# few questions



## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

My aunt has had a rat in and she let me keep it in my room now and if im going to be caring for it i need to know stuff so i searched around and found this site (Hi everyone!)

first off he has been sneezing alot not any hard ones just light sneezing is this anything to worry about?

what household items make good toys?

i read having 2 of the same sex's in one cage is good to have how important is this? because my cage isnt big enough for 2

heres a quick pic of him its kinda sloppy though










Any other advice would be great!

Thanks


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

Aww look at him sniffing around. 

Light sneezing could be from a couple of things. First off, what kind of bedding are you keeping him on? Pine or cedar shavings can irritate their lungs and make them sneeze. Secondly, it might be the beginning of a respiratory infection. Keep an eye on him. If you hear ANY sort of wheezing or squeaking, take him in to the vet to get antibiotics. A lot of times it sounds like they're "talking" to us, but actually, you shouldn't be able to hear any squeaks from rats unless they're getting hurt, which is more like a squeal.

For good toys, put in some tubes/boxes that are big enough for him to crawl around in, like oatmeal cans, cereal boxes, shoeboxes, etc. Also give him some napkins or paper towels to shred. Let's see, other stuff...the best toys are ones where they have to work to get treats. You might try putting a couple of pieces of fruit in a toilet paper tube and then taping some napkins over the ends so he has to tear through the napkins to get to the treats. You also might want to try making a hammock out of an old T-shirt. Be creative, play games with him, and maybe buy him a couple of fun toys at the pet store.

It's very important that rats are housed in cages of two or more. They are very social animals, and if they are solitary they can get very lonely and depressed, just like a person would. That being said, can you save up to buy a new cage? There are some nice ones big enough for two rats that run around $65. He'd be fine spending time with you while you saved up for a bigger cage. Just remember, all rats need at least one hour outside of their cage a day, and solitary rats need even more (up to 4-5 hours) to be happy.

The only other thing I'd ask is what are you feeding him? Make sure it's a pellet feed and NOT a seed mix. 

Other than that I think you're gonna make a great rattie friend!


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

im feeding his this

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753485&keepsr=0


and i have been thinking of getting a bigger cage but i don't have alot of money these days

what exactly is weezing?

and for a 2nd rat , it took me awhile to pick up the one i have now cause im nervous ill get bit

in his cage(its kinda small but its the best i can do for now) i have a clenex box he had bitten up and made his room and a small log with a hole he goes under sometimes

and since hes in my room i get bored so i always have him out leting him run over me and run on my bed he runs under the sheet and hops around on mu pillow he seeoms pretty happy


only time i really see him sneeze is when hes on my back or something... maybe my hair is tiskling his nose?


for bedding should i use Aspen or carefresh?


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

It's an OK start, considering what many others have to go though especially!  Pet stores are NOT known for being knowledgable about many of their animals - just selling them. Thus the food is a BIG thing that needs to be changed...

It's decent I think IF your rat eats all parts of it, tho that's unlikely, and if you take out most/all of the corn. There are diets here in stickies to give you ideas for making a diet at home, or you can buy a good lab block - Harlan Teklad is good. Anything but Kaytee and then stuff at Walmart, I think. May sure it does NOT have much or any corn in it, and as much whole foods and natural as possible... And get them with absolutely no more than 20% protein, preferably 16% or lower! (the no-corn issue is because it can hold mold spores and that will make the rat ill or even kill him!). Yeah, so get lab block as soon as you can afford to.

There are also many ideas for a home-made cage online, just search... Or look on Ebay or Craigslist or the newspaper for one. 

Don't worry about being bit - unless the rat is cornered and/or is really squeeking at you, I don't think you're likely to get bit. I have yet to get a real bite, and I've gone to every pet store in town just to see the different rats and attitudes all have - no bites after a few hundred encounters. But i also allow them to stay away from me if they want usually.

Sneezes can be from excitement as well. The rat just may be overexcited about being out of his cage... Check the cage calculator out on the sticky within the rat houses part of the forum. It will tell you how many rats you can fit in the cage with them being decently comfortable. And gettint to run all over makes my rats sneeze alot, too! But it's only when they are all out (well, all the boys or all the girls)...

Weezing is like their airways are constricted - you can hear them breathing, and it's not excited breething. It often sounds whistley... Tho sometimes it can sound like that if they are excited, too, but if it's when he's calm and in his cage especially, he needs to get checked then. If not, don't worry.

And the bedding selection is really good. Aspen is the best wood-chip you can use, and Carefresh is really the best since it is the least smelly of all the types by the end of the week (in many ppls opinions, including mine).

