Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need to give some terramycin to a sneezing rat(just started sneezing after changing cages so Its probably stress related).I read its 1/8 tsp TID(3x daily) but not for pregnant or nursing rats.What is the problem, will the rats abort or have jacked up babies?
Also can I just put it in the water instead of 3x a day.
Ive had to use this stuff with rabbits and always just medicated the water.It works great.

If the sneezing is just from stress and change of bedding, I wouldn't bother medicating them at all. Especially if pregnant. I don't know for sure what it would do to the babies but I expect it could cause either birth defects, kill the babies (abort) or have some other effect, maybe still births.

Also, it obviously can cause issues to nursing babies too, as it probably taints the milk.

I suggest monitor the rats over a day or two, see if the sneezing decreases. If it does then it is most likely due to just the stress of changing their cage and thus, no need to medicate at all. A couple sneezes doesn't mean instant respiratory infection. Maybe its just dust or stress from the freshly changed cage. My rats sneeze nearly every time I clean out their cage...and so do I. Every bedding I have used (from pine shavings, aspen, carefresh, yesterday's news) has some level of dust. Though I do fine lightly misting the bedding before putting the rats back in, brings down the dust nicely. (don't soak the bedding, just use a spray bottle and mist a foot or two above the cage, let the spray catch dust as it falls. Bedding shouldn't feel damp if touched.
-----
PHLdyPayne

sorry it took so long to get back.Turns out it was nothing, just went away on its own.
Ive been so lucky with this group because most rats I get from the petstore are always sneezing to some degree and these havent at all except this one episode.