Keeping a Healthy Rat
Many people do not realize the importance of vet care in small animals. In fact many people do not even realize it is available. In actuality it is illegal not to take any pet to the vet if it is ill or suffering. More and more vets who specialize in small animal or exotic medicine are popping up and these vets are your best bet for your small furries. Your rats deserve proper vet care just as much as a dog or a cat!
Tip: It is a good idea to save up some money in an emergency vet fund in the event that an animal becomes ill during difficult times.
Illnesses
Respiratory Infections in Pet Rats
Respiratory Illness - Severity and Treatment
GuideMycoplasma/MycoplasmosisMedical Corner - Mycoplasmosis in the Pet
RatMycoplasmosisMycoplasma Pulmonis
Mycoplasma is as bad as it sounds
Respiratory & Heart Disease in Rats
PNEUMONIA
SDA
Medical Corner - SDA Virus - Sialodacryoadentitis Virus in Pet Rats
SENDAI VIRUS (SV)
Medical Corner: Sendai Virus: Not Just A Mouse Disease
KILHAM RAT VIRUS
Viral Outbreak Tracking - Currently tracking SDA, Sendai, and KRV
ABSCESS
Skin Abscesses in Small Rodents
Abscesses
MAMMARY TUMOR
TUMOR
Lumps (Tumors and abscesses)
Tumors In Rats
How to treat a tumour
MEGACOLON
High-White and High-Risk (Megacolon)
Bloating - Some Tips
Malocclusion (Crooked teeth)
Skin Problems
Ecto-Parasites
Lice and Mites in Rats
What's Bugging Your Rats and Mice?
Revolution (Dosing rats for parasites)
Ivermectin (Dosing rats for parasites)
Treating Mites: BP's Olive Oil Method
Ear infections
Ulcerative pododermatitis (Bumblefoot)
Bumblefoot
Ulcerative Pododermatitis... AKA Bumblefoot & Squeaky
RINGTAIL
PYOMETRA (Uterine infection)
Rat's don't menstruate!
Disease control
Injuries
DEGLOVING
Treating Injured Toenails
Vet Related Info
Finding a Good Rat Veterinarian
Choosing A Vet
Drug Usage Chart for Rats
Petscriptions (A place to get pet medicine.)
Veterinary Pet Insurance
Surgery in Rats
Euthanasia
Vets and Vet Lists
Recommended Rat Vets - Midwest and Eastern U.S.
Recommended Rat Vets - Western U.S. and other countries
RMCA veterinarian recommendations
Goosemoose Vet Directory
RatForum.com - The Official Exotics Vet List (US, UK, Canada, & Australia)
The Rat Shack - US Vet Listings
The Rat Shack - Canadian Vet Listings
Pet Rat & Mouse Veterinarian Directory
AEMV Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
How To's
Caring for a hairless rat
Hairless Rat Care
Administering SubQ injections
Trimming Teeth (It's best to have a vet do it.)
More on Trimming Teeth
Clipping claws and teeth
How to restrain a rat
Claw clipping for shows and other purposes
How to make your own Elizabethan Collars for rats
Human Health Issues
Coping with Allergies to Rats
Health Care Products
SnuggleSafe (Microwaveable heating pad)
The Rat Warehouse - The Health Aisle
The Rat Shop - Health
The Crafty Rat - Health Care
Pocket Pet Emporium - Health Supplies
Kim's Ark Rat Rescue - Rat Health Products
General, Other, & Mixed
Emergency Pet Preparedness
Rat Guide
Rat Health Concerns
Dealing With The Emergencies
Rat first aid
First Aid for Small Furries
How old is a rat in human years?
Rat medicine cabinet guide
A rat medicine cabinet
First aid kit
FIRST AID SUPPLIES
Vet trip tips
Head swaying
Those Red Tears: Porphyrin and the Norway Rat
"Bloody nose and eyes" (porphyrin)
Porphyrin and what it means
Why rats can't vomit
Poisonous Plants
HEALTH CHECK
CLINICAL SIGNS/SYMPTOMS GUIDE
Medical Corner: Choking
Choking (Does the rat appear to be vomiting?)
Weakness in Older Rats: A Paralysis Primer
Care of Older Paralyzed Rats
Caring for older rats
Rats & Chocolate (Chocolate can be helpful!)
Medical page
BATHING
Rat Bathing
Rat Baths!
