What kind of health problems are rats susceptible to?
Despite having the reputation of being hardy creatures, fancy rats can suffer from some very debilatating diseases. The most common health problem is caused by the mycoplasmosis pulmonsis organism (commonly known as ‘myco’) which is present in the vast majority of rats (only sterile lab rats are ‘myco free’) in the upper respiratory tract. Generally, it lies dormant, but a depressed immune system (caused by a secondary infection or stress) can result in the myco becomming active which can lead to pnuemonia and death. Antibiotic treatment is the usual prescribed method of treatment for myco. Tumours are also a common ailment, particularly amongst female rats, as are skin problems (scabs and mites). Possible vet bills should be taken into account before buying your rats, so ring round a few practices to get an idea of cost (for example, how much do they charge for an examination per rat, a common antibiotic prescription and something like a tumour removal surgery).
