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Q. STERILITY
One of my female rats (she is one year old) had an abscess on her back near
her hip. One day it disappeared and I believe she may have gotten rid of it
herself. Ever since then, she has not gotten pregnant. Why?
A.
You didn't state whether or not your rat had had a litter of babies prior to
this incident. The best time for a rat to have babies is between four months
and eight months of age. It is possible that her apparent sterility has
nothing at all to do with the abscess, although it could have. The only way
to even guess on that would have been a vet visit at the time of the
infection. Many bacterial infections, such as genital mycoplasmosis and
viruses can cause sterility. Also, nutritional deficiencies and non-optimal
living conditions can lead to infertility. What sort of diet are you
feeding--what is her weight? Is she healthy? All of these may be a factor in
her apparent infertility.
If she hasn't had a litter before she may have difficulty conceiving,
and breeding a rat that has not had a previous litter at the age of one year
can lead to birthing problems and possibly even death. The pelvic canal is
often fused into a narrow position and the litter can only be delivered by
means of caesarian section by a veterinarian. Most often, owners are unaware
of this and do not see the vet until it is too late to save the litter or the
mom rat.
~Meg Stephenson
Q. PARENTAL CONCERNS
I have a friend who is worried about us getting pet rats because we have
young children (18 months and 3 1/2 years). I haven't heard or read anything
about this, but she was really concerned. Do I have anything to be worried
about?
A.
If you are concerned that pet rats would transmit disease to your children,
then no, you really have nothing to worry about. That is no more likely than
with having a dog or cat as a pet. Of course, it is possible, but not likely,
in any case. Your friend must be buying into the prejudices that most people
have concerning rats.
Zoonoses are diseases that can infect humans and be transmitted by an
animal host. Most of these that list a rodent host are diseases in the wild
rat population - not in pet rats. The only problem I have heard of between
pet rats and humans is Strep or Staph infections, which can be a problem with
any pet.
The other problem would be allowing a child of that young age to play
unsupervised with any pet. Animals will protect themselves from being hurt
and young children don't always have good sense when handling animals. They
can get hurt by poking fingers in cages or squeezing too hard when handling,
resulting in a possible bite. (Young children can be a threat to the health
and safety of the pet rat, as well.)
Honestly, it is a judgement call. Pets and young children are not
always a good mix. It is probably best to wait until the children are a bit
older and can understand the responsibility of pets, particularly with pet
rats since they are so small and vulnerable to the squeezing of a young child.
~Meg Stephenson
Q. AQUARIUM SILICONE CAULKING
I keep my pet rat in an aquarium, and every once in awhile, she scratches and
chews at the silicone seams of the tank. She is my first rat, but my fiance
and his mother have both had rats in the past. His mother suggested that she
may need a salt lick. She has chew sticks and all sorts of goodies in there,
and while this isn't a constant thing, it does concern me. I really don't
want her to get sick! I tried putting some hot sauce on the silicone, but it
had no impact. I'm clueless! Any help or suggestions would really be
appreciated.
A.
This seems to be more prevalent in female rats - especially pregnant female
rats. Although the silicone caulking used in the corners of aquariums cannot
possibly be good for rats, there is no evidence that it will cause illness.
There is a long history of female rats eating the silicone from aquarium
seams, but to date, I have not heard of one connection with it and sickness
of any kind. Therefore, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but, you may want
to consider moving her from an aquarium to a wire cage. Aquariums don't allow
for much airflow, nor do they allow for much excitement in the rat's life.
Wire cages, on the other hand, as long as they are large enough, allow you to
create a much more interesting environment for your pet, and allows for
climbing, etc., that will provide her with the exercise that is needed for
good health. She could be chewing at the silicone out of boredom, however, it
does appear that female rats just love the taste of silicon caulking.
Also, rats are very social animals and do best is same sex pairs. If she
is a single rat, you may want to consider getting her a cagemate to keep her
company. However, if she is already one year old and has never had a
cagemate, she may not take to one at this age. It is possible that she could
severely injure or kill a new introduction if the new addition is not big
enough to defend herself, so use good judgement if you decide to introduce
her to a pal.
Regarding the salt lick: some small animals do require a salt lick, but
rats are not one of them.
~Mary Ann Isaksen
Q. SARCOPTES MITES
Our pet rat has developed little bumps on her ears and tail. The rest of her
skin is fine and she appears to be healthy otherwise. I think she has been
scratching some, but not excessively. What could it be?
A.
Without a trip to the veterinarian for a true diagnosis, I can only guess,
but it sounds like it could be sarcoptes mites. This isn't a problem that we
have seen often, but there was a case reported by the late Lisa Westplate of
the Netherlands.
Lisa's male rat Sunny had, as she described them, "little papillome-like
irregularities on both ears." She also reported that, upon his first visit to
the veterinarian, he was not bothered by itching. The rest of his body was
not effected at all. Upon the second visit to the veterinarian a little over
three weeks later, the condition had worsened and Sunny was experiencing
itching. His ears were also crusty. Three days later, she visited the
University of Utrecht with Sunny, who was then anesthetized. The
irregularities were examined under the microscope. They discovered that
sarcoptes mites had taken up residence in his ear tissue, which they
determined to be fairly unique among rats. The therapy prescribed was
treatment with Ivermectin which cleared up the problem within a few weeks.
~Mary Ann Isaksen
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