# Natural remedies for mycoplasma?



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

My rat, Koko, has been on and off medications for myco for the last 10 months. Currently she is taking Chloramphenicol which has been keeping her from getting any worse, but she constantly makes breathing noises. Sometimes it seems pretty bad. Does anyone have an ideas for natural remedies that I can try in addition to the medication? Or just general tips on how to make things a little better for her? 
I have a humidifier going in the room, I keep her cage really clean (she uses a litter box and has fleece for bedding), and I occasionally give her a small dark chocolate chip when the noises are really bad. 
I have heard that garlic can help...has anyone tried this? And does it have to be raw or can it be cooked? cuz my rat wont eat it raw.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. I just want to help my Koko so bad; her sister died from it last month and it was awful.


----------



## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

oh no! :-( i wish i knew of something to help! im worried one of my rats might have it :-( what was the early signs of it, do u remember? my rat has an apt with the vet this coming week any ways but if he does i kinda want to know before hand. oh rats, why cant you live for 10+ years? :-/


----------



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

i guess the early signs were sneezing and more porphyrin but she didn't show much of that at all, so it wasn't until she started making little breathing noises that I knew. Its great your taking your rat to the vet cuz its much easier to treat when you catch it early. I read that researchers are working on some successful vaccines for myco but that they will never become commercially available... which is terrible. I sure wish rats lived longer lives.


----------



## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

me too! imagine being able to have them for like 10 years? then getting chemo or other expensive treatments would be worth it! plus the only reason so many rats get sick at a 1, 2, or 3 years is because at 2 they r middled aged and humans get more diseases at 40, 50, and 60. and a 3 yr old rat is like a 90 yr old so of course they r gonna get sick :-( still sucks! i hope that vaccine comes out sound, poor baby rats!! have u tried ucalyptus? (sp) lol that or menthalatum is what always helped me with my cough :-/ lol i dunno if it will help a rat tho.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

PLEASE be careful about giving things like eucalyptus to rats. I believe it is poisonous, at least to some species. Always ask your vet first.


----------



## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I am beginning to supplement my rats diet with fresh moringa tree leaves, aka "the miracle tree". Google it, it is truly amazing! I am adding the leaves to my morning green smoothies myself!


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

No raw garlic for rats.

What treatments has your rat been on so far? And for how long each time?

Chloramphenicol is an old world antibiotic used a long time ago for myco, but is mostly used now for penetrating structures with bacterial infections.


----------



## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

so it sounds like there is no natural treatment then? just vet meds... good to know about the poisionous things tho!! please update us on how your rattie is doing ok jessy? i hope more treatments start popping up!


----------



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the comments everyone! Doxycycline and baytril didn't help her so thats why my vet gave her chloramphenicol. But I've heard that just because a med didn't work at one point for a rat doesn't mean it wont work later so maybe I will try those again. For now she seems to be staying about the same on the chlor. but if she starts to get any worse maybe I will try those other meds again. And I can't remember exactly how many times and for how long because there has been way too many times in the last 10 months. For now she is doing great other than the breathing noises; shes a good weight, has a good appetite, good energy level. Her spirits still seem good even though her sister died a month ago and she is all alone for now (I've been trying to find a friend for her but seems really hard where i live). Thank goodness she is still a happy rat, but I know a rats health can change so fast. I've been weighing her once a week so that I will be able to detect any weightloss as soon as possible. My other rat got so skinny when she got sick  I don't want to see that happen again.


----------



## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

aw  rats are so strong! i hope the meds help the second time!!


----------



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

shawnalaufer said:


> I am beginning to supplement my rats diet with fresh moringa tree leaves, aka "the miracle tree". Google it, it is truly amazing! I am adding the leaves to my morning green smoothies myself!


Thanks, I did research these leaves a little bit. They have a lot of vitamins and stuff, and I was wondering if you can give them too much? How much do you feed your rats? Is it totally safe?


----------



## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

JessyGene said:


> Thanks, I did research these leaves a little bit. They have a lot of vitamins and stuff, and I was wondering if you can give them too much? How much do you feed your rats? Is it totally safe?


I only give them one small leaf each once a week. I am currently researching it a bit more, getting the exact vitamin/mineral numbers together to see how high a "dose" I can safely give them. Until then, one leaf is beneficial without being anywhere near dangerous. I am checking to see if I can do one leaf per day. The leaves themselves aren't as "potent" as the powder form people make using the leaves.

Too many leafy greens of any kind aren't good, I do know that.


