On this page you will find some information on:
SARCOPTIC MITES
It is very unusual for rats to get Sarcoptic Mites. The mites appear on the rat's ear, feet and tail. It is the only mite which can infect humans as well. After a treatment of three weeks with Ivermectin the rat can recover completely. If you have more than one rat you have to treat them all because the mites are very contagious.
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Sunny's ears covered with mites |
Sunny's ears after
the treatment with Ivermectin
EAR INFECTION
It all started when I cleaned Vleckje’s and Ratito’s cage. They share a little white plastic house where they sleep in. One evening I saw a lot dark red spots on top and on the walls of the house. They looked like blood spots. I checked the entire body of both ratties…Nothing! The next day …Blood again! Only the house showed the blood spots! One other body check had no results.
I decided to use white cloth as bedding. If they were loosing blood it had to show somewhere. The next day the same well known picture. The entire house was covered with blood spots. I phoned my vet in panic. Something strange was going on. The ratties ear looked very dark inside. Did they loose blood from the ears? Why did the blood not show up on other places but the house?
My vet inspected both ratties ears with a little penlight lamp. The only thing he was mumbling was " Oh yes….I can see it " My heart was beating fast. What was wrong with my ratties? My vet explained that both ratties had an ear infection which produced much more ear wax than usual. Every time they shook their heads the wax was flying around.
My vet explained that he never saw a rattie with an OTITIS EXTERNA ( External audiotory canal infection ) It is very common in dogs and cats.
TREATMENT : PANALOG ANTIBIOTIC EAR CREAM.
Contains of the cream:
Nystatin
Neomycin
Sulfate
Thiostrepton
Triamcinolonacetonic
After three days treatment the infection was over.
SUNNY'S ABSCESS WHICH GOT MORE AGGRESSIVE AS OLDER THE RATTIE GUY GOT!
Sunny developed an abscess right under his
chin. After a while this big ugly bump opened and all the pus
drained out.
Life went on and Sunny was a happy loving rattie guy. The abscess
appeared approximately every six weeks. Sunny was handling the
problem without difficulty. No clouds in the sky,……I
thought!
Sunny
with an open abscess
From one day to the other Sunny's left eye
became bigger and bigger. The eye was very painful and so enlarged.
It seemed to be a luxation of the eyeball. Sunny was anesthetized
and the eyeball was put back in the socket.
After three days the eye became bigger again. According to my
vet it had to be a tumor or a retrobulbar abscess. During the
operation it became clear! There was an abscess very deep in the
orbit. After removing the eyeball the abscess was opened, flushed
and drained with a penrose drain. The eye lashes had to be sewed
together.
Sunny soon became better. A few days later the drain was removed
and everything looked fine.
Sunny
after the eye operation with drain
Operation performed by Dr. Th.P.M. Van Noort, vetinarian
Now it was Nero who had an abscess on his throat first and later on the same eye like Sunny He too had to loose one eye. Both ratties remained the same happy rattie guys. Sunny and Nero were cage mates.
Nero
with a growing abscess on his throat
When Nero left for the Rainbow Bridge Sunny
became a partner of Baby, Balou, B.B and Belly Button. He loved
to be with the girls.
As time passed, summer came and my vet went on holidays. Before
he left, he checked Sunny. Everything was fine. Not for long.
Once again Sunny had an abscess under his chin. At the same time
one of the girls , B.B. developed an abscess on the same spot
like Sunny. This time both abscesses opened by itself. The pus
drained out. Sunny….Nero… and B.B…. all three had
the same abscess. Coincident….the vet said! I felt uncomfortable
about the matter and took Sunny and B.B. to the University to
have a bacteriological examination. They found three bacteria.
( Coryne- Pasteurella and Staphylococci bacteria) I was told that
to get rid of the bacteria that caused the abscess, a big part
of the rattie’s throat would have to be cut open. No way!
I would not have that done. My sweet poor ratties! When would
the aggressive bacteria strike again?
A few weeks later the abscess started to grow on Sunny’s nose .This time the mean ugly abscess ate a piece of my rattie’s nose. Luckily the nostrils were still intact ! With cleaning and draining , Sunny was OK again but with only half a nose!
Sunny left to The Rainbow Bridge. No more mean abscess can hurt my rattie guy!
TREATMENT:
Cleaning the abscess well.
Antibiotic cure
Draining keeps the wound open to let it dry
Cataracts
Rattie guy Tarzan with Cataracts in both eyes
Close up of de eyes
Symptoms:
Cataracts appears as a white dot behind the pupil. As far as we know it is not painful. The sight of the rat gets very poor or it can cause blindness
Treatment:
Removing the affected lens/s by surgery which is most difficult in a rat's eye. Rats with this symptoms still can live a happy life because the rat's eyesight is poor anyway. Especially red eyed rats. They compensate the sight by " swinging * the head side ways.
FIRST AID KIT FOR RATS
Betadine ( Iodine solution )
Calendula Balm ( made from the flower Calendula )
Physiological Salt Solution
Baby of Children's Aspirin
Ivermectin ( Horse wormer paste. Brand : Zimecterin, Rotectin 1, Equimectrin ) against Mites/Lice
Sodium Bicarbonate of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
Nutri Cal ( Nutri Plus Gel )
Udder Balm
Tooth picks
Sterile gauze
Syringe without needle
Tweezers
Q-Tips
Toothbrush
Nail clippers ( Gerber makes nail clippers for babies )
Pill Cutter
Bottle for ice
Heating Pad
Jar of Baby Food
Rat treats
USAGE