# Small whistling when sniffing sometimes-- is this normal?



## cervine (Oct 14, 2012)

My rats have struggled with respiratory issues since I brought them home at 5 weeks of age. They had grown up in a very heavy smoker's house and were housed on pine bedding before I got them, so I think this could have damaged their developing respiratory system. They are now almost 4 months old and are on frequently cleaned fleece.

Anyway, after many rounds of antibiotics, I think they're finally healthy. They have the occasional sneezes, but only occasional porphyrin when waking up and no more chirpy hiccups. The only thing is sometimes when they're close to my ear and sniffing around, I hear a soft whistle (clear-sounding, no clucks or grunts), but only when they're sniffing pretty hard. It happens with both of them. Other than that, there's absolutely no noise while breathing and their lungs are clear. What do you guys think? Should I be concerned, or do rats make a little whistle sound while sniffing hard?


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