----------



## tifanyk (Mar 30, 2012)

I have the same problem with my rats. I have three rescued lab rats (yes they can get myco) and lost one, Kai, a while ago to myco. I only had them a couple months before the wheezing started and I tried every kind of medicine and nothing worked. Doxy, baytril, tetracycline everything and eventually he got so sick, stopped eating and died within a day of severe symptoms (I honestly don't think the vet knew what he was doing though-do yourself a favor and pay a well qualified exotic animal specialist if you are going to go to a vet. If you go to a low cost like I did, the vet will likely not be familiar with the right way to treat rats and you will try a million different things which ends up costing the same amount of money in the long run.) His dad (Splinter) and brothers (Peter Pan and Kramer- great names huh?) upper respiratory infection went away by itself and they seemed to be doing okay. Since Kai died, I am determined not to loose another to that "incurable" disease. 

I am vegan and lead a very natural lifestyle, using food as medicine, and I hate to give my rats chemical drugs when I would never myself take them. But like I said, determined not to loose another rat to myco, Splinter, Kramer and I recently made our way to the (best) exotic animal vet in town at first symptom of upper respiratory infection. Doxy and batril in combination with a nebulizer worked wonders and their colds went away within a week! I was sooo happy! Until a month later when I heard them wheezing again. I know myco is a life long thing, but don't you think there is OBVIOUSLY something wrong with these treatments if once you stop, the cold comes right back? I am against chemical drugs because it only suppresses the cold, it doesn't do anything to help your rat build up a good immune system to help fight against future attacks. 

So this time around, I am treating it naturally. Living in the Information Age, we really have no excuse not to find a natural remedy when we have a million resources right at our fingertips! Heres what I found;

First of all, feeding as many fresh fruits and veggies over store bought rat food is the best diet you can give your rats. Mine have been on a vegan diet of raw fruit and veggies and a little bit of raw nuts since I got them, and one of mine is over 3 years old and still going strong! 

The thing I'm most excited to try is *grapeFRUIT seed extract *(not to be confused with grapeseed extract), I read so many amazing stories, it's a miracle cure for so many things and is said to relieve myco in rats. Grapefruit seed extract will kill viruses, fungus, bacteria (myco) and parasites. It is used in vet and zoo settings to kill animal parasites and bacteria and a general antiseptic. Get in capsule form and break open the capsule and sprinkle on food, the taste is very bitter so you only want to put a little. One capsule should last one week for a rat. 

If you use the heat or ac, *put jars of water on the heater and vents* to put the moisture back into the air that the heat/ac take out. Get a *humidifier* if you live in dryer climate. I don't have one so everyday I put my rats in a carrying cage and put them in the bathroom with me when I take a shower, the steam is good and will help them breath better (you will notice a significant decrease in wheezing). I use only natural bath products like vinegar and baking soda, so the smells don't affect them. If you use a lot of chemical cleaners, put them in the bathroom when you are not taking a shower and run the water on burning hot for at least 15 minutes. Seriously, make it a goal to do this once a day. It helps so much. 

Consider *eliminating petstore foods*, which are high in dyes and fillers (did you know half of it could be cardboard?) If you wouldn't eat it yourself, how is it safe for your best friends?? Give your rats fresh fruits, veggies, or grains like oatmeal 5-6 times a day in small quantities and at night, leave a bunch of lettuce, parsley or other leafy veggies in the cage to snack on. You can make your own mix of rat food with organic raw nuts and organic puffer rice cereal if you desire, they only need a little bit of this at night. 

However, if they are sick, *mycoplasmas thrive on argine*- an amino acid which is found in coconut, nuts (cashew, almond, hazelnut....), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame....), wheat germ, buckwheat, granola, oatmeal, chickpeas and cooked soybeans so *AVOID THESE* or completely eliminate it from their diet if they are prone to flair ups!! 

Foods high in *Querectin* are shown to greatly reduce symptoms of myco; black and green tea, onion, apple, red grapes, tomato, broccoli, leafy green veggies, rasperry, cranberry, citrus (not everyday for males), buckwheat and more... include one of these at least in their diet daily, or chop a couple and give a couple tsps a day. 

*Raw garlic* is supposed to do wonders (in humans too); In 1944, a chemist, Dr. Cavallito reported that eating it raw could be morepowerful than penicillin and tetracycline as an antibiotic. (from here.) My mom had a bad cold the other month, so she started putting raw garlic in everything she ate for a week and after a couple days her cold was almost gone!

Foods rich in *vitamins A, C and E *should be given daily. Basically a combination of all fruits and veggies, make tiny fruit salads in the morning and tiny leafy salads with veggies for lunch. If your rats won't eat raw veggies, fry it for justttt a minute in some coconut oil or olive oil. Once they get used to lots of veggies and fruit in their diet, they will start accepting more raw so lightly fry just to change the taste a tad so they will go to raw later on. Ultimately, raw is the best for them, so try that first.
If your rattie is having a really hard time breathing, you can give a tiny chunk (half a chocolate chip) or pure, *organic DARK chocolate* (has to be dark). Dark chocolate contains theophylline which is known to help with breathing troubles. 