Rat Bathing Kit
COPROPHAGY (Poo eating)
Coprophagy: Healthy Behavior For Your Rats
Echinacea (Herbal supplemental immune booster)
Herbal Help for Rat Respiratory Problems (More on the use of Echinacea)
Quarantining
It is a very good idea to quarantine new rats when you bring them into your home if you already have rats at home. This is to avoid your new rats passing any illnesses onto your other ones. It prevents you from having to take all of your rats to the vet if the new rats were indeed ill and passed something on to your others. Quarantine means keeping the new additions in a separate cage and preferably in a separate building. You must take care to wash your hands and change clothing after interacting with the new rats so you don't pass the germs to your current rats. The new rats should never meet or even be in the same room as your current ones until quarantine is over.
Quarantine should last three or four weeks to make sure that the new rats do not have any illnesses which could surface. The absolute minimum that quarantine should last is two weeks, though this isn't nearly as good as three or four weeks. If you cannot keep the new rats in a separate building and must keep them in the same building as your current rats, they should be kept as far from your current rats as possible, in another room of the house. Still remember to wash hands and change clothes between visits. When quarantine is over you will be ready to introduce your new rats to your current ones providing they have a clean bill of health. Introductions should be made gradually as to avoid any fighting.
QUARANTINE
Quarantine: Protection for your pets
Quarantining
Quarantine
Dos and Don'ts of Sendai and SDA Quarantine
Spaying & Neutering
As more experienced small animal vets become more common, so does spaying or neutering smaller animals such as rats. Spaying and neutering can have many benefits including population control, behavioral benefits, and health benefits. A spayed female rat has zero risk of uterine infections (pyometra) and a much lower risk of benign mammary and pituitary tumors. A neutered male rat has zero risk of testicular cancer and is less susceptible to becoming aggressive towards cage mates or human handlers. Altering rats decreases urine odor in both sexes and decreases marking behaviors in males. Males and females can also be kept together if one or both sexes are fixed. Both sexes are believed to live slightly longer life-spans when fixed.
Spaying in females is most often done to decrease the chances of benign mammary and pituitary tumors cropping up later in life (most effective if the spay is performed while the female is young). Spaying in females also eliminates the risk of pyometra (uterine infection) and cancers of the uterus and ovaries. In males neutering is often done when a male is particularly aggressive and hormonal and cannot be kept with other males. Neutering often enables the male rat to be kept safely with cagemates afterwards. It is important to remember when neutering a male to be kept with intact females that the male should be kept separate for at least four weeks after the surgery as they can retain sperm.
The biggest arguement against spaying and neutering rats is the "risk" involved. However many believe the benefits outweigh the risks and providing you are using a knowledgeable rat vet the risks are usually minimal. Out of well over a hundred rats spayed and neutered they have lost only a couple to the surgery. If nothing else, this should be evidence that if done by a proper, knowledgeable vet the risks are very minimal.
A course of antibiotics (usually about a weeks worth) after surgery is often recommended as well as two to four days worth of pain medication. Care must be kept to keep the rat and it's surroundings clean after surgery to prevent infection.
Spaying and Neutering Rats
Spaying Helps Prevents Tumors
Mammary tumors, pituitary tumors, and spaying
To Spay or Not to Spay
What does neutering do?
Rat Neuters and Spays
Random Health Tips And Facts
If your rat is sick or just loosing weight due to age, there is something out there to help! Nutri-Cal is a nutrition supplement for dogs and cats who are ill and not eating. It is a high calorie dietary supplement and is in the form of a paste. There is a type for dogs and cats and a type for ferrets, either will work for a rat. Best yet this stuff tastes good to our little ratties so they are more inclined to eat it! The other supplement that works the same and is for ferrets is called Ferretvite. Both of these supplements are found in most pet stores.
Tip: It is a good idea to save up some money in an emergency vet fund in the event that an animal becomes ill during difficult times.
Illnesses
Respiratory Infections in Pet Rats
Respiratory Illness - Severity and Treatment
GuideMycoplasma/MycoplasmosisMedical Corner - Mycoplasmosis in the Pet
RatMycoplasmosisMycoplasma Pulmonis
Mycoplasma is as bad as it sounds
Respiratory & Heart Disease in Rats
PNEUMONIA
SDA
Medical Corner - SDA Virus - Sialodacryoadentitis Virus in Pet Rats
SENDAI VIRUS (SV)
Medical Corner: Sendai Virus: Not Just A Mouse Disease
KILHAM RAT VIRUS
Viral Outbreak Tracking - Currently tracking SDA, Sendai, and KRV
ABSCESS
Skin Abscesses in Small Rodents
Abscesses
MAMMARY TUMOR
TUMOR
Lumps (Tumors and abscesses)
Tumors In Rats
How to treat a tumour
MEGACOLON
High-White and High-Risk (Megacolon)
Bloating - Some Tips
Malocclusion (Crooked teeth)
Skin Problems
Ecto-Parasites
Lice and Mites in Rats
What's Bugging Your Rats and Mice?
