The Best Ratty Treats

Noodles, noodles, noodles...yep, my rats love 'em! ;-)

Hey, Y'all!

Treating Ratty Illnesses...

Ratties become sick pretty easily. In certain cases, it is best to take them to a vet. But in my experience, I have found that treating them at home can be very effective and inexpensive.

I listed a few of my ideas below! I hope they are helpful. I have not covered everything there is to know about treating ratty illnesses in this post!  *A Quick Side Note*  If you are not comfortable giving these antibiotics to your ratties, it may be a good idea to contact your vet. Also, what I have written below are simply suggestions. There are lots of different medications available for pet rats. It is always a good idea to do some research of your own.   ;-)

Ratties are very prone to getting respiratory infections (if you are not familiar with mycoplasma, do some research). Colloidal Silver really helps in that area! It is great for treating respiratory infections (it is used for treating all sorts of infections in people and animals). It also helps their overall respiratory health. You can purchase it at a health food store or order it off Amazon.

*Treating infections*

Give two-three drops twice daily until symptoms subside. 

*You cannot overdose* 

Vibactra is another great one to give your rats when they have respiratory infections! It's not best to give this to your rats for a long period of time. Unlike CS, it is a rather strong medication and you can overdose. Even so, I have found it to be very effective! I use it when my rats are needing aggressive treatment. One of my males had terrible respiratory issues. After giving him Vibactra for two weeks, his sneezing stopped and he seemed to be much healthier! *Dosage instructions are on the back of the box* I ordered it off Amazon.

Grapefruit Seed Extract is very similar to Colloidal Silver. It comes in capsule form. Each capsule is equivalent to seven doses (I cut the capsules open and put the powder aside). It works great! When one of my ratties is having a mycoplasma flare up, I pull out GSE. I usually give two doses per day until symptoms subside. This can be purchased at a health food store or ordered off Amazon. 

Not everyone has heard of bumblefoot. Unfortunately, I know all about it...

You may notice small blisters form on the heels of your rattie's feet. Then, one day you take a look at his feet and notice those once small blisters are huge, open sores! Yep, that's bumblefoot. There are three causes: 1. Your ratty being overweight- if your rat is too heavy that means a lot of pressure is being put on his feet, thus causing 'bumbles' to form. 2. A wire cage bottom- it is very bad for a rat to walk on a surface like this! This is probably the main cause of bumblefoot. 3. It can be a genetic issue.

Okay, so how do you treat these nasty blisters? In my experience, I have found Blue Kote works well. It is a blue liquid that helps dry out the sores. You should apply it to the bottom of their feet twice daily. Getting rid of bumblefoot is not easy, so be diligent! Be careful- Blue Kote stains very easily. I use Q-tips to apply it (wash their feet before applying). Once again, this was ordered off Amazon.

By the way, if your rat has bumblefoot it's important to keep their cage clean. You can even lay towels on the cage bottom so they are more comfortable.

This rat has a pretty nasty case of Bumblefoot...

Lice, mites, parasites, etc...yep, rats get all these things. Treatment is simple: give your rat a very small amount of horse Ivermectin paste (the size of a small grain of rice) once a week for three-four weeks. In some cases, it is neccessary to thoroughly clean your rat cage and the areas around the cage. You may have to throw out certain ratty items...this was another Amazon purchase!  ;-)

*Some more ideas*

Because their bodies are so low to the ground, rats are prone to getting urinary tract infections. Cranberry tablets help to fight the infection (they also help people). My rats think the tablets are treats and enjoy eating them! You can also dilute cranberry juice and put it in their water bottle. Studies have proven cranberry juice/tabs really helps fight UTinfections! By the way, you can also give them plain yogurt.

If your ratty has a nasty cut, rub some triple antibiotic cream on it! Fortunately, you do not need to be too concerned if your furry friend is wounded. Their wounds heal super quick! Some of my rats have been cut to the bone and a scab started to form after one day...

Pure honey and tea tree oil help with bumblefoot. ~Warning~ Be careful with tea tree oil- it is super strong! You need a very small amount. It is best to dilute one drop in warm water before applying to feet. 

Well, I hope these suggestions are helpful! If anyone has any questions feel free to write a comment. Also, if you have any ideas I would love to hear about them.   :-)

~Meghan

Another Cutie... ;-)

A Big Day!

I have been helping at a Bible camp for the past few days. I decided to take some of my female ratties to camp today. It was an exciting time for them... ;-)

The kids absolutely loved holding all the rats, but Maria was definitely the popular one! They (rats and kids) did great!




Even Pastor Brady liked the ratties...