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In South Africa, in a city called Cape Town, there rests Pollsmoor Prison. This prison is one of the worst in the country, and now its infestation of wild rats has gained national attention. Why? Because the rats have infected the prison population with Leptospirosis, and it is becoming an epidemic. Check out the YouTube video below for the news story. Read more
Eye infections are no fun to deal with. At all. Rats are much more susceptible to eye infections than we are, as they live in close quarters with their own waste. They don’t have quite as clean of environments as humans do. While a dirty environment can have a lot to do with any infection, an eye infection for a rat does not necessarily mean that the human owner is at fault. They do just happen sometimes, and all we can do is treat them properly! Read more
Wild rats will sometimes get into the houses of humans. It’s just something that happens, just like with spiders, ants, and mice. Getting these little rats out of the house is important from a disease standpoint; we never know what a wild animal might be carrying. Generally, the animal is healthy and happy and just wants a bite to eat or a warm place to stay. FOR those who own abused rescues or skittish pet rats, I advise having a humane trap for them too! It makes life SO much easier when they get out! Read more
At some point or another, it is likely that an owner is going to be dealing with an eye problem from his or her rats’ eyes. Rat eyes are very sensitive, and must be watched over to ensure nothing bad happens to them. While rats do not have perfect sight, they still rely on vision as another sense. Read more
Pet rats sometimes make weird noises. Knowing the differences in particular noises can help you to figure out just how serious the issue at hand is. Just like humans, rats do sneeze on occasion. However, rattling and wheezing is a very serious issue that could become life threatening quickly. Read more
All rat lovers hear it at some point: “EW! You have RATS as… pets?!” And what do we do? We roll our eyes! *Here we go again. Another person who has no earthly idea what they’re talking about.* Fortunately, these people can be educated, and a MAJORITY of them are won over! Before you can confront these people, you have to understand the multitude of reasons that people “hate” them. I say “hate” because you cannot hate something you know nothing about; hence the amount of people that are won over by the Ratty Casanovas! Read more
For the new owner, the sight of reddened eyes on their pet rat can be quite scary. It may look as if the rat’s eyes are actually bleeding! The truth is, their eyes are not bloody. However, that does not mean that your rat doesn’t need medical attention either; because he or she is probably very, very sick! So what exactly is going on??? Read more
Rat bite fever, an infection caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis (In North America) or Spirillum minus (Mostly in Asia), is commonly spread among humans and other animals by way of wild animal populations; with rats being the largest cause. These adorable rodents have given the disease its name, probably due to the close proximity in which humans and rats live in many areas, whether it be urban or rural. Just how contagious is rat bite fever, is it common, and how easily is it transmitted?