Revolution (Dosing rats for parasites)
Ivermectin (Dosing rats for parasites)
Treating Mites: BP's Olive Oil Method
Ear infections
Ulcerative pododermatitis (Bumblefoot)
Bumblefoot
Ulcerative Pododermatitis... AKA Bumblefoot & Squeaky
RINGTAIL
PYOMETRA (Uterine infection)
Rat's don't menstruate!
Disease control
Injuries
DEGLOVING
Treating Injured Toenails
Vet Related Info
Finding a Good Rat Veterinarian
Choosing A Vet
Drug Usage Chart for Rats
Petscriptions (A place to get pet medicine.)
Veterinary Pet Insurance
Surgery in Rats
Euthanasia
Vets and Vet Lists
Recommended Rat Vets - Midwest and Eastern U.S.
Recommended Rat Vets - Western U.S. and other countries
RMCA veterinarian recommendations
Goosemoose Vet Directory
RatForum.com - The Official Exotics Vet List (US, UK, Canada, & Australia)
The Rat Shack - US Vet Listings
The Rat Shack - Canadian Vet Listings
Pet Rat & Mouse Veterinarian Directory
AEMV Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
How To's
Caring for a hairless rat
Hairless Rat Care
Administering SubQ injections
Trimming Teeth (It's best to have a vet do it.)
More on Trimming Teeth
Clipping claws and teeth
How to restrain a rat
Claw clipping for shows and other purposes
How to make your own Elizabethan Collars for rats
Human Health Issues
Coping with Allergies to Rats
Health Care Products
SnuggleSafe (Microwaveable heating pad)
The Rat Warehouse - The Health Aisle
The Rat Shop - Health
The Crafty Rat - Health Care
Pocket Pet Emporium - Health Supplies
Kim's Ark Rat Rescue - Rat Health Products
General, Other, & Mixed
Emergency Pet Preparedness
Rat Guide
Rat Health Concerns
Dealing With The Emergencies
Rat first aid
First Aid for Small Furries
How old is a rat in human years?
Rat medicine cabinet guide
A rat medicine cabinet
First aid kit
FIRST AID SUPPLIES
Vet trip tips
Head swaying
Those Red Tears: Porphyrin and the Norway Rat
"Bloody nose and eyes" (porphyrin)
Porphyrin and what it means
Why rats can't vomit
Poisonous Plants
HEALTH CHECK
CLINICAL SIGNS/SYMPTOMS GUIDE
Medical Corner: Choking
Choking (Does the rat appear to be vomiting?)
Weakness in Older Rats: A Paralysis Primer
Care of Older Paralyzed Rats
Caring for older rats
Rats & Chocolate (Chocolate can be helpful!)
Medical page
BATHING
Rat Bathing
Rat Baths!
Rat Bathing Kit
COPROPHAGY (Poo eating)
Coprophagy: Healthy Behavior For Your Rats
Echinacea (Herbal supplemental immune booster)
Herbal Help for Rat Respiratory Problems (More on the use of Echinacea)
Quarantining
It is a very good idea to quarantine new rats when you bring them into your home if you already have rats at home. This is to avoid your new rats passing any illnesses onto your other ones. It prevents you from having to take all of your rats to the vet if the new rats were indeed ill and passed something on to your others. Quarantine means keeping the new additions in a separate cage and preferably in a separate building. You must take care to wash your hands and change clothing after interacting with the new rats so you don't pass the germs to your current rats. The new rats should never meet or even be in the same room as your current ones until quarantine is over.
Quarantine should last three or four weeks to make sure that the new rats do not have any illnesses which could surface. The absolute minimum that quarantine should last is two weeks, though this isn't nearly as good as three or four weeks. If you cannot keep the new rats in a separate building and must keep them in the same building as your current rats, they should be kept as far from your current rats as possible, in another room of the house. Still remember to wash hands and change clothes between visits. When quarantine is over you will be ready to introduce your new rats to your current ones providing they have a clean bill of health. Introductions should be made gradually as to avoid any fighting.
