What is mycoplasma?
Mycoplasma pulmonis is an organism which all of our rats in the pet population carry. Stress or other illness can make your rat break with an active infection that can lead to pneumonia if left untreated. There is no cure for mycoplasma, but it can be controlled with antibiotics until the very advanced stages of the disease. It is the main cause of rat respiratory illness. Mild cases of mycoplasmosis can be treated with non-prescription drugs such as Tylan and Tetracycline, but in more severe cases you will need to see your vet to obtain stronger antibiotics such as Baytril, Doxycycline, Gentocin, and Chloramphenicol.
