# Ferret Rx on rats?



## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

I called the pet store I got my little baby from angry because she still has the sneezes. The lady there said it was the bedding however she has been in a non-bedding fleece lined cage for a few days now and is still sneezing. When I called to ask them about it she said to use "Ferret Rx" ???? Said to put just a little dab on her nose and that it would help. Is this true????? 



I am really discouraged and now wondering why I got them. Why do they have so many health problems? I do not want to be taking them to the vet every few weeks. It stresses me out!


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## unlikelyfather (Sep 11, 2012)

Unfortunately for us, rats are very genetically prone to disease due to limited gene pool and breeding for the sake of breeding rather than for the health of a litter or a species. This is especially true of rats in pet stores, who are often (I'd go so far as to say 99% of the time) born in conditions that aren't good for their health, kept in improper cages, allowed to mingle with other rats who carry diseases (especially URIs), raised by unprepared mothers... 

The list goes on and on, but unfortunately (again), even breeder rats can have extensive health problems. Rats just are very unlucky with specific health issues, though they'll war through anything as long as it's physically possible for them to. They adapt because they're fighters and you can think of them as sort of the superhero of the rodent world. Even though the odds stack against them, they'll battle til their end and the sheer numbers they can live in do nothing but bolster the overall population.

What this means, though, is that we often end up with sick pets. I know you want to do the best for them, so I would look into the possibility that the baby has a URI. If you hear a clicky or wheezy sound when she breathes, she needs to see a vet and get on antibiotics as soon as possible. Now, when did you get her? Sometimes rats can be a bit sneezy in their brand new home, but I would take her to a vet just in case. I strongly advise calling around for a few vet offices until you find one that is close by and has knowledge of rats and their health issues.


One more thing:

*People in pet stores often operate on a lack of knowledge. *It's rare that you'll find a pet store with staff who seriously know what they're doing, so I would take any pet store employee's recommendation with a grain of salt. *She may pass on false information without knowing that she is incorrect - and that can be dangerous for your pet. You'll always want a vet's opinion about anything like this.* 

I've never heard of using a ferret medicine/treatment on a rat, but I'm not a vet and I can't be positive that it's false information. I would just urge you to heavily consider that the person you're getting this information from has probably never owned rats or taken a veterinary course in their life. They probably don't know how you would properly feed a rat to maintain its diet, and they likely don't know any of the details that we rat owners often learn the hard way. Trusting a pet store worker is _ALWAYS _a gamble, even if they seem confident in what they know. _Always, always, always_ get the opinion of a vet or someone who has worked in a vet's office (such as a friend who was a vet tech, or anything of the like).

Good luck.


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