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Small pets

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Original poster

Wheezy rat

14 replies

Samb79 · 16/04/2019 10:12

Hi all, I’ve got two hooded boy rats, Stormzy and Bizzle, and one of them is very noisy when he breathes - quite a difference to the other one.
Any advice? I’ve not kept rats before, so not sure if this is something I need to see the vet for, although reading up on it I’d say it more than likely is!
He’s still eating and playing, although has seemed a bit lethargic over the last few days.
Any advice welcome!

OP posts:
LostPlatypus · 16/04/2019 10:26

Definitely sounds like a vet visit would be a good idea. Rats can get breathing issues and need antibiotics quite commonly so I'd definitely get your poorly one seen as soon as you can.

Original poster
Samb79 · 16/04/2019 10:59

Thank you, vet visit booked!

He’s now doing what every poorly child does when you book them a gp appt, acting normally and making you doubt yourself - he’s running around his cage, barely making a sound. He’s happily tucking into his sweet corn!

OP posts:
Original poster
Samb79 · 16/04/2019 15:50

Well we’ve been to the vets, he has an infection that may or may not be pneumonia, so have antibiotics.

Next question rat lovers:
How do you get a rat to take a tablet? I have to give it to him twice a day! Tried to give him one cut in half in some cheese. He ate a tiny bit of the cheese then left it. Help!

OP posts:
drinkswineoutofamug · 16/04/2019 17:46

Can you crush it and mix it in some yogurt or peanut butter? Used to put mine in porridge for my rats

LostPlatypus · 17/04/2019 01:46

I used to crush the tablets and put them in a tiny bit of baby food. (The packet stuff is pretty cost-effective cos you only have to make up a tiny bit.)

Rats will only eat a tiny bit of a new food (it's a way to avoid poisons in the wild) so it has to be something tasty enough that they won't notice the meds.

Malt paste (you'll find it in the small animal section in a pet shop/specialist rat website) is also a hit usually, but it's sticky and annoying so I usually stick to baby food.

You could even put it in a tiny bit of Nutella or something if all else fails (maybe water it down a tiny bit though so it's not so claggy).

HowManyFlatCaps · 17/04/2019 01:50

Squirty tube of sweetened condensed milk, if you can still get it. Rats will eat anything mixed in with that.

Original poster
Samb79 · 17/04/2019 08:43

Well we managed to get one tablet in him yesterday, crushed into some pate on bread, and I’ve bought some baby food and yoghurt to try as well. Hoping that Ella’s kitchen bananas and apples is the winner this morning - I’ve got to do this twice a day!
He’s very chipper this morning, hopefully excited by his change in diet!

OP posts:
LostPlatypus · 17/04/2019 14:41

Aww bless him! You're doing great OP and I'm sure he'll enjoy all the extra treats.

The last rat I had would take his meds with a bit of soggy digestive biscuit - sounds disgusting I know but he liked it! (Plus his brother got a non-soggy bit so everyone was happy.)

QueenOfCatan · 17/04/2019 19:40

Smooth peanut butter watered down is good for administering needs, but it has to be watered down as they can choke on it otherwise. Malt paste for ferrets is another good one, I've never met a rat who won't eat the stuff!

Respiratory infections are very common for rats, usually they recover very quickly and are fine once they have ABs, glad you got them seen quickly!

TroysMammy · 17/04/2019 19:44

My vet used to prescribe Baytril. An apparently disgusting tasting liquid antibiotic. I had to syringe it in, no mean feat but at least they get it in them. I imagine a tablet is a nightmare.

TroysMammy · 17/04/2019 19:47

Could you try it crushed in a bit of porridge? They look so funny with porridgy whiskers as they get stuck in and the washing afterwards is so cute.

Original poster
Samb79 · 17/04/2019 20:10

Well we are three tablets down now, woohoo! 17 to go...

This morning wasn’t very successful, mixed in with banana baby food, until we put it on some bread. Then tonight we made a teeny little peanut butter ball, mixed with flour so it wasn’t claggy and he wolfed that down. His brother got a med-free one too but wasn’t too keen.

He doesn’t seem to like wet food very much, I think he’s fussy about getting dirty! He prefers food he can hold in his little mitts, which makes getting it in him that much harder. He can’t have peanut butter twice a day! Bless him, he likes to take it into this netted toy storage thing from ikea so his brother can’t get it.

Keep the ideas coming, they’re really helpful, so thank you!

OP posts:
HowManyFlatCaps · 18/04/2019 04:15

Can vouch for Baytril tasting disgusting; one time when I knew there was more in the bottle than would be needed I decided to taste a bit, to work out why they were so reluctant to take it and what it was I needed to be masking/counteracting. I can only say: bleurgh.

MrsZola · 21/04/2019 19:11

What substrate do you have them on? Sawdust is a big no - I used to keep mine on cardboard squares - eco oet bed I think it was called. I used to mix it with paper based horse bedding.

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