CHICAGO EXOTICS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
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​Health Problems with Rats

​by Maggie Wood, DVM
All photos and edited by Susan Horton, DVM
Respiratory infections are one of the most common health problems of rats.  They can be caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses.  Symptoms that may be seen include increased respiratory noise, sneezing, nasal discharge, faster respiratory rate, labored breathing, and red tears.  The red tears are not blood, but a pigment that rats secrete when they are stressed called porphyrin.  Some respiratory infections resolve completely with antibiotics and do not recur.  However, there are other infections that become more chronic.  These infections are often caused by Mycoplasma, which is a bacteria that is difficult to eradicate permanently.  Rats with chronic infections frequently have relapses of symptoms and need repeated treatments.  These respiratory infections are contagious, so if you have a rat that is a chronic carrier, it is better not to introduce new rats into the household.  Pictured below is a rat with a severely swollen nose.  He had a severe upper respiratory infection.
Picture
Severely swollen nose
Mites are also common in rats.  Signs may include itching, flaky skin, hair loss, redness, and irritation of the skin.  Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, depending on the degree of the mite infestation.  Mites may also cause secondary skin infections, especially if the rats are itchy and scratching their skin a lot.  Pictured below is a rat with scabs and hair loss.
Picture
Rat with scabs and hair loss
Mammary tumors occur frequently in female rats.  This is the equivalent of rat “breast cancer”.  Since rats have multiple sets of nipples, the tumors can be anywhere along the rat’s chest or belly and can be single or multiple.  They start out as a small lump, but if not removed, they can grow into a very large tumor quickly.  Most of the tumors are benign, which means they usually don’t spread to other organs in the body.  However some of them can be malignant.  Even though most of the tumors are benign, if the tumors are not removed while they are still small, they will continue to grow and eventually be so large that they interfere with the rat’s quality of life and would require a longer, more extensive surgery to remove.  Therefore, it is recommended to have them surgically removed while they are still small.
Picture
Mammary Tumor
Rats can also have dental problems.  Their front teeth grow continually through their lifetime.  In a normal rat, the top teeth will hit the bottom teeth and therefore, their teeth are constantly ground down even though they are growing.  Some rats have crooked or misaligned teeth, usually either from a genetic defect or trauma.  In these rats, some or all of the teeth do not occlude normally and will overgrow, often in an abnormal direction. These rats will need to have their teeth frequently trimmed by a veterinarian.  The problem may be obvious, especially if the teeth protrude out of the mouth, but more subtle signs can include difficulty chewing or decreased appetite.  We treat rat dental disease routinely at Chicago Exotics.
Picture
Overgrown Teeth
In addition to the common rat diseases listed above, it is important to remember that rats are also susceptible to the same health problems that affect most other pets, such as heart disease and kidney disease. Therefore, it is recommended to have regular checkups and to have your rat examined promptly if you notice any problems at home.  Pictured below is an overweight rat.  Inappropriate diet and exercise will lead to this problem.
Picture
Overweight Rat
Picture
Overweight Rat
Sometimes the only hint that your rat gives you that something is wrong is an un-kept coat. This rat's coat is yellowing with grease from follicular secretions. He is not feeling well enough to keep himself clean. Pictured below is pododermatitis. We see this syndrome associated with improper footing or caging.
Picture
Pododermatitis
​If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709.

If you have any NON-EMERGENT questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709
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  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Invertebrate Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
    • Referrals
  • Vets, Externs & Shelters
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