*Mataki or turkey tail mushrooms* are amazing and could be used to treat myco. Rich in minerals, fibers and amino acids. Contain powerful antioxidants. 

*Echinacea, eucalyptus, dandelion*, can all be used to treat myco also. You should do research yourself to determine which one you think would be best. Some people say they're harmful to rats, some don't. I believe if we can eat it, they can too..so it's up to you! Give small amounts daily or one leaf a week. Not sure the dosage but this seems to be the average.

One of the most common causes of a myco flair up is a *dirty cage*. Ammonia build up in cages will cause sneezing and can greatly increase myco flairups and makes it a whole lot worse for your little guy to deal with, let alone, get better. *Clean daily and thoroughly wash once a week.* Make sure to use unscented, NATURAL, *nontoxic soaps* when cleaning the cage or hammocks. Rats have very sensitive noses and even if you can't see it, residue from soaps is left behind and gets on your rats and into their systems. I use plain old baking soda and hot water to clean my cage and it works great. 

Also, if you are using *pine or cedar bedding*, this is *TOXIC *for rats. Using bedding like carefresh is ok but I wouldn't recommend. It is made with a profit in mind, not your rats. Rats are so tiny and low to the floor that all that dust that comes from the bedding goes straight into their lungs and can cause or worsen myco. I use any fabric or old clothes I have and cut it to fit the size or my cage floors. If your rats will pull up fabric, hold it in place with binder clips. You'll need to change the fabric daily, just pop it in the wash with some baking soda. *Store bought bedding also carries mites *and other bugs that are NOT fun to get rid of.. My rats got mites once from carefresh bedding and the constant cleaning, medicine and sad little rats is not worth it. Bedding will sit in warehouses for months, even years, before it gets to the petshop and then sits somemore, that is how bugs get in and lay eggs. Same with food. 

Always keep the *water bottles fresh* and wash at least once a week..dirty water bottles spread myco. 

(FYI- if your rattie is ever sick from blood loss or dehydrated, *coconut water* is a miracle to have around! The other day, my rats got in a fight and one got a nasty tail wound, I had to hold him for one hour and apply pressure cos blood was gushing everywhere. He was so lethargic from blood loss I thought he was going to die, luckily I had some coconut water on hand and since I know it is so good for humans to rehydrate after workouts, I gave him some and within minutes he perked up and was his old self again!  I'm really happy to find tricks like this so just wanted to pass it on. Best brand is C2O.)

If you do end up giving antibiotics, you should give your ratty some yogurt (vegan  with live cultures because antibiotics will kill the good bacteria that they need to get better. Also, dairy will neutralize some antibiotics like doxy, so stay away from that too.

I'm not 100% sure on any of these but I'm certain it will do you good to try. Everything I've listed is natural and should be bought organically if possible (rats immune systems are very sensitive, don't get me started on GMO and pesticides...) I believe plants can be used as medicine and have healing powers we have forgotten about in todays quick-fix society. I am not a nutritionist or anything like that (yet..) I am just a 23 year old vegan that's crazy about my health and my rats, and I want to learn everything I can so I can help all the tiny rats of the world fight this infection in a TASTY, natural way, not by shoving meds down their throats (oh, don't you hate that?). 
*
If you won't eat it, don't let your rats.* That alone will do wonders for your little rat.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Sadly myco outbreaks in individual rats have more to do with their immune system then the myco itself. IF your lab rats were born myco-free (most are not) then when they are introduced to myco for the first time it is very virulent, unlike a rat that has had myco in its system since it was a baby. Think of it like small pox killing off the western indians 

Boosting their immune system with good foods, and good husbandry is great but in the end you can still expect if they have a weak immune system that they will eventually succumb to it. 

Unfortunately when all the above fails rats need those nasty antibiotics to help them fight off any secondary infections (myco is not the initial infection, just lets other nasties in).


----------



## tifanyk (Mar 30, 2012)

I see what you're saying, I'm only basing this off experience and research I've done. Rats are the #1 tested on animal so there are so many studies showing how rats react to everything and what it can be used to treat. In todays society, we are turning more and more to holistic and natural remedies because the chemical ones aren't cutting it anymore. Many cultures have been healing through food instead of medication for thousands of years. You can even cure cancer with some positive thinking and a healthy diet and exercise so why can't your ratties? I personally think that we give our rats sooo much JUNK that kills their ability to fight off disease (yogurt-sugar snacks, dusty bedding, foods rich in chemicals and preservatives..)

