Title: Respiratory Issues
Headings: 
Respiratory issues
Bacterial Infection – Myco
Bacterial infection – Pasturella
Bacterial infection – Other
Viral infections
Lung Abscessing / consolidation
Preventative Measures – Respiratory Issues
What to expect from the Vet – Respiratory issues
More Information

Content: Treatment is difficult as it’s hard to penetrate consolidation, some people have seen success with Septrin or Amoxycillin, and some have found that the rat is better left to recover alone. There is a high chance that the rat won’t recover and will either pass on its own or need putting to sleep, once the lung consolidation has gone so far it can be difficult or impossible to reverse. Preventative Measures – Respiratory Issues
One of the biggest things you can do to help avoid rats suffering from respiratory issues is to actually select rats from a line with minimal issues. Of course this is not always an option, and it would be wrong to ignore rescue rats in need because they might have respiratory problems. There are lots of methods which can help you minimise the risks or effects of respiratory infections. Temperature – rats do better at cooler temperatures than most humans like. Keeping the room they live in at around 15-20 degrees C is a good approach, bearing in mind they can drop down to around 10 degree’s quite happily. Over 30 and they can have issues with heat stroke. If you struggle to achieve this then keep the rats cage away from any radiators and try and minimise large temperature fluctuations. Many issues start in the autumn or spring due to large swings in the weather (and central heating being switched on)
Humidity – Rats need higher humidity than us humans, this is particularly true when the weather is particularly dry or the central heating is on.