# my rat sounds like a monkey



## annieo (Mar 12, 2010)

hi,

i just got a new rat as a playmate for my rat, pooty. i've had pooty for 2 months (i'm a new rat owner) and wanted to get him a friend. i picked out a new little guy, and quarantined him for 10 days at a friend's house. my friend said that he wasn't sneezing, and he appeared completely healthy. now that i have him at my house (in a separate cage from pooty), he keeps making a soft "monkey" noise. he sneezes once in a while, but i do not see any discharge coming from his eyes or anything. is he vocalizing because pooty's cage is next to his, or does he have an infection? also, his feces smells exceptionally horrible, as does he. i don't want to get pooty sick, and i can't really afford a vet visit at the moment. what should i do?

thanks.


----------



## BumblebeexSweat (Mar 10, 2010)

Sounds like an upper respritory infection. You HAVE to take him to the vet (one that will give him antibiotics). And get the new rat AS FAR AWAY from your current rat as possible!!!!! I'm sorry to say but you definitely have sick rat on your hands. :-\


----------



## annieo (Mar 12, 2010)

i was afraid of that. thanks for the help.


----------



## hshelton (Feb 23, 2010)

It might also be his allergies acting up, some rats are really sensitive to changes in their enviroment and air quality. Either way, its probably best to get it checked out.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

hshelton said:


> It might also be his allergies acting up, some rats are really sensitive to changes in their enviroment and air quality. Either way, its probably best to get it checked out.


Not if he smells badly as well as the monkey noises...consider allergies AFTER an infection...

Did you change his diet drastically? 

But yeah the sneezing then the monkey noises are a URI coming.


----------



## olddeadpig (Jan 6, 2010)

Hi Anne, welcome to the forum. 

While rattie poo may sometimes smell pretty bad, for the rat itself to smell just as bad is a bit odd. When my girls do their business, if I'm close to them when the deed is done it is sometimes REALLY stinky! But that tends to go away quickly as the poop dries. The girls themselves always smell fine though, whatever is coming out of their back ends...

What does your rat smell of? If he smells of poo, check under his tail - he may not be cleaning himself possibly, which might get the feces caked on his fur or down the base of his tail. Feces will actually burn his delicate skin if it is left on around his bottom or on his tail, so if you find any, give him a wash with a clean cloth or piece of kitchen towel dipped in warm water (no soap, might irritate his skin). As he gets older he should get better at cleaning himself, but you may have to check him regularly until this happens.

If he smells of urine, again I'd give him a bit of a wash, then you need to observe him to see why. Is he weeing and then sitting down in it, or dragging his tail through it? If so, again you're going to need to check him regularly and wash him until he learns to do it himself. All the rats I've known seem perfectly happy to make a puddle then walk through it, drag their tails through it etc, but then they spend about half their waking hours washing so it doesn't seem to matter. He really may be just a bit too young to be up to a proper washing regime yet. 

Also if he is ill, that might make him very lethargic, so this might stop him grooming himself as much as he normally would. Definitely worth having him checked over by a vet. 

If he smells of something that isn't poop or urine (a sharp, acrid ammonia smell), can you describe it?

You did the right thing getting a companion for Pooty - rats really prefer to live in pairs or groups, so if you can get him introduced to Pooty and sharing a cage, they should both be happier. Be careful introducing them - there is good advice elsewhere on this forum for you to have a look at. Boy rats will play-fight all the time to establish dominance - rearing up on their hind legs and "boxing" with lots of squeaking, and sometimes their fights can turn rough. I've seen big bite wounds with raw patches the size of a nickel (10 pence piece). Usually they can live with each other, but sometimes not. In those cases, you either need a separate cage (you've already got that) or consider neutering - the unkindest cut! The advice is usually to neuter the less aggressive rat - the more dominant one will then accept it as no longer being a challenge. 

If your new boy is ill, chances are he'll transmit it to Pooty so get ready to take him to the vet also if required.

Hope it all turns out well for you and both your boys!


----------



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Yeah if the other rat has already been exposed as ema said, there is no reason to separate them.
I dont think 2 rats at the same time is as expensive as 2 rats on different occasions.


----------



## FatherMommy of rats (8 mo ago)

Ok, so my rat has been making looks of monkey noises, and he even snores. He doesn't smell bad at all. He doesn't seem to be in pain either. 

He has been like this since we got him, and his cage mates don't seem to be catching a sickness from him. I am wondering if this was something he was born with, and maybe he is just a chirpy boy.

He is around 1 and 1/2 of a year old, so he is kind of an old man. Can someone confirm this to me? I don't have the money to go to the vet at the moment, so if I can find home remedies for him.


----------



## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Hi and welcome.
Monkey noises are often a sign of Upper Respiratory Infection (URI). Occasionally URI can flare up slightly then go away, but often it becomes more serious in which case there are no home remedies, only veterinary treatment, including antibiotics.
If his illness is caused by _mycoplasma_ (a common cause of URI) your cagemates are not really at extra risk of catching it, because most rats carry it in their system and it can flare up seemingly out of nowhere. Plus they will halve already been living in the same air space as him.

I encourage you to start up a vet fund even now... if you don't end up needing it for your current situation at least you will be prepared for the next time one of your ratties gets unwell.


----------



## SonicRat (Jun 30, 2021)

As others have said,it is advised to take him to the vet for a check up,but rats make soft monkey noises when they are anxious or annoyed,along with the occasional huff,a sigh similar to dogs and people make when they are exasperated.If it is his emotional state that could account for the smelly poo too.


----------

