Rat help?!?!

[Lucinda]

Hi guys,

I know a few of you keep rats so I'd really like some advice.
I've moved into my flat now (the hams were absolutely fine moving, I don't think Mufasa's even noticed lol) and my new flatmate is just moving his stuff over. He's just moved the cage over (but not the rats) and I'm sat here and it STINKS. They're female rats, and they're not currently in the cage - apparently my flatmates mum actually steamcleaned the cage today. :/

If this is an ongoing problem, what's the best way to cover the smell? I want the rats to be able to live in the living room as they're used to the noises, and I'm aware that they're very social creatures. Plus I love his ratties and want to be able to handle them, which I can't really do if they're kept away in his room.


Any advice is enormously appreciated!

[Queen Of The High Teas]

I've gotten a female rat (because I was informed that males smell) and she doesn't smell exept for when there's fleece/material hammocks and houses in her cage. I think she pees on it for some reason and obviously the fabric holds the smell in. I have found that the best way to stop it is to simply take the material stuff out of the cage (she chews it up anyway so it's not as if its any real use), and only use things that are either plastic (shelving, wheel, toys etc) or disposable. Her bed is a savic sputnik which I fill with cheap toilet paper so I can just chuck it every few days. If you really want to give some fleece hammocks I just buy a piece of ebay for about £3 cut it into several pieces then simply throw it when any smell starts appearing in the cage. It would get pretty expensive to do that with shop bought hammocks/beds so I don't buy them. As far as I know females aren't known for being stinky, so most probably this is what you can smell, though I only have 1 so wether that makes any difference I'm not sure.

[Amethyst_ice]

Hmmm the cage shouldn't be smelling, what type of cage is it?

I wouldnt say males smell more than females, they may when going through puberty...my boys have a smell but its not a dirt smell, like dogs have a "musk".

The bits that smell in my cage after cleaning are wood bits if i havn't cleaned them but other than that if theres nothing to absorb smells not sure why it would :/

[Lucinda]

not sure what the name of the cage is, but its a tall blue and green metal one if that helps lol.

colliewobbles; thanks for the tip - i have some old material i used for dressmaking, will try persuade the flatmate to chuck out the hammock and let me take care of it.

been doing a lot of reading up on rats the past 2 weeks as im very keen to get my own, theyre lovely!

thanks for the tips x

[StarlightSerenity]

I remember on another forum people saying that their male rats smell like biscuits...

Sorry, random comment for you, I know nothing about rats and their smells

[racinghamster]

I used to keep rats (male) and yes, they can pong when they want to, although I found my rats were quite clean creatures. Some people will advise using drops of tap-a-drop near a window to mask the smell, but I personally wouldn`t use anything aromatic near rats or mice because of the fact that they have very sinsitive respiratory systems and naturally suffer from the bacteria Mycoplasma Pulmonis. All conventional rats carry the pathogen and some can sneeze and wheeze a lot due to not having good immunity to it. This is why they are best kept away from wood shavings or anything aerosol. Aubiose or Bedxcel (the cardboard litter) are the best for use with rats. Low in odour andboth are absorbent. Aubiose moreso.

The cage you describe sounds like one of those all metal ones? Is it on castors? It could be that the metal has coroded with urine or the cage is just holding the rats scent. Steam cleaning is usually a good way of removing bacteria and smells though.

Rats should always be kept in at least pairs though if possible as they (unlike hamsters) are social creatures. Especially the females. Although I prefered males myself! They make great companions and so do mice. I have kept both and they are wonderful pets.

[Lucinda]

I'll order some Auboise for them - thanks! I can use this for my hamsters too, can't I?
Also, would an air purifier work? Got a bit of money saved away.

