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Helping rats take their meds. (A few tips and tricks)

So recently over the winter period one of my boys (Muradin) has come down with a little cold. Luckily enough for me, one of my older boys (Frodo) has always been on medication on and off since and before I adopted him as he has active Mycplasmosis (that does sound scary, but don’t worry, we’ll cover that in another post).

Now if anyone is having trouble getting a rat to take medication, especially a newer rat, don’t worry you aren’t alone. When I first got Frodo, trying to get him to take his medication was an absolute nightmare, - and sometimes still is because he’s so stubborn - but there are ways and means that can make administering medication easier:

Peanut butter or soft foods can be mixed with most antibiotics, especially the main liquidated ones (Baytril being most common). So always ask for a liquid medication if you can get one. You can also request flavoured medication in some cases, so don’t be scared to mention it, especially if you explain it’ll take the fear factor away from your rat.

Don’t shove it in your rats face, especially if they’re new. The best you can do in that situation is try to separate them from your other rat(s) for a period of an hour or so in a pet carrier (or in a nice safe spot preferably, maybe the free roam area it will reduces stress) with some water and fleece and leave the medicated food there with them. Eventually they’ll eat it especially if they like the food. Do not leave them there for longer than you or the rat seem comfortable, it could also potentially be very stressful if you aren’t familiar with their body language.

Some rats will eat the medication without prompting. Now out of the 3 boys I’ve medicated in the past, none have taken it directly from the syringe willingly, so don’t pin your hopes on this one, but there’s no harm in just offering the end of a syringe with the medication in and seeing if they begin to lick it off. 

Some medicine smells horrible, and I fully understand why my rats have avoided certain types in the past even mixed in with food. The trick to this one is actually a little more complicated.  For me I found that after I ate cereal or porridge I’d leave the bowl or plate out for Frodo and he’d clean the bowl. So, because the pool of food was larger I left him out the cage with the scraps of porridge and the medication in it and his lil nose couldn’t sense it. Now I know excessive carbs can be bad, but leaving a untreated URI can be much worse and after their treatment course is finished, you can regulate their sugar intake. 

Here are the medications we’ve used in the past: 

Baytril (This is our first line every time, it’s tasteless and very effective)

Sulfatrim (This smells abysmal, so don’t be worried if your rat is refusing to take this. Just be persistent and if you have any questions you can always message me)