My boyfriend is studying abroad in Australia and I'm in charge of his four rats. I love the girls to death but I don't know much about them. I know the basics and all and he's asked me to only feed them the food I've given them as well as to clean their cage daily as we're working on litter training. What I need is a list of things to look out for, behaviors that are red flags, etc. Today, I noticed that two of the rats have a reddish tint to their top teeth and the other two wouldn't let me see. Is this normal? Could it be from the colored wood chews they have? What else should I know?
Somebody please give me a rats 101 course and QUICK!
- Thread starter Hammie
- Start date
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3CsMommy
My babies Rock!
Links to read around for info and ideas:
http://ratguide.com/
http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratinfopacket.html
http://www.ratsrule.com/index.html
http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm
Health-related stuff that I remember from ratsitting: Listen for snuffly noses or clicking noises when they breathe, and keep an eye out for discharge from the nose/eyes. Most pet rats end up w/ colds/URI at one time or another, and then it's off to the vet for Baytril etc.
Also, keep an eye out for a reddish/brown discharge around their faces. This is called porphyrin (sp?), and is a sign of stress or sometimes illness. If you see one or two with small scabs, keep an eye out for chasing/mounting/dominant behavior from one or two of the other rats. Sometimes they'll scrap roughly just in play, but sometimes it can get serious enough that they have to be separated. Keeping them entertained/occupied can cut down on that kind of playing. I've always thought a dig box/bin looked like fun: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm#bin
http://ratguide.com/
http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratinfopacket.html
http://www.ratsrule.com/index.html
http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm
Health-related stuff that I remember from ratsitting: Listen for snuffly noses or clicking noises when they breathe, and keep an eye out for discharge from the nose/eyes. Most pet rats end up w/ colds/URI at one time or another, and then it's off to the vet for Baytril etc.
Also, keep an eye out for a reddish/brown discharge around their faces. This is called porphyrin (sp?), and is a sign of stress or sometimes illness. If you see one or two with small scabs, keep an eye out for chasing/mounting/dominant behavior from one or two of the other rats. Sometimes they'll scrap roughly just in play, but sometimes it can get serious enough that they have to be separated. Keeping them entertained/occupied can cut down on that kind of playing. I've always thought a dig box/bin looked like fun: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm#bin
Here is a little bit from my rat nutrition booklet that I've collected for information for myself, hopefully it will be helpful to you:
Things to Feed in Moderation
•plain popped popcorn
•Vitakraft yogurt drops
•avocado
•chocolate
•chicken or beef bones (cooked or boiled)
•Kaytee chew biscuits
•fruit Nutra*Puffs
•vegetable Nutra*Puffs
•dried corn
•Nylabones for chewing
•Foods high in nitrates: beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber,
•radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens
•coffee
•soy products
Things to Never Feed
•carbonated/fizzy drinks
•foods (in excess) that cause gas
•Orange Peels/Orange Juice (for males) - Pieces of the orange "fruit" are okay after washing
•raw dry beans/Peanuts (contain anti-nutrients that destroy Vit. A & digestion enzymes, causes red blood cell clumping)
•raw sweet potato
•green bananas (inhibits digestion of starch)
•green potato skin and eyes (contains a toxin)
•wild insects
•raw bulk tofu
•moldy cheese
•licorice (suspicions of neurological poisoning)
•raw red cabbage (contains anti-nutrients that destroys thiamin)
•raw artichokes (inhibits digestion of protein)
•raw oysters/clams
FIRST AID:
Minor Scratches/bites - Clean out with hydrogen peroxide, saline, or antiseptic wash and keep an eye on it. Apply Neosporin if it lasts a few days to help heal.
Sprained limb - place rat in quarantine cage with no levels. Swelling will go down on its own. If rats in pain administer infant Motrin. One drop on the tongue.
Dry/cracked skin - Use humidifier in room with rats. Rub olive oil on dry parts or body, can use blu-kote.
Cracked nail - Clean out and keep an eye on it.
Bleeding nail after trimming - Put nail/toe in styptic powder or flour.
Abscess - See sticky on abscesses
Removal of stitches - Some rats pull out stitches after surgery. Talk to your vet after surgery to see if they think liquid bandage is an option for your rat if they choose to chew out stitches. If your rat keeps trying to pull stitches out try tying a piece of cloth around their neck, not tight obviously but knotted. This often distracts them from the wound. Wrap it in gauze and keep them distracted until you can get to a vet asap.
