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Q. HEART FAILURE
One of my male rats has what we believe to be congestive heart failure. Can
you suggest any medication for congestive heart failure?
A.
In the rats I've had with congestive heart failure, their main symptom was
skin edema. I have been pretty successful treating them with a combination of
the diuretic Lasix and Cardoxin. In fact, one of my CHF girls lived to be 38
months old! The dosages can vary, so you have to see what works for your rat.
(Consult your vet.)
Generally, I've started with low doses and then had to gradually
increase them as their disease progresses. I suggest starting with doses of
1mg/lb for Lasix and .001mg/lb for Cardoxin, both twice a day.
I have also had rats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is a
different heart problem where instead of the heart becoming enlarged, it
grows in on itself, reducing the sizes of the inner chambers. In this case,
the symptoms are generally labored breathing and, in advanced cases, blue
extremities. In this case, Lasix can be helpful, too, but Cardoxin is
dangerous.
Instead, I've been trying enalapril with some success. The dose I'm
using right now on two of my rats is .25mg/lb once a day.
~Debbie Ducommun
Q. MOUSE SEXING/LIFE SPAN
I am thinking about getting a couple of mice for pets. What is the average
life span of a mouse and can you tell their sex?
A.
Yes, you can tell sex… when young, males have a longer space between the anus
and uterus/penis, and when older, the bulge of the testicles is clear (say,
three to four weeks and older). Life span is about two years.
There are handouts which have basic information on mice, available from
clubs, or you can look it up at bookstores or libraries. In any case, it is
recommended that you learn all you can about a prospective pet prior to
bringing it home.
~Roxanne Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald’s Fancy’s
Q. KILLER MOTHER MOUSE
I had two mice, one male and one female. They bred and came out with a male
and female offspring. I then separated the two males from the two females
because I didn't want any more babies. This evening I went to check on them
and found the mother mouse eating the littler girl mouse. I was
wondering what might of caused the mother to do this to her little child? The
male mice are fine and have had no problems since being seperated. This
separation happened about two weeks prior to this incident. What went wrong?
A.
I’m sorry to say that this is not enough information for me to know what
might have happened. However, this is not a usual or typical behavior in any
female mice. I have bred mice for literally decades. This sort of thing
happens only if a cage was forgotten and there was no food or water in it for
days; or if a mouse suddenly becomes very ill or weak in some way. Under
these circumstances, the other stronger mice will kill the weaker ones to
survive. If any other breeders have had this happen for any other reason, I’d
be interested in hearing about it.
~Roxanne Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald’s Fancy’s
Q. TWO NEW RAT MOMS
I have had two female rats for about one and a half weeks now (about two and
half months old). One gave birth yesterday. One gave birth today. It seems
the female that gave birth yesterday has collected the other rat's babies as
her own, and the newer mom rat is not allowed to touch the new pups. They
occasionally seem to fight, though no blood or anything seems to have
resulted. The new mom is still a little dilated--that's how recent the birth was.
Also, is it okay to handle the moms now that they have pups?
A.
It would be a good idea to move one of the litters to a new cage. I prefer a
glass aquarium with a secure lid. It is likely that the one rat will keep
trying to steal the other's babies. One rat probably doesn't have enough milk
to nurse two litters, if they were large litters. It would be another story
if the second mom was neglecting her babies or unable to nurse.
It is okay to handle the mom rats as long as handling doesn't cause them
too much stress. Are the moms comfortable with you? Are they well socialized?
Sometimes, mom rats that are young, with new litters and not too familiar
with the human caretaker will bite. The one time I was bitten was in such a
situation, and it really got my attention. I now have the utmost respect for
new moms with sharp teeth. It is a good idea to rub your hands in the used
litter from their cage before handling any of the rats or pinkies. They seem
to to get less stressed this way. Give the mom rats a break from the babies,
and while they are occupied, you can gently handle the newborn rats. They are
able to smell right away, and at about 14 days their eyes open. You want to
be handling the babies daily at least by this point, if
the mom is not too stressed. Well socialized rats make remarkably wonderful
pets!
~Meg Stephenson
Send questions to: Rat & Mouse Gazette
13075 Springdale St.
PMB 302
Westminster, CA
92683
or Email: ratinfo@egroups.com
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