Mycoplasmosis

Mycoplasmosis is the most common health problem seen in rats. Mycoplasmosis is basicly an infection that can turn into a respritory infetion. A rat can be infected with this without showing any symptoms. (To abreviate the infection mycoplasmosis I'm just going to call it MS.) But it eventually causes respritory disease in most infected rats. MS can also cause lung damage even if there haven't been any synptoms. MS is contagios and incurable in rats and mice. The severity of a MS infection is increased by cigarette smoke, ammonia from a dirty cage, genetic susceptibility, lack of vitamin A or E, or a concurrent respitory infection of another type. The first symptom of MS is sneezing that might go away then come back. Even if you don't hear sneezing you can look for the results of sneezing: red spatters on the walls or bedding. The red color comes from a pigment in rat tears that run down into the nose and are sneezed out. After several months the symptoms usually progress to wheezing. People sometimes mistake wheezing for "rat talking". Any noise made while breathing is wheezing. Wheezing can sound like grunting, squeaking, and sometimes like "monkey sounds." Eventually the lungs are damaged. The symtoms may then increase to respiratory distress. That causes rats to gasp through their mouths or dash about in panic when they can't get enough air. A rat with MS is usually active and eats normally throughout the progression of the disease. Treatment with antiboitics can be used when wheezing or other severe symptoms occur. Secondary bacterial infections can occur along with the MS infection and can result in an infection that has a more rapid onset of symptoms such as: lethargy, loss of appetite, runny eyes and nose, and labored breathing. But don't worry, its part of nature.