Asthma/Respiratory - If in an emergency give your rat a small piece of dark chocolate. Also place your rat in a steamy bathroom for at least 10 minutes.
Rats that are not eating due to illness - Supplement food with vitamins, ensure, and high calorie supplements. Feed baby food, cereals, produce. If rat refuses to eat/drink you may have to force feed baby food with supplements mixed in. You can use a syringe if it’s easier. Be sure to get syringe just in mouth not much further.
Ill rats - Keep warm with heat pad or wheat/rice sacks.
Lice/Mites - See sticky on Lice/mites. This is where the Ivermectin is used.
Bumblefoot - If it’s not infected or open try to get Naylor's Blu-kote (get the dauber not the spray), a large animal antiseptic. Rub the Blu-kote on the bumbles, it dries out the "bumbles" and shrinks them. Bumblefoot rarely goes away but it’s controllable.
If your rat has lost a lot of blood, won’t eat or drink, is lethargic, having a hard time breathing, or you are still concerned about its well being consult your vet as soon as possible.
You can do at checks to keep an eye on your rat’s health. Here are a few things you can do:
- Check your rats mouth for foul smells or injuries
- Listen to the lungs by placing each side to your ear. If you hear squeaking, gurgling, or congestion these are signs of a sick rat.
- Make sure your rats skin color remains the same
- Keep nails trimmed to decrease scratches
- Check to make sure you don’t see lumps, lesions, etc anywhere on their body
SAFE FOODS:
Fruits:
Apples
Apricots
Bananas - but not green bananas
Blueberries
Grapes - purple grapes are believed to help prevent cancer
Raspberries
Blackberries
Boysenberries
Peaches - without the pit
Cranberries (and cranberry juice)
Plums - excluding the stone
Pomegranates
Pears
Kiwi
Papaya
Vegetables:
Broccoli
Carrots
Cucumbers
Peas
Romaine lettuce - It is recommended to avoid iceberg lettuce as it has little nutritional value
Kale
Green beans - cooked
Corn (on the cob, frozen, or from a can)
Green, red, or yellow peppers (not spicy!)
Pumpkin - and the seeds (in moderation)
Cauliflower
Butternut Squash - cooked
Cooked mushrooms - in moderation
Miscellaneous/Treats:
Chicken bones - Make sure these aren't too greasy or fatty
Hard-boiled eggs - these should not become a regular part of the diet but rather just a treat.
Popcorn - Unsalted and unbuttered
Yogurt drops
Yogurt - a small amount of probiotic yogurt is good for gut flora
Cheese - small amount in moderation, preferably soy based
UNSAFE FOODS:
Fruit:
Apple seeds - Apple seeds contain
Green bananas - Inhibit starch digestion
Mango - Contains d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Oranges - The white part on the peelings and outer layer of a peeled orange is harmful to male rats
Orange juice - Contains d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Vegetables:
Beet tops - Same as Spinach
Raw Brussels sprouts - Fine after cooking, though
Green potato skin and eyes
Raw artichokes - Inhibit protein digestion
Raw onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
Raw red cabbage - Fine after cooking
Raw sweet potato - Once again, fine after cooking
Rhubarb - High levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
Spinach - Can cause urinary tract problems and stones due to the high levels of oxalates
Miscellaneous:
Blue cheese - Contains a toxic mold
Cuddle Bones (for Birds) - these have far too much calcium to be healthy for your rat
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin
Poppyseeds
Raw bulk tofu - Packaged tofu is ok for eating
*Raw* dry beans or peanuts
Raw hide - Difficult to digest
Sweet feed (For horses) - There's just too much corn and molasses in this.
Moderation or Caution Foods:
Avocados - Very fatty and the pit, rind, skin, and leaves of the avocado are toxic. Avoid any part of the avocado that even touches those parts. Good for sick rats needing to gain weight though
Bread - Bread can expand in a rat's throat, causing them to choke. If giving your rat bread, toast it first or give them very small amounts at a time.
Carbonated drinks - it could give them a stomach ache as they have a hard time getting rid of the carbonation.