QUARANTINE
Quarantine: Protection for your pets
Quarantining
Quarantine
Dos and Don'ts of Sendai and SDA Quarantine
Spaying & Neutering
As more experienced small animal vets become more common, so does spaying or neutering smaller animals such as rats. Spaying and neutering can have many benefits including population control, behavioral benefits, and health benefits. A spayed female rat has zero risk of uterine infections (pyometra) and a much lower risk of benign mammary and pituitary tumors. A neutered male rat has zero risk of testicular cancer and is less susceptible to becoming aggressive towards cage mates or human handlers. Altering rats decreases urine odor in both sexes and decreases marking behaviors in males. Males and females can also be kept together if one or both sexes are fixed. Both sexes are believed to live slightly longer life-spans when fixed.
Spaying in females is most often done to decrease the chances of benign mammary and pituitary tumors cropping up later in life (most effective if the spay is performed while the female is young). Spaying in females also eliminates the risk of pyometra (uterine infection) and cancers of the uterus and ovaries. In males neutering is often done when a male is particularly aggressive and hormonal and cannot be kept with other males. Neutering often enables the male rat to be kept safely with cagemates afterwards. It is important to remember when neutering a male to be kept with intact females that the male should be kept separate for at least four weeks after the surgery as they can retain sperm.
The biggest arguement against spaying and neutering rats is the "risk" involved. However many believe the benefits outweigh the risks and providing you are using a knowledgeable rat vet the risks are usually minimal. Out of well over a hundred rats spayed and neutered they have lost only a couple to the surgery. If nothing else, this should be evidence that if done by a proper, knowledgeable vet the risks are very minimal.
A course of antibiotics (usually about a weeks worth) after surgery is often recommended as well as two to four days worth of pain medication. Care must be kept to keep the rat and it's surroundings clean after surgery to prevent infection.
Spaying and Neutering Rats
Spaying Helps Prevents Tumors
Mammary tumors, pituitary tumors, and spaying
To Spay or Not to Spay
What does neutering do?
Rat Neuters and Spays
Random Health Tips And Facts
If your rat is sick or just loosing weight due to age, there is something out there to help! Nutri-Cal is a nutrition supplement for dogs and cats who are ill and not eating. It is a high calorie dietary supplement and is in the form of a paste. There is a type for dogs and cats and a type for ferrets, either will work for a rat. Best yet this stuff tastes good to our little ratties so they are more inclined to eat it! The other supplement that works the same and is for ferrets is called Ferretvite. Both of these supplements are found in most pet stores.
Your vet should never ask you to withhold food before a surgery unless perhaps the surgery is related to the digestive tract. Rats cannot vomit (the reason food is withheld in most animals) and have a very high metabolism so witholding food could do more harm than good.
Female rats are more prone to tumors than males, often developing benign mammary tumors at some point. However tumors in general, though usually benign, are common in rats. It is not recommended to put the rat down unless it no longer has any quality of life (if the rat is older or not healthy enough to endure surgery you might wait until this point to consider euthanasia.) Surgery is an option depending on the rat's age and state of health though tumors may come back and the surgery required can be expensive. Some people spay their females at a young age in order to reduce the chances of mammary tumors later in life.
WARNING: Do not let your vet euthanize your pet rat with just a heart or abdominal injection! A rat's veins are too small to gently inject the solution into as is done with dogs and cats, for rats vets use a heart or abdominal jab. If the rat is awake this is VERY, VERY PAINFUL as I'm sure you can imagine. It may cost a bit more but if you want your rat to pass on in peace have them anesthetized with gas so they are unconscious during the injection. I recommend you find a vet who will let you be with your rat during the procedure.
NEVER pick a rat up by it's tail unless it's a dire emergency, in this case always pick the rat up by the BASE of the tail (nearest the butt) and put your hand under it to support it as soon as possible. A badly damaged rat's tail must be partially or fully amputated by a vet and will not grow back. Rats use their tail for balance and it is their only means of releasing heat from their body aside from the soles of their feet. A rat without a tail will overheat easier and find it harder to balance itself.
Most human illnesses cannot be passed to rats and most rat illnesses cannot be passed to humans. Certain strains of strep are said to be passable from humans to rats and are usually very deadly to them.
Rat Bite Fever (VERY rare disease, especially in domestic rats.)