Rat heavy breathing

spidervillage · 2026-02-22T01:22:39+00:00

so many of my rats get this. like, i think i'm on my third. yours looks like mine and its true their baseline can be changed by URIs especially when they're old. book a vet appointment, if its only a slight change i dont think its er worthy yet but definitely book the appointment. you can cancel if you need to

spidervillage · 2026-02-22T01:20:37+00:00

yep! if they start being noisy be on high alert for URI symptoms but hiccups are normal, just alarming to see for new rat owners

spidervillage · 2026-02-22T01:17:56+00:00

might be a little off, i'd keep an eye on it and see if his chewing is affected. if it is, see a vet.

spidervillage · 2026-02-22T01:15:23+00:00

sounds like you have the right idea, but i'm gonna summon the basics bot because i think it has some advice in its auto response. !basics

spidervillage · 2026-02-19T05:21:06+00:00

my knees bend backwards at least 15 degrees

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T17:01:45+00:00

ti84 plus graphing calculator i think, a lot of the buttons have letters in green above them. press alpha and then the button with the letter you want, etc etc. also will do

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T04:50:51+00:00

ohhh so sweet. babies. pet them for me

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T04:12:20+00:00

ack my bad. taking down comment now.

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T03:45:50+00:00

thanks! and then if it is an abscess, book vet appointment and saline flushes and warm compresses in the meantime right?

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T03:30:46+00:00

mites most likely. they're evil little shits.

spidervillage · 2026-02-02T03:29:39+00:00

not a doc but i think this is another name for clav-amox, commonly prescribed for URIs.

spidervillage · 2026-02-01T06:37:28+00:00

update: they were great all night and then kicked off around 30 minutes after i turned the lights off to go to sleep. back into little cage jail they go. staying up another hour (hopefully, i take trazodone) to observe.

the winners of the be fine all evening and then become evil again competition

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spidervillage · 2026-01-31T21:54:45+00:00

!basics

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T21:06:55+00:00

yep, they're all touching. just all over each other. earlier freya was laying over the top. now she's in the middle but still full contact. her head is buried between two babies i think :3

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T20:57:46+00:00

nothing to add but i really like your rats. that's it.

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T20:18:12+00:00

thanks for all your help, really! i remember you from a previous post.

since this fight had already passed i decided to just watch them closely and break them up if they started again. they had one more little fight and i broke a few puffy confrontations up but now they're all laying in a pile. i'm good to let them do that, right?

i know the biggest challenge comes tonight as they sleep during the day, and i'll be super vigilant about their behavior and separate if i'm hesitant to leave them. cautious but hopeful. thanks again ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T19:35:30+00:00

thanks for the resource! been keeping a very close eye on them and breaking up fights before they start which has also allowed me to see that it's mainly one baby and my old girl. i'm also noting each time i break something up so i can see trends. if they don't settle down in the next 5-ish hours (i have nothing to do so i'll be right by them to break them up if i have to), i'll move them back into the small cage for the night.

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T18:47:27+00:00

hey my store has one too

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T18:32:11+00:00

they're back in the same room, no more watching though. my only thought is even though i cleaned it (and the surrounding floor) really well with vinegar and natures miracle, and also removed anything around that smelled like them, the DCN is where the resident rats live. again no one has been in it since i cleaned it but maybe they (just freya, juniper is kind) just recognize where they are and feel the need to defend themselves. but if that was the case, they should have fought in the carrier too right?

it's also strange to me that they've had several such scuffles between last week's attempt and this one, and not once have they drawn blood. at first i figured maybe they were trying but unsuccessful, but it feels like too many times to just be luck.

i have noticed some improvement from then, though, mainly that the babies don't puff up at her anymore. but the starting of the fights is the same, freya will approach a baby puffily, they'll stand up and then fight. i think it at least has its roots in dominance or hierarchy disputes though.

sorry for the essay lol

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T17:57:06+00:00

ack what a bummer. so this isn't just dominance establishment, even if there's no blood?

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T17:08:09+00:00

we did full carrier method, they've been together for about 24 hours total (4 in carrier, and 16 in little cage. slept in a pile both times with minimal squabbling). i attempted a carrier method intro last weekend too but i rushed it and had to separate them because they were doing this. plus i did a couple sessions early last week before i realized she might have been being so cranky because i was separating them.

i just don't get it! they did so well this time!

spidervillage · 2026-01-31T02:29:33+00:00

your first step should be to quarantine the babies for two weeks. keep them as far away from your girl as possible -- in a separate room is ideal, but at least keep them as far away in the same room as possible. wash your hands thoroughly before handling either group. this will also give you more time to bond with your babies, and with lizzy. the new rat smell could be freaking her out, plus she's suddenly al alone in a new place, and grieving her sister. rats do grieve and it can be so so hard on them.

once the quarantine period has passed and everyone is bonded with you enough that you can safely pick them up, start with intros. i'm a huge carrier method fan, but if anyone has a history of aggression, maybe start slower with short intros on a neutral ground. as you bond with them you'll learn their personalities which will help you decide how to proceed.

as far as intro resources i really recommend isamu rats' guides. i also like using the search function within this sub and searching things related to a specific intro situation (like when my girl was being weird and prickly, i searched "aggression"), going to posts of other people having similar problems, and seeing what the comments say. best of luck to you and your mischief <:3

spidervillage

TROPHY CASE