Sirene
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Messages
- 1,141
Hi all,
It's been a while, but I am looking for rat advice this time, and I know someone will know.
Basically, I have an aquaintance (friend of husband's) who has 2 rats, one for each of her kids (I know). They are pet store rats, newly-acquired, and from what she says, one sounds sick to me. It sounds like the female has an URI - the owner says she wheezes and grunts and sneezes. The other one (a male - NOT in the same cage,I made sure to ask!) does not. This poor female ratty was a replacement for the first rat they got, which they allowed to die of something similar. On his final day, they "returned" him to Petco (believe me, just typing this is making my blood boil all over again
) and got this female rat.
Long story short, it transpires that these people do not believe in taking sick rats to the vet. I have explained that potentially it would require just a course of Baytril (right?), a trip to an exotics vet (I know one, of course) and about $60 all in. They are not remotely interested. When I said this to them, the other day, they were shaking their heads in a "not gonna happen" way. The woman told me that this rat seems to have improved, but that she still wheezes. She asked me if it could be allergies, which of course it could, but that only a vet could know for sure.
I don't know this woman super well, but we go to each others' parties a couple of times a year, and we are on each others' Facebooks. (I liked her a lot better before I heard about this rat business.) Now I want to stay in touch to keep an eye on these rats. My plan is to offer to take the rats to my vet if it sounds like they are getting worse, and to offer to take them off her hands while they require medication (if not completely). I don't know how to word such an offer to her, or if she will be receptive. I am quite prepared to never have her speak to me again, but currently I don't consider that a loss.
My concerns are that:
1) A rat with a URI could pass it on to StandsForTreats (my guinea pig) - is this true? - if they were housed in the same room, which my husband would probably insist on.
2) My husband will have a coronary if I bring home another rodent pet (he does NOT like them), so I need to have a potential adopter lined up, just in case. Can anyone in Texas help?
Please feel free to offer advice and to cross-post this to any rat forums.
Thanks so much!
It's been a while, but I am looking for rat advice this time, and I know someone will know.
Basically, I have an aquaintance (friend of husband's) who has 2 rats, one for each of her kids (I know). They are pet store rats, newly-acquired, and from what she says, one sounds sick to me. It sounds like the female has an URI - the owner says she wheezes and grunts and sneezes. The other one (a male - NOT in the same cage,I made sure to ask!) does not. This poor female ratty was a replacement for the first rat they got, which they allowed to die of something similar. On his final day, they "returned" him to Petco (believe me, just typing this is making my blood boil all over again
) and got this female rat.Long story short, it transpires that these people do not believe in taking sick rats to the vet. I have explained that potentially it would require just a course of Baytril (right?), a trip to an exotics vet (I know one, of course) and about $60 all in. They are not remotely interested. When I said this to them, the other day, they were shaking their heads in a "not gonna happen" way. The woman told me that this rat seems to have improved, but that she still wheezes. She asked me if it could be allergies, which of course it could, but that only a vet could know for sure.
I don't know this woman super well, but we go to each others' parties a couple of times a year, and we are on each others' Facebooks. (I liked her a lot better before I heard about this rat business.) Now I want to stay in touch to keep an eye on these rats. My plan is to offer to take the rats to my vet if it sounds like they are getting worse, and to offer to take them off her hands while they require medication (if not completely). I don't know how to word such an offer to her, or if she will be receptive. I am quite prepared to never have her speak to me again, but currently I don't consider that a loss.
My concerns are that:
1) A rat with a URI could pass it on to StandsForTreats (my guinea pig) - is this true? - if they were housed in the same room, which my husband would probably insist on.
2) My husband will have a coronary if I bring home another rodent pet (he does NOT like them), so I need to have a potential adopter lined up, just in case. Can anyone in Texas help?
Please feel free to offer advice and to cross-post this to any rat forums.
Thanks so much!
