my long haired female rat that is about 1.5 yrs old has gross crusty eyes.
she also sneezes a lot.
I clean their eyes (we have 2 rats) on a weekly basis or when they look like they need it with visine on a qtip. for the most part, they actually hold still and let me groom them.
I cleaned Zinnia's eyes (the long haired) earlier today and they are all nasty again.
Any ideas on what this could be or how I can help her get better/ less eye gunk?
It freaked my dd out, cause their saliva looks like blood. she yelled "mommy, zinnia's eyes are bleeding!"
__________________
Becky,
SUPER DUPER single mama to my 2 lovely ladies!
patchouli wearin, dirt lovin, tree huggin, tiedye makin, tofu eatin, belly dancin, festival goin, vegetable growin, tea drinkin, hippy stinkin!
i took them both to the vet, and $60 later I have a tiny bottle of antibiotics to give to her twice a day.
this morning her eyes were clear and now they are gunky again.
going to keep giving her the meds til they are gone. vet said her heart and lungs sounded clear and it was probably sn upper repiratory infection.
Upper respiratory infections are very common in rats.
Often they will come back. You can save some $$ by keeping the bottle & often pet stores will carry the anti-biotics for "pocket" pets. We ended up using one that is for birds, but is the same one recommended for rats.
There is a info on the net.
For the eyes you could also try boracic acid (is soothing) on a cotton ball & warm water. NOT to be confused with borax!! You will find boracic acid in the Pharmacy, non-prescription. An herb called eye-bright can be made into a tea and the tea can be used for the eyes. Also homeopathics or tissue salts (pestules or tablets) which are for respirator issues.
If you are giving anti-biotics you might want to also give pro-biotics to re-build the healthy bacteria in the rat's intestines. Ours liked them in whatever we gave them (on a grape for eg.)
well, she finished the antibiotics and has now progressed to rolling. She cant hold her head up straight, it leans to one side and she seems ot be pretty stressed out about the rolling, as she cant seem to gain her balance.
I dont know if she has eaten today or not, but I am holding her in a sling, and gave her some water via oral syringe. she has hardly sat still, seems to continue to roll around and it isnt cause she is her normal rat self.
I called the vet, who wants me ot bringher in as urgent care.
I dont have the money for this right now!
I care about her and am worried about her but I am going to try to find stuff online, or perhaps through here for her. If it is simply cleaning her eyes out or treating her with meds then I can do that without the $40 exam.....
It lists the meds at the bottom & what type & dosages. I'd take the list with you to the pet store so you can find which one you need and how much. You might end up having to go to the bird meds section to find what you need.
Poor little girl.
Also anything natural that would work for humans could work for her too.
You could use gently warmed garlic oil for her ears (natural anti-biotic) it is also a natural anti-biotic orally. I've heard great things about colloidal silver as well.
I hope this helps!
My dad had a peculiar ear infection which damaged the hairs in his inner ear. He felt like everthing was tilted. He wasn't even allowed to drive or ski. It did clear up after lots of anti-biotics, but he still gets the odd bout of dizziness or feeling out of balance.
Heading to Pet Smart tomorrow, and thanks for the tip to check the bird area as well.
I don't know if she is eating at all, so I gave her some yogurt through the oral syringe, as well as some Herbs For Kids (cause she i smy other kid! lol)echinacea/goldenroot drops, mixed with Oregon Graperoot and applesauce.
I helped her wash it down with water through the syringe.
I am going to try and treat this with meds, if I can find any at the pet store.
She is in a cage with another female rat, and they have lived together since I got them from the same housing at a different pet store (which is now out of business). The other rat shows no symptoms of being ill.
I am not sure if seperating them at this point woudl be helpful or would it matter at all? They cuddle when they sleep.
I took her to the vet. She thinks she might have a brain tumor, as she said her rolling was pretty severe and she mentioned putting her down.
I didn't mean to, but I did cry a little when she said that.
She said we could try more antibiotics, so I have another bottle to administer to her. I have also been feeding her yogurt and water through the syringe still.
Tawnya, your memory lives on in your children.
& Dylan (7) 
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