Chocolate - Supposed to help with minor respiratory distress. Too much can be problematic. Avoid milk chocolate but rather go for dark or bittersweet chocolate as milk chocolate contains too much fat and some rats are lactose intolerant
Dried corn - Contains fungal contaminates which could lead to liver cancer (Fresh corn is ok)
Peanut butter - Could cause your rat to choke
As someone else mentioned, the biggest thing that I look out for is porphyrin (reddish tint, usually rusty looking. Most mistake it for blood). However, one of my girls has it regardless when she wakes up, so it's very difficult for me to tell when she is sick. I watch out for excessive amounts and lethargy. Remember though, if you see a lethargic rat you want to get them into a vet immediately. Rats although predators are also a prey animal and hide their illnesses very well. If you see it, they are usually bad off. A day/night can be a day too long (unfortunately, I learned this the hard way).
My biggest piece of advice is to spend time with them daily. Even if only half an hour. It's usually the best way to tell if they are sick since you get to learn their personalities and will notice small changes.
Things to Feed in Moderation
•plain popped popcorn
•Vitakraft yogurt drops
•avocado
•chocolate
•chicken or beef bones (cooked or boiled)
•Kaytee chew biscuits
•fruit Nutra*Puffs
•vegetable Nutra*Puffs
•dried corn
•Nylabones for chewing
•Foods high in nitrates: beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber,
•radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens
•coffee
•soy products
Things to Never Feed
•carbonated/fizzy drinks
•foods (in excess) that cause gas
•Orange Peels/Orange Juice (for males) - Pieces of the orange "fruit" are okay after washing
•raw dry beans/Peanuts (contain anti-nutrients that destroy Vit. A & digestion enzymes, causes red blood cell clumping)
•raw sweet potato
•green bananas (inhibits digestion of starch)
•green potato skin and eyes (contains a toxin)
•wild insects
•raw bulk tofu
•moldy cheese
•licorice (suspicions of neurological poisoning)
•raw red cabbage (contains anti-nutrients that destroys thiamin)
•raw artichokes (inhibits digestion of protein)
•raw oysters/clams
FIRST AID:
Minor Scratches/bites - Clean out with hydrogen peroxide, saline, or antiseptic wash and keep an eye on it. Apply Neosporin if it lasts a few days to help heal.
Sprained limb - place rat in quarantine cage with no levels. Swelling will go down on its own. If rats in pain administer infant Motrin. One drop on the tongue.
Dry/cracked skin - Use humidifier in room with rats. Rub olive oil on dry parts or body, can use blu-kote.
Cracked nail - Clean out and keep an eye on it.
Bleeding nail after trimming - Put nail/toe in styptic powder or flour.
Abscess - See sticky on abscesses
Removal of stitches - Some rats pull out stitches after surgery. Talk to your vet after surgery to see if they think liquid bandage is an option for your rat if they choose to chew out stitches. If your rat keeps trying to pull stitches out try tying a piece of cloth around their neck, not tight obviously but knotted. This often distracts them from the wound. Wrap it in gauze and keep them distracted until you can get to a vet asap.
Asthma/Respiratory - If in an emergency give your rat a small piece of dark chocolate. Also place your rat in a steamy bathroom for at least 10 minutes.
Rats that are not eating due to illness - Supplement food with vitamins, ensure, and high calorie supplements. Feed baby food, cereals, produce. If rat refuses to eat/drink you may have to force feed baby food with supplements mixed in. You can use a syringe if it’s easier. Be sure to get syringe just in mouth not much further.
Ill rats - Keep warm with heat pad or wheat/rice sacks.
Lice/Mites - See sticky on Lice/mites. This is where the Ivermectin is used.
Bumblefoot - If it’s not infected or open try to get Naylor's Blu-kote (get the dauber not the spray), a large animal antiseptic. Rub the Blu-kote on the bumbles, it dries out the "bumbles" and shrinks them. Bumblefoot rarely goes away but it’s controllable.
If your rat has lost a lot of blood, won’t eat or drink, is lethargic, having a hard time breathing, or you are still concerned about its well being consult your vet as soon as possible.
You can do at checks to keep an eye on your rat’s health. Here are a few things you can do:
- Check your rats mouth for foul smells or injuries
- Listen to the lungs by placing each side to your ear. If you hear squeaking, gurgling, or congestion these are signs of a sick rat.
