HELP! disease?new babies!!!

[Ash]

so many questions... i don't know where to start!
First, will someone please help me clear this up!?! long story short... i just saved two baby rats from becoming snake food! i'm definatly keeping them.. but everyone is telling me that they are diseased because the snake didn't eat them right away? could this be true? could my rats have any illness that could possibly endanger or effect my other animals.. other adult rat,or myself??? i have been scared to death by all the people around me that i shouldn't handle them. please help answer my question! i never thought that pet rats were diseased..but i heard it so many times its getting to me! even though i've had Cleo, my 1 year old rat since he was little... i don't know everything that i should about rats. so i want to learn more.. so i can do better at raising my two new babies!!! Cleo hates to be handled , even though i give him much attention ...what do i do? also... i have not introduced the babies to cleo yet..fearing they may fight?? how can i tell if its dominance or fighting?? should i intro them?? how?? and my two new babies are absolutly identical.. its hard to tell them apart..any segestions? one of the babies.. will absolutly not let me touch him! and i dont want to try to grab him too much cause i dont want to frighten or stress him... anything anyone can tell me would be excellent!! i need all the advice that i can get.. i love all animals.. and would like to have a conection with my rats.. i do not want them to just live their lives in a cage not knowing human affection! i would not want that for any animal! thanx much for your advice!!!
~ ASH... & the crew ~ (3 dogs, a cat, 3 rats, some fish, a couple stick bugs, and a few hermit crabs... in case you were wondering who the crew was..)  

[Rat-love]

I could answer all of these questions, but for the most part my reply would just be verbatim from the rat fan club website (http://www.ratfanclub.org ,  which you must have seen, because you're here!).  I would recommend reading all of the material on the site because RatLady Debbie Ducummon says it all in expert style, and will answer all of your questions; there is info on how to mark rats to tell them apart (magic marker on the tail, I think, but am not quite sure), how to introduce new rats to old (very gradually, starting with scent first), how to "socialize" rats (by being consistent, gentle, and most importantly, bribing them with food), and all kinds of other stuff that you'll be really happy to find out you should know.  But you came to the right place, too, because there are tons of experts on this forum who will happily fill in the details as well.

As for me, personally, I always start out with young rats by spending a lot of time talking to them, keeping my hand in the cage, and handling and stroking them as soon as they seem comfortable, and take them out and cuddle them up against my chest as soon as possible.  I also handle them separately from one another a lot, which seems to allow them to not be quite so dependent on one another.

As for the rats being diseased--it sounds like you've heard a lot of urban legend hoopla or something, if you haven't observed any illness in them.  The only modern disease I've heard of humans being able to catch from domesticated rats is Strep--it can also be passed to rats.  Whether or not they're ill is something you've probably already discerned; key things would be:  do they look sleepy all of the time, or move sluggishly?  Are they wobbly or off balance?  Does their skin look purplish or blue on the nose and feet, as though they aren't getting enough oxygen?  Are they scratching a lot, or does their fur look unclean?  etc.  If not, then the snakes probably were the ill ones, or not hungry or something.  

Anyway, I won't recite the whole Rat Health Handbook, but keep asking questions if you need to, and you'll definitely get answers.  I bet your single rat will eventually come to really enjoy the new company!

[Ash]

hey rat-love..thanx for the advice!!!... the one thing i'm really curious about now is marking them to tell them apart.. i've had excellent.. luck with one of the babies tonight! hes been in my pocket for quite a while.. and really is seeming to warm up to me... but i'm concerned about putting him back now.. cause tomorrow... i won't be sure which is which again..
... so.. i got a non-toxic sharpie pen... do you think that i can mark his tail with it??? i dont wanna do anything thats not good for him... thanx..

[Rat-love]

Non-toxic Sharpie.....   I don't want to recommend anything that might hurt him if I'm not sure it will work because, as you know, they'll lick anything off of themselves... lemme go check the Rat Health Handbook.

[Ash]

ok.. thanks...i got a while anyways.. cause he really likes being in my pocket... im sooooo excited! cause the other two rats dont want much to do with me!!! ... thanks so much for your help!!

[Rat-love]

I know... isn't it great to have a new baby warm up to you?  Awwwww.....

Okay--according to the RHH, to tell rats apart, "you can use a non-toxic felt pen to mark one of the rats on the base of the tail."  So it sounds like your Sharpie is OK. Or, if the tail and hair are dark, she recommends lightening a spot of their coat with hydrogen peroxide.  Ah yes, the Rat Health Handbook, worth its weight in gold--and only $5 + S&H!  (Shameless marketing blitz now over.)

So, it sounds like you think the babies are in good health.  By the way, my rats have different cuddling personalities, too--Sapphy has to run around and explore every inch of the room before she can settle down and be stroked to sleep, while Petzl can simply be placed on the back of my neck and left there for two hours, asleep, while I shop or study.  But when she's awake and exploring, she won't really like to be picked up so much, whereas Sapphy bounces over to you and has to be picked up for just a second or sniff your mouth, then bounces away again every few minutes.... just keep at it with the other two, and I'm sure you'll become as irresistible to them as they are to you....

[Rat-love]

Ohhhhh yeah... and make sure you don't have mixed sexes in the new babies after... 5 weeks?  because you'll then have rat babies, who you won't want to have to sell off as snake food... the thing comes full circle.

Oh--and I WAS wondering who The Crew was.  Stick Bugs!  Cool!

Just spend a lot of time with your other two guys... be patient... hand feed them as much as possible... they will come to be very affectionate.