Just remember, do the best you can with what you have. Provide for him, and save up for a good cage for two rats, and then work on the process of getting a second rat!  GOOD LUCK!!!


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

i never hear him sneeze in his cage its usually when hes on my body or my bed i only hear a few sneeezing on my bed but when hes actually ON me he sneezes alot

can you maybe list some good food maybe what you use and where i can get it


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

do you smoke or overdose on perfume or aftershave? if so, then your rat is allergic to the strong smells and thats why he's sneezing when he's on you. or it could be the laundry detergent and/or fabric softener sheets in the dryer that is setting off his sneezing.


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

yea it could be my AXE body spray

what do the prices of vet visits cost?


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

When Klardae had to go for tooth-clipping, it was about 10 dollars per visit, and for pulling her teeth [a major surgery] it was 100.


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

whats the cost of normal check ups?


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

its pointless asking the cost of anything unless you put your location in your post. i can give you aussie prices, but that wont help you if you're in the states somewhere...


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

im in southern california near san diego


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

It cost me $53 to take mine in for a check-up, but as I understand it that's a bit high.

Can you go to a local Petsmart? There is a brand of food called Mazuri Rat & Mouse Diet and that's what I feed my rattie with.


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## ~AquaMerina~ (Mar 18, 2008)

Iam not too sure of the vet visit cost as it changes with every vet. You'd have to call around and ask.
As far as the food. 
Check out http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/ she sells Harlan Tekland lab blocks. Then give them fresh fruits and veggies every day and healthy treats. Look here http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3079.html for things to get you started. Some food to not feed are also there. 

Also as for cages if you look at www.ferret.com they have great cages that are way cheaper than the stores.

Hope this helps


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Yeah, I would say it's definitely the AXE. That stuff makes ME sneeze, and I don't have a particularly sensitive nose. Rats have very delicate repository systems. 

The food's not too good, as you've heard. How do you feel about ordering online? Harlan Teklan is a great staple block, and very cheap when purchased from a rat rescue. Mine was $1.25 per pound, and a pound lasts me about three weeks with three rats. 

For my girls to go see a vet I was quoted $42 per rat (I had two at the time). But I went in there, and the vet didn't really end up doing anything, just told me they were pretty healthy, so he very kindly charged me $15 total. SD's pretty expensive, but you might be able to get a deal. 

If you have a Target near you, you could make a cage from materials that would cost you about $40, that would be large enough for three or four rats, to get the little ratty a buddy or two! PM me or search the site for mesh cube cages by me, Bloodraven, and a few other people.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

The tooth-clipping was the same amount as any check-up.


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

Well i'd love to get all this stuff but my aunt says the food i have now is fine he eats pretty much all of it he also sneezes in his cage sometimes and when hes on my bed, i might be abe to get a biger cage in a week or 2 and when i do ill get a 2nd rat


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

and get rid of the stinky spray!!! body sprays arent necessary if you shower/bathe daily and use a good deodorant (preferably roll-on). the number of people who travel on public transport having drowned themselves in stinky perfume/aftershave/body spray is incredible. dont people realise that a little of that stuff goes a looooooong way.... and its an oc health and safety issue for the drivers, too...


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

not to be rude but i'll wear whatever the **** i want i understand you saying now to around my pets but don't tell me what not to wear ok?


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## bffel3 (Apr 20, 2008)

nurtiephase isn't good! rats don't like seeds as much as nuts, unsalted crackers, and vegtables!
i feed my rats every morning:
- chopped up carrots
- chopped up peppers
- chopped up cucumbers
- etc

hope this helped,
bffel3


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

SORRY - REALLY REALLY long post, but I had alot to say... :wink: And everything was written in a friendly tone - not sure how it really came out... ANyways:

What you wear scent-wise can affect anybody. I have a friend who has to be very careful where she goes because if she's around any scent that I can smell generally, she has an athsma attack.

Rats can get URIs sometimes just from the scent of an airfreshener - the chemicals that make the smell affect their lungs to the point of irritation and some swelling from the irritation, allowing bacteria to grow and infect the lungs. Bingo, you have a URI. Of course, if your rat is only with you for short periods of time it may not be a problem, but if the rat is with you ALOT, you have to decide if taking good care of your animal is actually important to you - and then, if you do decide that you care about your animal, you change your attitude/thoughts/habits/whatever for the sake of the animal. Or not keep it - I've had to give up a couple animals that I took in when I was a little younger because I discovered I could not change enough to properly care for them.

