Boys more susseptable?

[Katy M]

Excuse my spelling. ^_^


Anyhow, over the last few weeks all 3 of my boys have developed a stuffy nose. It's not in their chest (well, not with 2 of them) but is definitly their nose... Steve sounds bad all over, but until my dad gets paid I can't run him to the vet... we are temporarily REALLY broke. (Unexpected car trouble)

But, my boys and girls are all housed in the same cage... and all 4 of the girls sound just fine. Are boys more susseptable to things like this, or is it just chancet that my boys are sick and my girls are not?

... Also, are stuffy noses common? I'd like to restate that it is NOT in their chest, but just their noses. It's not bad enough that they breathe through their mouths, but Steve's breathing keeps slowly getting worst. (Malakai's is almost completly gone.) I'm quite baffeled by this.

KD

[phatrat]

   I'd never heard that boys are more prone to colds/respiratory infections than girls.  All of my girls have had bouts of it at one time or another. All are fine at the moment.
   I took my oldest to the vet when she was having sneezing fits a couple of months ago and the vet said her lungs sounded great.  We couldn't pin down exactly what was causing her to sneeze, but he suggested I put her on Benadryl for awhile and see if she responded to that. Whether the Benadryl had anything to do with it or not I can't say, but in 3 or 4 days she got over it and hasn't sneezed since.  

[sugarfoxx]

My boys all battle myco and have for over a year. This last round of myco left Cheese with some problems that require him to take medicine daily but he is doing great. Macaroni has a stuffy nose all the time. It never stops. He did the antibiotic treatment for 30 days. He took benadryl and we even tried sudafed. He got a steroid shot. Nothing helped. We do the vaporizer and once he even sniffed vicks vapo rub.  I held the container far away but he still sniffed the air. Vet told me to try it.
Anyhow NOTHING.  He snorts and snuffles so loud and it bugs me. I worry he cant breathe but I see him with a mouth full of yogis and he is fine even with his mouth stuffed so he must be able to breathe through his nose ok.

Wish I had an answer for you cause I need one too!

[Kendra]

I have noticed the same thing.  None of my females has ever had myco problems, even though they are in the same room with the boys.  Several of my boys have had to be on Baytril for it from time to time, but never any of the girls.  I don't know if it is usual, but that's my experience.

Kendra

[Rolanda_Rattie]

Hey PhatRat do u mean Benadryl as in the cough mixture stuff for humans? Or baytril?

Can you give rats that stuff?

[phatrat]

   It was Benadryl, Orange Children's Benadryl to be exact.  Since her lungs sounded clear and there didn't seem to be any sign of infection, antibiotics didn't seem to be the way to go. The vet suggested Benadryl  for its antihisamine. I'm still not sure whether that had anything to do with her getting better, but she sure did like the taste.
     

[Katy M]

He snorts and snuffles so loud and it bugs me.

That's how steve is. it's HORRID! I swear, some times I can hear him from the otehr room.. But hey, it'll come in handy if he ever escapes!


I'll guess that It's just chance that my boys are stuffy and my girls are not. Once we get some money, I'll just take them all to the vet for a check up.

________ Also, this wednesday I am taking the boys to a halloween party. Do you think the excitement will bother them when they are sick like this? I can substitute steve with one of the girlies if being pet by a dozen little kids would NOT help. (But Hey! Who'd wanna miss that!?)