07/16/2026
Great information as we move forward.
Rat health warning! As the wildfires rage and smoke spreads, keep an eye on your local air quality. You may not feel it, but our little rats are very sensitive to air quality. During times like these, you're likely to see an uptick in respiratory illness. I recommend doing what you can to keep your home air quality up with smoke-grade air filters near your rats and keeping your windows closed.
Make sure you have a rat savvy vet you can call just in case. Since not everyone has easy access to a rat savvy vet, if your rat has a respiratory infection I recommend asking the vet for...
If your rat is under 4 months old: Azithromycin and meloxicam. Tylosin is also suitable for mild cases.
If your rat is over 4 months old: Doxycycline AND enrofloxacin, and meloxicam. Azithromycin or tylosin is also suitable.
If your rat is in respiratory distress: Doxycycline AND enrofloxacin regardless of age AND either prednisolone or dexamethasone depending on severity.
Amoxicillin and clavamox are NOT effective for treating rat respiratory infections.
All of these medications should be given every 12 hours! Do NOT accept instructions for 24 hour dosing.
Do NOT put your rats near a hot shower or otherwise expose them to extra humid air (unless it is a medicated nebulizer)
To reduce the risk of your rats getting sick, you can...
Use smoke-grade air filters near the cage.
Make sure you're keeping up on cleaning.
Make sure as many surfaces as possible have 3" or more of safe wood bedding (not paper!), to prevent free floating ammonia.
Keep your home cool and keep humidity down. Heat and humidity exacerbate respiratory irritants.
Give your rats immune boosting treat mixes. Here is an immune boosting recipe I use:
Immune vitamin mix
2 handfuls rolled oats
2 500mg C vitamin tablets, crushed
2 fish oil capsules, emptied
1 50mg zinc, crushed/emptied
1 turmeric ginger/curcumin, emptied
1 apple cider vinegar, crushed
Mix well
Water until sticky
Mix again
Cover lightly in honey
Makes approximately 15 servings. Give every 1-3 days for 1-3 weeks. You can make a batch, split it into 15 servings, and refrigerate unused portions in a covered container.
You can also add:
Fresh ginger root
Chopped garlic
Oregano
Citrus fruits (no skin, no seeds) (no, citrus fruits do not cause health concerns)
Cooked chicken
It is up to the individual to research the safety of any supplements or medications. I am not diagnosing or prescribing anything. Just offering tips that have helped me and others.
Keep an eye on AirNow to track the air quality forecast.