If your rat is a singlton, he should be out with you as much as possible - at least 3-4 hours. If the rat is only on the bed with you for 3-4 hours a day, the smell of your body spray COULD irritate his lungs to the point of becoming infected, but not absolutely. You have to ask yourself, do I want to take the chance of my rat dying so I can wear this spray? Or, Do I want to neglect my rat to the cage so I can wear it without him getting a URI? 

If you got a large cage within the next few days and only had him out for short periods of time throughout the day, I don't think there would be any problems with irritation in his lungs - a little bit here and there is unlikely to hurt him. But with how much he SHOULD be out, it has a fair chance of making him ill. And if you don't have him out as much as he should with no cage mate and a very small cage, he will get depressed and that also causes suppression of the immune system so they get sick VERY easily then... 

I know that sometimes board members here say things in a way that may be misconstrued or may just be insensitively said (poor choice of words to get a point accross maybe) to certain people - I've done it as well, and it's rarely meant to offend. Please don't not change something that will truely help your rat just because a post may have seemed demanding to you.

I'm not telling you what to do or what to think. I'm asking you to ask yourself questions to evaluate how this animal is cared for and to see what is lacking in his care and his needs. We all suggest to get new animal food ASAP, or at least MAKE some of your own (look up home-made rat diets...). We suggest a bigger cage so this rat will be happy and you will be able to give him a cage-mate [after quarentine]. And lastly, we just suggest that if you find out what may be causing a problem, you consider fixing it instead of sitting on the information and doing nothing to help your rat when it could be a very very very easy fix.

Suggestion: Maybe when you are at home and have not gone out in public, you could postpone applying the Axe while you play with the rat, and then put it on lightly right before you leave the house? That may help the rat's lungs, and then by the time you get home it hopefully will have worn down a little. That may alleviate the problem to the point where it wouldn't be a worry any longer.

Please feel free to ask any other questions you have on anything - we'll try to answer you as best as possible. Good luck with your rat!


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

I only wear it when i go out he just happend to have been on me when i got back from going out i dont wear it just sitting around the house and i have him out running around ALOT he was on on my bed playing with me and my cat last night for hours

and how can i train him to use his wheel? i got one for him about 2 days ago and he hasnt used it


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

He'll need more time than two days- my girls took a month for the first one to really like it. But give him time, be patient, and put some treats on there so he has to go investigate, that'll help. 

And calm down about the body spray. No one's telling you what to wear, we're merely saying that it is almost certain that your rat is sneezing because of it. They have very sensitive lungs, I can't use air fresheners anywhere in my room because otherwise my girls get sniffly. I now carry perfume around in my backpack and put only a tiny bit on outside so that the girls don't get any sniffs of it.


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

is it ok from them to eat pizza crust? he found a piece on my desk and ate some


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

i gave my ratties some pizza crust last night... they love it!! just make sure there's no pepperoni or other hot stuff on it.


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## BowlTipper (Mar 21, 2008)

My girls love tubes made from Crystal Light canisters. I made them a nesting box out of a cardboard box. (This is a favorite not only of my girls, but of both of my niece's rats, one of which just had little wee babies.)

Edit: To the poster right above me, there are some rats that like spicy food and others who can't take it. Yesterday I gave my girls a tiny bit of Mole sauce from my plate at lunch time and they went crazy over it. They seemed to be just fine afterwards.

Many places don't even use all that spicy of pepperoni anyway because of consumer preference.


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## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

About the pizza crust thing, according to some vets rats can easily choke on pizza crusts so i never give them to mine, i dont know how true it is but personally i wouldnt risk it.


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## W1LL (May 14, 2008)

Hey guys,

how can i bathe him? i havnt changed his bedding in a week and a half or so and it kinda smelt bad in there and wasnt able to buy new bedding till today, so i cleaned all his other stuff out and cleaned his cage nicely,

so how can i clean him, i know they clean themselfs but he still stinks, i tried putting him in a bath once but he didnt like that and quickly jumped out, what should i do?


Thanks


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## SweetLittleDelilah (May 13, 2008)

Rats don't need to be bathed very often because, as you said, they clean themselves. However you can bathe them, males more often than you would bathe a female.
I suggest getting a gentle kitten/puppy shampoo for him. Fill the bathtub with just enough lukewarm water to wet him up to his shoulders(don't worry, they can swim...just don't get any water in his ears!!)
My rattie doesn't like baths so much(not sure why, she loves to swim)...so what I do is get her in there, wet her, scrub her down with a small drop of shampoo then rinse her thoroughly and immediately into a towel she goes! It's fast, and effective. ^-^

eta: and don't let him climb up your arm, or you will have a wet arm/shoulder/face xD


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