I'm devastated right now - just came home and one of them's dead flatmate isn't home until 8. I've removed her from the cage and wrapped her in some fabric and put her in a box...I don't know how to tell him. Tonight we were going to have a mini-bday celebration dinner as it's his birthday tomorrow - he's going to be distraught, no idea how to tell him Gave the other rat a long cuddle as she seemed a bit sad. Last night Scruff (the one who's just passed) was breathing heavily and hunched over with her eyes half shut, so we were going to keep an eye and see if it continued. Today I found a vet to take her too but it's too late Anyone know what this problem could be? A friend stayed over to help out for a few days, I don't know if she would have sprayed Febreeze in the room when we were at work - even if it was away from the cage (big room) could air fresheners/odour eliminators do anything to cause respiratory problems? Though we've only been here a few days - would something like that cause death so soon? Or could it be the stress of moving? Although she seemed very chirpy and happy until yesterday evening. It doesn't seem to be anything in the water, as my hamsters are as happy as normal (if not then happier, as i've been able to have them out longer than usual due to no cat pining for attention!), and the others rat's fine. plus this flat is literally round the corner from his old place so I expect the water supply would be the same ..sorry, racking my brains to think what it could be

[racinghamster]

Oh dear, that`s a shame. If she was showing signs yesterday of abdominal breathing, it sounds to me as though she`s been in advanced stages of respiratory failure Lucinda. Rats can be a labour of love because they ae so very prone to respiratory infections (and tumours especially in female rats) that it`s impossible for them not to be affected during their lives with some kind of breathing issue. Rats can be heard sneezing and `hiccuping` sometimes, but healthy rats usually cope well enough and don`t show clinical signs apart from the odd sneeze. Usually when they wake up or while they sleep. You might see a visible reddish colouration around the nostrils and even the eyes that looks like blood. It`s not. It`s a secretion called porphyrin which comes from the harderian gland behind the eyes. It`s usually a sign that the rat isn`t feeling too good. It can help to get them onto a strong course of baytril for two weeks or even longer, depending on how severe the rats breathing is. Sometimes they need a combination of antibiotic therapy like baytril and tetracycline, or a marcolide drug like zithromax. Some rats need lifetime drug therapy to keep their breathing clear. They can go into heart failure if the infection manifests deeper into a lower respiratory issue rather than an upper respiratory issue.

The remaining female rat you have might seem down at the loss of her friend, but female rats do need company, so your flatmate should be able to find a few baby or young females to gently introduce to her. Some intros go well, others don`t. It really depends on the rat and how well you know her character really. Laid back, non-defensive rats usually accept newcomers with no real problems, but it`s still wise to know how to go about it correctly.

I kept rats for a while and done much research on rat respiratory health while I kept them. All I will say is, keep the room they are in free from aromatic sprays or candles or anything that gives off a scent. Cigarette smoke can also trigger breathing issues in rats (for obvious reasons). I`m sorry your girl passed on. I doubt the water had anything to do with it. More likely heart failure brought on my a lower respiratory problem or pneumonia. Rest in peace little rattie. x

Edited to add: Sorry, forgot to mention, yes you can use aubiose for your hams too! I use it for my syrian and also used it for my chinese when she was still with me. It`s much lower in odour than shavings. Especially for rats.

[Lucinda]

Yeah I noticed she had the red discharge around her nose last night - didn't know the name. I wish we had been able to save her in time, but apparently it's the first time she's ever seemed to have problems

I got my 2 baby rats tonight (was planning on getting them Friday so I could be there Sat, but as it's flatmates bday tomorrow he's off work) to keep her company as she seemed very down. Flatmate seems confident that I know enough, and he's going to teach me anything I don't know. He taught me how to introduce them to the rat as he's done it many times over the years, and we did it together - it fortunately went really really well and we're just watching them run around a run playing - it seems to have cheered her up. Will see how they find being all the cage together, but have got a temp cage if the introduction takes longer than his previous experiences. She's very chilled fortunately and playing and cuddling with the babies - kind of funny seeing a baby rat trying to dominate a grown rat though! Luckily she's taking it in her stride and letting them run all over her.

Yeah we don't use anything like that as of course it's not good for the hams either. I wish we could have helped her she was a happy little rat though, so at least she led a nice pampered life.

Where can I order aubiose from? Might be worth getting a few bags in I guess, now that I have storage space! Is it aubiose that comes in quite large bags?

Thanks again for the tips, still learning for rats and would like to prevent this from happening again.

[acapae]

How long ago did they move house? Often a big environmental change like moving house can cause them to feel uncomfortable in their surroundings (they're also a prey animal after all). The best way they have to make themselves feel safer is to scent mark a lot more than normal. It should calm down in a couple of weeks

eta - Are you a member on the Fancy Rats forum? If not I suggest you join - there's a whole host of info articles as well as the forum itself
http://www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/