Any infection starts from the inside out, you have to treat the whole body, not just suppress symptoms with drugs... I personally have been vegan for 8 years and in these 8 years, haven't gotten so much as a head cold or a headache. I work with kids also so everyone around me is always sick, and they think it's amazing that I never get the common cold when I'm in such close contact with it. My body has so much to naturally work because I've built up my immune system through the same methods I'm saying for the rats. It is possible, but it's not possible unless you believe it.

Again, I'm just basing this all off experience and the history of healing with food. You can do what you want, but wouldn't you rather give your ratty something they enjoy, instead of medicine that gives them headaches, causes internal bleeding and kills off good bacteria which they need to get better?


----------



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

*tifanyk, thanks for all the info! Some of those things I'm doing already; I'll look into the others. I'm definitely going to look into the yogurt thing. I'm guessing vegan yogurt can be found at a health food store? Does it taste much like regular yogurt, just curious. 

lilspaz68, I agree that meds are also sometimes necessary. I'm giving my rat doxy and baytril right now, which is actually working. I just also want to do everything else I can for my rat; which is all the natural stuff. Plus, I'd like to know some natural alternatives if (when) the medications stop working. And I want to know what natural remedies are actually safe, because "natural" does not necessarily mean safe.

Thanks for all the help guys!*


----------



## tifanyk (Mar 30, 2012)

JessyGene said:


> *tifanyk, thanks for all the info! Some of those things I'm doing already; I'll look into the others. I'm definitely going to look into the yogurt thing. I'm guessing vegan yogurt can be found at a health food store? Does it taste much like regular yogurt, just curious.
> 
> lilspaz68, I agree that meds are also sometimes necessary. I'm giving my rat doxy and baytril right now, which is actually working. I just also want to do everything else I can for my rat; which is all the natural stuff. Plus, I'd like to know some natural alternatives if (when) the medications stop working. And I want to know what natural remedies are actually safe, because "natural" does not necessarily mean safe.
> 
> Thanks for all the help guys!*



Yes the yogurt will help a lot and getting vegan is a good option for staying away from dairy. Vegan plain yogurt doesn't taste like dairy yogurt, it is sweeter but rats seem to love it. I would get a fruit flavor and pick a couple of their favorites for a variety to try. Rats are cautious of new foods, in the wild they are so small and cannot take the chance of becoming sick, thus becoming instant prey, so they will take a nibble of new foods, wait a while and see if it makes them sick. If it doesn't they will go back for more. Our pet rats have this natural instinct (although it is not used as much when they get used to being pets), so if they don't eat the yogurt at first, leave it in the cage overnight and they should eat it by morning.

Vegan yogurt can be found at any health food store, Whole Foods carries a wide variety. Look for the one with the most live cultures/probiotics.

What natural methods are you trying, I'm curious to know what works also cos mine are going through the same thing.


----------



## tifanyk (Mar 30, 2012)

Yes the yogurt will help a lot and getting vegan is a good option for staying away from dairy. Vegan plain yogurt doesn't taste like dairy yogurt, it is sweeter but rats seem to love it. I would get a fruit flavor and pick a couple of their favorites for a variety to try. Rats are cautious of new foods, in the wild they are so small and cannot take the chance of becoming sick, thus becoming instant prey, so they will take a nibble of new foods, wait a while and see if it makes them sick. If it doesn't they will go back for more. Our pet rats have this natural instinct (although it is not used as much when they get used to being pets), so if they don't eat the yogurt at first, leave it in the cage overnight and they should eat it by morning.

Vegan yogurt can be found at any health food store, Whole Foods carries a wide variety.  Look for the one with the most live cultures/probiotics.

What natural methods are you trying, I'm curious to know what works also cos mine are going through the same thing.


----------



## Lizawren (Dec 14, 2013)

Thanks to Tifanyk and everyone else for so many great ideas on how to keep our little ones healthy. I was reading that borax, calcium, and clove oil combat mycoplasma in humans, but I have no idea how to apply that to rats. I have had some success by buying a bunch of 'floursack' dish towels at Walmart, using them to cover all surfaces in the cage (except the walls) and changing them daily. I just drop them in the laundry and wash them in hot water with some oxy added to the mix, and my daughter's rats haven't had a flare-up since I started that routine. I also keep baytril and doxy on hand just in case - it's so much better to start treating at the very first sign of possible trouble than to wait until you are sure they're having a flare-up. Goat-milk yogurt is our babies' favorite, btw, and I feed that a couple times a week just because they like it so much.


----------



## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Please keep an eye on thread dates when responding and avoid replying to threads more than a few weeks past the last response. They are considered inactive.


----------

