About Robin Bartlett Expertise I can answer any rat-related questions including feeding, housing, breeding, showing, genetics, health, and behaviour. I am a veterinary assistant and though I cannot answer in-depth health questions I am familiar with the most common ailments and treatments for rats. I have owned rats for 10 years and have been breeding them for 5 and have studied everything about them that I can get my hands on. I currently run my own rat care website at http://careguide.evergreenrattery.com and have been answering rat and other rodent questions via email and IM for several years now.
Experience I am a veterinary assistant who has owned rats for 10 years and bred them for 5. In this time I have learned nearly everything there is to know about rats and continue to study more about them every day. I have been answering rat questions via IM and email for several years now and I am currently ranked #3 on Yahoo! Answers for the best answers in the rodents category.
Organizations RatsPacNW, RMFE
Education/Credentials Though I am a veterinary assistant, I have not gone to college for it. My parents are both vets, and I have grown up with our family business and have learned what I needed to know on the job.
Question I have two female rats. One bought from a pet store and one from an SPCA. I have had them both for 6-8 months.
Recently Athena ( from the SPCA )has lost a lot of weight, seems to have " Red Tears " and is wheezing.
I don't have money to go to a vet and I am still trying a bunch of different things to try and make her feel better or at least comfortable. Any suggestions would help.
Also I wanted to know wether or not I should separate the girls incase it's infectious.
Answer Unfortunately there really isn't anything you can do to 'cure' the problem without proper medication. There are several things you can do to help alleviate symptoms, but without treating the cause of the symptoms, most likely the mycoplasma bacteria, she won't get any better.
Putting her cage in the bathroom while you shower, or in the kitchen while you boil water can help her breathe a little easier. You could also try putting a humidifier in the room you have their cage in.
Small doses of chocolate supposedly help with breathing problems, but the jury's still out on this one; do so at your own risk.
I wouldn't bother separating her. Your other rat has already been exposed to this and if she doesn't have any symptoms yet she probably won't get any. Separating Athena could cause undue stress, which can make her condition worse, and could even stress your other rat and cause her to become sick as well.
Other than mycoplasma, it could be pneumonia which is usually sudden onset and is fatal very quickly, or it could be a tumor or abscess in her lungs. In the case of the latter, there isn't really anything you can do. If you notice her nose or feet turning blue but she is still breathing heavily it may be a tumor in her chest (this happened to one of my rats recently).
A vet visit doesn't usually cost too much, have you called your vet to ask? Many vets have a small animal exam fee of around $30 to $40, and antibiotics cost between $8 and $25 depending on the brand chosen. Your vet may also be able to work out a payment plan, it doesn't hurt to ask!
Well I hope your little girl gets better soon, let me know how things turn out!
