Please send vibes for my rats....

[undergunfire]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I havent' had a chance to read this over again, but do you have a humidifier running for them? It might help but I don't know for sure.

Nope, but I was thinking about buying one. Do they sell warm ones? A cold one wouldn't work for them.

I do shower steams, but it really doesn't seem to help them, in all honesty.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That's a vaporizor. They do have those. When the kids had pneumonia as babies they said cool air, but I was thinking the warmer air would probably be better for ratties.

Here, we also put pans of water on the stove or heat vents to help add moisture sometimes....... there, tho, I would go for the vaporizor. don't add anything to it like the VICK's stuff....... it would get the stuff out of their airway so quick I think it would choke them. Don't put the steam really close either cause it could chill them.

 

[undergunfire]

Thank you, Pennie (did I spell that right?). I will try to go pick one up tomorrow.

Rats don't have flem or anything like that. I have read that putting a little bit of Vick's in their cage may help them, but I worry if it would burn their eyes.

Would the vaporizer cause harm to the bunnies, as they are in the same room?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

It shouldn't. It's just heated water. I might not have it get real strong in there.Could you isolate the ratties somewhere?

 

[undergunfire]

I couldn't isolate the rats. The back bedroom used to be a garage, so there is no heat in there. The only other room is our bedroom....Sammy and Juju would pester the rats. I'll try to pick one up today and try it in the animal room. I'll be able to tell if the bunnies are bothered by it.


I medicated every one this morning. Louie gets sooo wormed up. As soon as I put my hand in the cage he takes off, he really dislikes me right now.

Spartan seems to be doing the best out of anyone. He started showing signs later than them, though. Ralphie seems to be a little more alert.

With rats, it is...back and forth, back and forth. One day they look fine, the next they are terrible, ect.

 

[MissBinky]

I guess it's a good thing they have the energy to run away from you. Still thinking of you guys

 

[aurora369]

A steamer/humidifier is fine for the buns.

I was actually told to use one by a vet when I was fostering a baby with a URI. The other bunnies didn't care when I had the steamer on, and no adverse effects.

The vet told me to run the steamer with eucalyptus oil. I use that on myself now when I've got a stuffy nose.

--Dawn

 

[MissBinky]

Yep, that's what I used in the past. Worked very well for all of mine luckily I don't have much experience with rats though so I really couldn't know if it'd work as well but I guess it must be worth looking into.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

We used to use the Vick's Vapor Steam for the babies when they were sick (my niece and Luke had RSV their first year and Lexi had pneumonia at a year old - kids!) It worked out all the gunk in their sinuses, but I didn't know if that would be ok for the animals...... and we never used as much as they said to on the bottle.

 

[undergunfire]

Every one is doing fine...except Louie. He seems to have a lump in his throat and looks like he has a dewlap. Not sure why, but I am going to research now. Louie is still eating and drinking, but I am not sure what to do. After their dose of meds tonight at 6pm, it will be day 3 of medicating. I was told by day 3-4, if they are not improving, then I need to think about euthanasia :?.

Spartan is honestly back to his fat old happy self. Ralphie is almost on his way to being the same shy/reserved boy he was before...just a bit skinnier. Both of their not-normal breathing is noticeable, but they are definitely improving. They may never breathe the same again, though, because pneumonia scars the lungs.


I have videos to show, but I will have to upload them to the computer, then to youtube, so expect them to come a bit later today.

 

[EileenH]

How're the boys today? How is Louie doing?

 

[undergunfire]

The boys are doing fine . Louie even looks a bit better this morning . Hopefully he will keep being a little fighter!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That's GREAT! I hope they continue to get better and stay better!

 

[EileenH]

Hooray! Even with Louie's dewlap thingy..you've seen rats with huge mammary tumors, and they do just fine. If he's eating & is relatively happy, let the boy do his thing.

Rats are hard. I haven't had any in a few years aftertoo many pituitary tumors in a row, butlast AugustItook Bluemoon's (from Goosemoose's site) "foster" PEW, since she couldn't take him with her to vet school. He is about 3 1/2 years old, looks great; good weight, no porphyrin. But you can't handle him; he was born in a shelter when his mom was surrendered, and since he's a PEW nobody ever wanted him and he didn't get handled in the shelter. He's lived his life after the shelterwith her, and now will live the rest of it with me. But he has chronic respiratory issues, and it's so hard to watch. He's getting a little nicer to us, but I wouldn't trust touching him. He'll eagerly (and snatchily) take yogies from forceps. But the breathing...it's tough.


Glad your boys are feeling better.

 

[undergunfire]

I'm getting flamed on goosemoose by someone for not quarantining :grumpy:. Here is what I had to say to that....

"I don't quarantine because I can't. I'm not one of the lucky ones who has awesome family members who will let rats into their house. I don't have friends, so there is no possibility of quarantining there. Not having a place to quarantine will not stop me from adding in a new rat....especially rats they would other wise end up let loose outside or end up as snake food. All of the rats I take in are from those types of situations, I don't just walk into pet stores and buy rats because they are cute....like many here on the forum do. Look around here and read....there are MANY on this forum that do not quarantine because they do not have a place to do so."

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I don't know what is wrong with Tony's eye but I can't take him someplace else either. I have to just keep him here and we wash really well before we tough the other animals.

 

[undergunfire]

Well, Louie's throat isn't swollen any more and he is looking much better today.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You can't isolate them - they all have been together and they all have it right? what are you supposed to do?

 

[undergunfire]

My three boys are/were sick, not the girls...they show no symptoms of being sick. Spartan is totally better, as is Ralphie. It is just Louie now, who IS getting better.

Rat people can be extreme. They say to quarantine new rats at someone else's house where no rats are present for a minimum of 3 weeks, and if you go to the quarantine house, then you have to wait at least 2 hours before returning to your house. They also say that when you go into a pet store or someone else's house that has rats...that you need to wait at least 2 hours before returning home. For some people, it is just not possible.

Rats harbor illnesses such as myco, SDA, and Sendai. By exposing your rats to "new" rats, you can infect your rats....which they get URI's...which can lead to pneumonia.

I have tried to explain to some extremests on the rat forum that not every one is lucky enough to have a quarantine home or a rat good rat vet that will hand over medication without seeing the sick rat.


I can name you at least 6 different VERY RECENT threads on the rat forum where members have ventured into pet stores, PAID (supported the pet store for their wrong) for that rat, and walked out with a rat to bring straight home to their house...where they also have rats.

But, yet....I get flamed for RESCUING (not paying for) rats from snake food and bringing them home. If it were not for me, the many rats I have fostered (including Ralphie) would be dead by now. I take a risk of my boys getting sick by saving lives....I don't really see extreme wrong in that.


What some rat people don't understand is that I could bring home one of those rat illnesses by just going to the grocery store or leaving a window open (if neighbors have rats). The illness stays present in the nostrils of your nose or on your clothes.


Nothing is ever good enough for some people. I really wish there was a rat forum out there that existed with nice members....like RO. Every rat forum I have ever been apart of has member that pick and pick at each other and point fingers. It really sucks and puts out a bad image for some rat people who are nice and understanding.

 

[trailsend]

Hi Amy! I've been away forever and a day, and am just reading this now. I'm so sorry your babies are not feeling well. I hope they recover steadily and that they will be alright.

I'm so sorry about the people on the rat forum - don't let it get to you. You know very well how to care for your rats and you are wonderful with and to them. You are right about people being nicer on RO. I know people can be such idiots sometimes and it's not helpful at all.

Best of luck with the rats, I'll be thinking of you.