- Make sure your rats skin color remains the same
- Keep nails trimmed to decrease scratches
- Check to make sure you don’t see lumps, lesions, etc anywhere on their body
SAFE FOODS:
Fruits:
Apples
Apricots
Bananas - but not green bananas
Blueberries
Grapes - purple grapes are believed to help prevent cancer
Raspberries
Blackberries
Boysenberries
Peaches - without the pit
Cranberries (and cranberry juice)
Plums - excluding the stone
Pomegranates
Pears
Kiwi
Papaya
Vegetables:
Broccoli
Carrots
Cucumbers
Peas
Romaine lettuce - It is recommended to avoid iceberg lettuce as it has little nutritional value
Kale
Green beans - cooked
Corn (on the cob, frozen, or from a can)
Green, red, or yellow peppers (not spicy!)
Pumpkin - and the seeds (in moderation)
Cauliflower
Butternut Squash - cooked
Cooked mushrooms - in moderation
Miscellaneous/Treats:
Chicken bones - Make sure these aren't too greasy or fatty
Hard-boiled eggs - these should not become a regular part of the diet but rather just a treat.
Popcorn - Unsalted and unbuttered
Yogurt drops
Yogurt - a small amount of probiotic yogurt is good for gut flora
Cheese - small amount in moderation, preferably soy based
UNSAFE FOODS:
Fruit:
Apple seeds - Apple seeds contain
Green bananas - Inhibit starch digestion
Mango - Contains d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Oranges - The white part on the peelings and outer layer of a peeled orange is harmful to male rats
Orange juice - Contains d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Vegetables:
Beet tops - Same as Spinach
Raw Brussels sprouts - Fine after cooking, though
Green potato skin and eyes
Raw artichokes - Inhibit protein digestion
Raw onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
Raw red cabbage - Fine after cooking
Raw sweet potato - Once again, fine after cooking
Rhubarb - High levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
Spinach - Can cause urinary tract problems and stones due to the high levels of oxalates
Miscellaneous:
Blue cheese - Contains a toxic mold
Cuddle Bones (for Birds) - these have far too much calcium to be healthy for your rat
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin
Poppyseeds
Raw bulk tofu - Packaged tofu is ok for eating
*Raw* dry beans or peanuts
Raw hide - Difficult to digest
Sweet feed (For horses) - There's just too much corn and molasses in this.
Moderation or Caution Foods:
Avocados - Very fatty and the pit, rind, skin, and leaves of the avocado are toxic. Avoid any part of the avocado that even touches those parts. Good for sick rats needing to gain weight though
Bread - Bread can expand in a rat's throat, causing them to choke. If giving your rat bread, toast it first or give them very small amounts at a time.
Carbonated drinks - it could give them a stomach ache as they have a hard time getting rid of the carbonation.
Chocolate - Supposed to help with minor respiratory distress. Too much can be problematic. Avoid milk chocolate but rather go for dark or bittersweet chocolate as milk chocolate contains too much fat and some rats are lactose intolerant
Dried corn - Contains fungal contaminates which could lead to liver cancer (Fresh corn is ok)
Peanut butter - Could cause your rat to choke
As someone else mentioned, the biggest thing that I look out for is porphyrin (reddish tint, usually rusty looking. Most mistake it for blood). However, one of my girls has it regardless when she wakes up, so it's very difficult for me to tell when she is sick. I watch out for excessive amounts and lethargy. Remember though, if you see a lethargic rat you want to get them into a vet immediately. Rats although predators are also a prey animal and hide their illnesses very well. If you see it, they are usually bad off. A day/night can be a day too long (unfortunately, I learned this the hard way).
My biggest piece of advice is to spend time with them daily. Even if only half an hour. It's usually the best way to tell if they are sick since you get to learn their personalities and will notice small changes.
Last edited:
Thank you both very much! I found out from my bf that the red on their teeth comes from their red painted wood chews and it was gone this morning because they switched to a different color. They seem happy and I love playing with them, so I think we're ok
3CsMommy
My babies Rock!
Good. Got pics? There are a good number of rat owners/fans on here.
Got pics? There are a good number of rat owners/fans on here. 
