Queen City Rattery

The weather is changing with the seasons and this includes inside our home. Learn more about to best way to transition you’re baby to avoid mycoplasma flare ups and sniffles, and most important prevent full on Upper Respiratory Infections. When the temperatures change and our thermostats switch from air conditioning to heat to vise versa will be prime time for flare ups to effect your babies. The best way too prevent this is preparation and knowledge.

Mycoplasma

First way to protect your rats and is to be aware and knowledgable of mycoplasma which 99% of pet rats are born with. There is no cure and rats can live their whole life without ever showing symptoms, and others will have chronic recurring respiratory issues. Respiratory illness is one of the top leading causes in rats deaths. It can be rapid once it starts which is why its so important to be prepared. It stays dormant in our rats Respiratory tract constantly and can flare up at any time and quickly within 3 days become a Respiratory infection and secondary infections.`

Sniffles Lead Causes

Season Changes– can effect our rats in so many ways which is why it’s vital to understand so we can start prevention care at the right time and avoid sniffles and mycoplasma flare ups. This can also alter from place to place depending where you live.

Lets start with our thermostat which we all know is the first thing we change in our homes when the season change. In the fall/ winter we might wait a while before we turn our heat. But with cold nights and warm days it’s important to keep our pets away from the window. This will help prevent dramatic temperature drops and highs and help keep our rats temperature in their environment consistent. As we turn our heat on this drys the air which can also effect our furry friends. If you can its best to start this heater transition slowly to help them adjust to the dryer air. A humidifier can sometimes help if the air is too dry but can also be risky due the fact too much humidity can cause the cage and room to smell stronger due to the ammonia in their urine, which can also cause respiratory issues. It’s so important if choosing to use a humidifier to monitor the smell oof ammonia in the air and adjust as needed. Starting the heater too late can also put our rats at risk and should monitor the indoor temperatures and make sure it doesn’t drop below 65 degrees. Also consider the placement of your cage, you want to ensure its not in direct air flow from our air vents or window and drafts.

Winter isn’t the only time to help your rats transition during seasonal change. Spring/ Summer comes with temperature changes and risk to our babies. Starting with temperatures in our homes and our thermostat. When we turn our heat off and start our air condition which will alter our pets environment and consistency they are use to. Same with autumn cold nights and warm days it’s important to keep our pets away from window to help prevent drastic temperature change. Windows can also be risky with being in direct sunlight which can quickly lead to overheating. Another consideration when summer comes is humidity which can increase the ammonia from the urine in the air. If this is big concern in your home a de-humidifier can help prevent this. On another note temperatures over 80 degrees can be fatal. Be aware of air flow and place your cage away from direct air flow from air vents, windows, and drafts.

Water Bottle Prevention Treatment

• Sniffle Prevention- Queen city ratterys formulated prevention, 4 droppers per 8oz of water
• Grape Fruit Seed Extract- 10 drops per 8oz of water
• Apple Cider Vinegar- enough to add color to the water
• Probiotic- Follow direction on bottle by weight
• Echinacea Extract- 1-2 daily one week on one week off

Importance

We at Queen City Rattery most important goal we strive for is to use our platform to teach as many rat owners about the risk and prevention of mycoplasma flare ups. With respiratory being one of lead causes in death in our pet rats, who already don’t live long enough. The best way to help and keep our pets safe is to be educated and prepared. We are also available on social media to help answer questions and help fellow rat lovers. We understanding having all the supplies on hand can be expensive and that’s why we offer an affordable alternative with our Sniffle prevention which can help add prevention treatment in approximately 25 8oz water bottles.

Keep On Hand For Emergency

These are great options to have on hand if your rat’s flare up turns into a respiratory infection and are unable to get to a vet or afford vet treatment.

• Holistic Sniffle Treatment ( 3-10 drop, 2-3 times a day)
• HomeoPet Nose Relief (dosage on bottle)
• Morning Bird Tetratex Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Bird Treatment (1/2 to 1 teaspoon/8 oz water/Fresh daily)
• Morning Bird Amoxitex Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Bird Supplement (10mg/lb BID, PO .20cc/lb for 10 to 14 days)
• Midland Vet Services Aqua-Mox Fish Antibiotic (10mg/lb BID, PO .20cc/lb for 10 to 14 days)
• Doxyciline Bird Antibiotic (100 mg capsule in 4cc water/fresh daily 2.5mg/lb BID, PO .10cc/lb for 14 to 30 days)
• Baytril Bird Antibiotic (5mg/lb BID, PO .20cc/lb for 14 to 30 days(INCREASED 4 TIMES) 2.5 to 5mg/lb BID, PO)
• Vapor Rub (applied to shower wall, run shower hot for 15 min 1-3 times a day while the rat is in the bathroom)