#ratcare

[ratp0sting]

I've been told I'm deficient in Vitamin C. Which is absolutely false, I eat my cheese Curds plenty fine. Perhaps they meant Vitamin D, I'll be honest I don't like Dates all that much...

[the-temple-of-rat]

Helping rats take their meds. (A few tips and tricks)

So recently over the winter period one of my boys (Muradin) has come down with a little cold. Luckily enough for me, one of my older boys (Frodo) has always been on medication on and off since and before I adopted him as he has active Mycplasmosis (that does sound scary, but don’t worry, we’ll cover that in another post).

Now if anyone is having trouble getting a rat to take medication, especially a newer rat, don’t worry you aren’t alone. When I first got Frodo, trying to get him to take his medication was an absolute nightmare, - and sometimes still is because he’s so stubborn - but there are ways and means that can make administering medication easier:

Peanut butter or soft foods can be mixed with most antibiotics, especially the main liquidated ones (Baytril being most common). So always ask for a liquid medication if you can get one. You can also request flavoured medication in some cases, so don’t be scared to mention it, especially if you explain it’ll take the fear factor away from your rat.

Don’t shove it in your rats face, especially if they’re new. The best you can do in that situation is try to separate them from your other rat(s) for a period of an hour or so in a pet carrier (or in a nice safe spot preferably, maybe the free roam area it will reduces stress) with some water and fleece and leave the medicated food there with them. Eventually they’ll eat it especially if they like the food. Do not leave them there for longer than you or the rat seem comfortable, it could also potentially be very stressful if you aren’t familiar with their body language.

Some rats will eat the medication without prompting. Now out of the 3 boys I’ve medicated in the past, none have taken it directly from the syringe willingly, so don’t pin your hopes on this one, but there’s no harm in just offering the end of a syringe with the medication in and seeing if they begin to lick it off. 

Some medicine smells horrible, and I fully understand why my rats have avoided certain types in the past even mixed in with food. The trick to this one is actually a little more complicated.  For me I found that after I ate cereal or porridge I’d leave the bowl or plate out for Frodo and he’d clean the bowl. So, because the pool of food was larger I left him out the cage with the scraps of porridge and the medication in it and his lil nose couldn’t sense it. Now I know excessive carbs can be bad, but leaving a untreated URI can be much worse and after their treatment course is finished, you can regulate their sugar intake. 

Here are the medications we’ve used in the past: 

Baytril (This is our first line every time, it’s tasteless and very effective)

Sulfatrim (This smells abysmal, so don’t be worried if your rat is refusing to take this. Just be persistent and if you have any questions you can always message me)

Don’t be scared about giving your rats medication. At the end of the day, the ideal world would be no one got sick, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. Try and be as gentle and make the entire thing as stress free for your rat(ties) as you can. It’s important to remember different methods work for different people and different rats, but these are a few of the things we’ve picked up looking after rats over the time we’ve owned them. 

[arabir00]

🔰10 Essential Pet Rat Care Tips for Happy Rats

Pet rat care is something many people think they understand — until they actually live with rats.

I still remember the first time one of my rats refused to come out of her hammock. She was not sick. She was not injured. She was simply unhappy. At that moment, I realized something important: rats do not complain loudly when something is wrong. They withdraw.

✅Read More:

#pet_rat_care #pet_rats #rat_behavior #rat_cage #rat_diet #rat_health #rat_hygiene #rodent_care #small_pets #petrat #rat #ratcare #ratbehavior

[petadvices]

Provide your Fancy Pet Rats with proper shelter and suitable nesting materials. Get more tips of fancy rats care, by clicking on this link:  https://petadvices.com/pet-rats/

[ladyskullshine]

Pet Rat Care Page

Pet Rat Care Page

While, I’m somewhat new to the rat world myself, I’ve picked up a few things that I thought I’d share. I created a Pet Rat Care page for others to reference. The following is based off of my own experiences as a new rat mom, as well as what I have learned via my own research and from others in the Facebook rat groups. I will be adding more to this page as I learn more as well. How Many? Boys Or…

View On WordPress

[jgonzalezblitz]

Montana, our snaggletooth 🐀 rat was born with a deformity in his jaw. He's having trouble eating now even though he regularly breaks down his tooth. So I got him baby food and that's part of his diet from now on. #rats #drawing #ratcare #artistsoninstagram #snaggletooth https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaX35SlJyc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mr2iy48xfgb

[lynnthered]

Frank's progress: so the little dude is definitely slowing down now - age catching up. You can see at the start here he is not holding his own crunchy at all. Instead he is using my fingers to keep it in place to eat. When rats begin to have difficulty holding food it is important you keep a close close eye on them to ensure they don't lose weight. Once they start losing weight it is a real struggle to get them to put it on and maintain. This is standard progression that we have seen with pituitary tumours in our rats. There are some treatments that can be employed but we have never had any success in controlling pt growth at all. We will get him some steroids and anti inflammatories from the vet at his next check up which will make him comfortable when he declines further. Steroids are the only thing I have ever seen have any effect on a rat with a pt. it doesn't cure it but it relieves the symptoms temporarily for some. Frank is doing just fine as he is - he's not going anywhere fast and we will be looking after him real well throughout it all. #rats101 #ratcare #ratsofinstagram #petrats #rethinkrats

[lynnthered]

Observe your rats. Frank has been acting a little more reclusive than normal lately so we are keeping a closer eye on him. Signs noted so far: a little weakening in his back legs. Sometimes just using one hand to eat. Some minor "choking" (in the video you can see him pause eating and pull his head and ears back). These are really not good signs at all. They point towards pituitary tumour though they are hugely early signs. It is important to know your rats normal behaviours so that you can spot when it is becoming abnormal. We will keep a close eye on Frank in the coming weeks. This might just be something that will pass. #petrats #rats101 #rethinkrats #ratcare #ratsagram #ratsareawesome