken to the vet if she is acting lethargic or especially if she starts gasping open mouthed for air since either one of those means she may be at death's door unfortunately. I'm glad Melody seems to be still feeling pretty perky though
> 
> Let us know if you're able to find the amoxi and how your ratties like it! It shouldn't taste bad so most rats don't notice they're getting medicine while they're getting their "treats" twice a day, hehe.


Riddle isn't doing any open mouthed gasping for air, she just has these occasional sneezes that sound really congested. I think that she is doing better, though, as she is getting up, drinking water, eating food, and she even beat Melody in one of their play fighting matches. I'm going to try and get the antibiotics tomorrow. I'm really glad that they seem better than they were, though. She's still hanging in there!


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

How did your ratties take to the amoxicillin? Any improvements?


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## ArborWeek (Feb 18, 2014)

Finnebon said:


> How did your ratties take to the amoxicillin? Any improvements?


Amoxicillin requires a prescription and I was unable to obtain it. I do have some big news, though. It seems as though they are recovering on their own. I haven't heard any of the sneezes and they are active and happy. However, I know how susceptible they are to the illness and it may come back, that's why I ordered an antibiotic called "Erythromycin" that supposedly works pretty well on mycoplasmic illnesses. It should be here tomorrow or Monday and I'll put them on it if they start getting sick again. I think Riddle and Melody are gonna be okay. <3 <3


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

That's really strange. Maybe it's just a state law for Ohio? You can also just order some online too and it should ship directly to you if you can't find any in the stores.

Some people on this forum swear by oregano oil. But you have to get the 100% pure real oregano only oil. And it MUST be diluted as it's very very caustic and can make an adult human have a very bad painful reaction from just one drop, so it really has to be diluted before giving it to your ratty.

Ask the moderator on here, cagedbirdsinging, she has a lot of experience with oregano oil and can help you out.

You can also try concetrated garlic oil and RAW honey (must say raw), as those are also natural antibiotics kinda. It may help if you give them a couple drops of the garlic oil everyday.


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## courtney+ella (Jan 7, 2014)

If you are going to give them antibiotics I would recommend the oral liquid instead of the tabs, I mix it with a little bit of Nutella on a spoon and they love it! Easiest way to get them to take the medicine, tabs are touch and go, but I would take them to the vet just so you know how bad it really is, and they will be able to help you monitor it


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