[Ash]

cool.. i guess i'll try marking him then.. i read on the marker three times.. just to triple check that its non toxic.. so it should work good.. thanks...

i love how you have such a close relationship with your rats.. i hope to have that soon with my two babies!!

o, thanks for recomending me read in the rat fan club home page.. i've read about how to introduce my babies to cleo, and a lot of other things. but, it also made me feel kinda aweful..cause after reading that.. i realized probably why cleo is soo anti social with me.. i nver knew how important it is for rats to have other rats as friends.. i feel really bad that cleo has been alone this long! but i'm glad that soon he will have two new buddies!!
did you read my other topic about how rats are illegal here where i live? terrible, huh!
thanks again so much for all your help!!!

[Rat-love]

Don't be so hard on yourself!  You can't better your relationship with your rats without knowledge, and now you know more about what to do.  I'm sure if you demand his attention, Cleo will become much more attached to you.  If you can read some of the past posts on this forum you might find stories of rats who were treated really horribly--only held by the tail, never loved, used only as breeders--who people rescued and then coaxed to become really loving pets by putting peanut butter on their fingers so that the rat had to lick it off, etc....  there's a lot of info, and rats seem to be extremely responsive to repetitive training.  Anyway, I'm sure you will have a great relationship with your guys!  You'll have to post pictures and tell us when you decide on names, etc.....

[Louise]

Good luck with your new babies Ash!  It sounds like they are warming up to you already

Recommended quarantine time is two weeks, just to make sure they are not carrying anything they could give to your other rat.  I would suggest you keep them in another room if possible and put a house coat or old shirt on when you handle them.  That way any germs/mites won't be transported to your other rattie.

How old are they do you know?
You did a very kind thing rescuing them and it sounds as if they are going to get loads of love

[WS]

I agree with Rat- Love. I'm sure you'll do fine with your new ratties and, with more research, you'll learn some tips on introductions and socializing rats.  

You should handle your ratties (especially your new guys) gently and consistently.  Rats are social animals like dogs and once they understand that you are part of their group and can trust you, they can become just as loyal and responsive.  Building trust can take time. Just remember that young little rats like to explore and climb around and may not want to sit still in your arms. That's OK.  -it doesn't mean they don't like you.

As for disease, it's always a good idea to quarantine newcomers from your rats for a couple of weeks and to be conscious of washing your hands when handling newbees. (Viruses which can be transmitted from rat to rat are rare but serious and sometimes parasites hop a ride)     - But like the others mentioned, the stuff you were told about "diseased rats" is hogwash.  

It's often a good idea to get new rats checked out by your veterinarian, - especially if they show any symptoms of illness such as sneezing, coughing, lethargy, swollen or heavy lidded eyes, dull coats, hunched posture or problems eating.

As for telling rats apart.... I recommend using human food-colouring dotted on the forehead or on the base of the tail in lieu of markers. (Non-toxic art supplies still aren't meant to be licked or eaten)

Good luck!    Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful relationship with your new ratty friends!

[Suebee]

As for telling rats apart.... I recommend using human food-colouring dotted on the forehead or on the base of the tail in lieu of markers. (Non-toxic art supplies still aren't meant to be licked or eaten)

Darn it... I guess I'd better put away the crayons I was munching on...



But in all seriousness, I agree with what everyone else has said. I can't really add anything.

[fusche]

I didn't read all the replys.  Did anyone mention  Food Coloring?

I read that someone put food coloring on one of their rat's tails.

[Suebee]

I didn't read all the replys.  Did anyone mention  Food Coloring?

I read that someone put food coloring on one of their rat's tails.

Yep. WS did, and I quoted it in my reply.

[Yresim]

As for the rats being diseased--it sounds like you've heard a lot of urban legend hoopla or something, if you haven't observed any illness in them.  The only modern disease I've heard of humans being able to catch from domesticated rats is Strep--it can also be passed to rats.  

Rats and humans share a lot of illnesses.  You can give your rat your cold, and she can give you hers.

However, I do agree that the poster is hearing some urban legends.  Snakes do NOT always eat their food immediately.  Sometimes, like every other critter, they just aren't "in the mood".  I knew one snake that actually befriended one of his "feeder" mice.  He would NOT eat her, and he let her sleep in his coils.  Strangely enough, he ate any other mice that were placed in the cage, just not her.  Strange but true.

In any case, snakes (unlike humans) do NOT share many illnesses with rats, and will eat unhealthy (or even dead) ones.

[Yresim]

P.S.  Rats are typically not any more diseased than any other animal.  In addition, as far as I know, all of the things you can catch from a rat are curable.  The only things I have caught from (and passed to) my rats were just colds or flu.  I have heard of someone catching ringworm.  

In general, it is not something you need to worry about unless they are wild.  But you should also worry (to the same degree) about wild cats, dogs, rabbits, etc.

[SonyaFancifulRats]

Rats and humans share a lot of illnesses.  You can give your rat your cold, and she can give you hers.

Do you have any literature to back this up? I have never seen evidence that human colds or flu are transferable to rats, cats or dogs. The strep I will agree with, the others, no... even mites and lice are usually species-specific.

Ash, I do hope you ahev been careful with a quarentine, even if the ratties appear healthy now, illness could be present and just not have appeared yet.

[Suebee]

Rats and humans share a lot of illnesses.  You can give your rat your cold, and she can give you hers.

That is completely false. The only disease that can be passed from human to rat is strep throat. And the only diseases that rats can give humans is rat bite fever and hanta virus, but both are so extremely rare that they are not much of a concern.

[SonyaFancifulRats]

Well, Ok I cant seem to edit my post correctly.  This is not supposed to be in the quote, its what I was trying to say!:

Do you have any literature to back this up? I have never seen evidence that human colds or flu are transferable to rats, cats or dogs. The strep I will agree with, the others, no... even mites and lice are usually species-specific.

Ash, I do hope you ahev been careful with a quarentine, even if the ratties appear healthy now, illness could be present and just not have appeared yet.