# My rat KEEPS SNEEZING!!!!



## c19932

Hey everyone, I just got a rat, I would say about 5-8 weeks old? she's sneezing really often, and sometimes she would sneeze like 3 times in a row. everytime after she sneezes she would rub her nose, and sometimes when she sneezes her whole body would shake a bit. it is her 4th day in her cage and I am using carefresh paper bedding. I am suspecting that either its allergic to the bedding or it has a respiratory infection.

please tell me a treatment for it and where i can get it!!

thank you, any help is appreciated


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## hshelton

It could be the new home sneezes. They do it for a few days while trying to get used to their new enviroment. I would wait a couple more days and if she keeps sneezing, take her to a vet to make sure she doesn't have a RI


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## Jaguar

There's a sticky about rat sneezes right up at the top of the health subforum, do check it out.  Should answer any general questions you have.


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## c19932

thanks for the reply guys

I also notice that there are like black spots on one of her eyelids. I guessing those are the so called "porphorin"? (got it from google) I read that those can result from illness, stress, or irritation from dust. Should I just ignore those for a while and see if they disappear?


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## ema-leigh

Carefresh can be dusty, I would just use newspaper myself, incase she is just sensitive to the dust.


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## shaylee_breena

i used carefresh for a while but it irritated my poor babies eyes and nose so much, looked really really sore. so now just use a fleecy liner i've made, so much better, and cheaper too as you can just wash them if they get dirty... since swapping the litluns eyes and hoses havent been irritated at all


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## oscar betta

My rat does this too in certain areas of my house. It must be something in the room that makes him sneeze.


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## ~Mystic~

My new boy (Merlin) does this. I've only had him for about a week. It was more in the beginning but now it is only once in awhile. Vet says he is in perfect health


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## lilspaz68

Sounds like bits of dried porphyrin (red discharge) around her eyes. The sneezing sounds like new home, or irritant sneezing, not so much wet nasty URI-coming-on sneezing. I would definitely change her bedding to fleece and see if the sneezing improves. I switched my crews to carefresh once and literally 5 minutes of using it, me and the 30 rats were all sneezing. LOL


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