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Rat keeps sneezing2007-11-24 22:14:25

My rat sneezes but doesnt have any other issues. He seems to sneeze more when i hold him than when he is in his cage. He acts perfectly normal and eats/drinks like its his job. I held him up to my ear to listen to his breathing and i cant hear anything other than a heart beat and his teeth. Could it be his bedding? I am using aspen bedding and try to keep it clean. Any help would be wonderful.

Answers:

How long have you had him??

In my experience, rats tend to sneeze for a while when they get to a new home..I''ve had some sneeze for a month when I go them home...

Look at his nose...if his nose looks like it's bleeding, change the bedding, and keep and eye on it, if it happends again on clean bedding, then you may want to get him looked at by a small animal vet... ( by the way, the red stuff is NOT blood...it's their boogers... )

It's NOT your bedding...ASPEN is the safest bedding for small animals..it doesn't have toxins and isn't dusty...it absorbs odor and urine...but like all beddings, needs to be changed about once a week...

To help keep the bedding clean you should consider potty training, this way they go in one area that can easily be cleaned out every day or so, keeping the bedding cleaner...

PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR RAT ON HAY!! Timothy hay is a food substitute for rabbits and guinea pigs, it should never be used as a bedding...EVER!!

Stick with aspen and give him a while...