A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 upper respertory infections

i have 4 pet rats, and rats in general tend to be quite prone to upper respertory infections. they can actually be fatal if left untreated.

what are some herbal treatments i can use to help prevent, and treat upper respertory infections in rats? (btw, their immune systems are pretty much the same as ours, they're just smaller, about 1 pound in weight)

Hi Sorathien,

I did a quick search and found this for you. Hopefully it helps some until someone who knows more comes along.
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/herbal.htm
Shirl

Get a pet cat those help rat problems of all kinds. (haha joking, I believe that web page is the best info you will get on herbalism for rats)

well, anything that will treat an upper respertory infection in humans (a cold) will be safe for a rat.

i already give them echinacea regularly, just to keep their immune systems strong.

a few days ago, one of them (Pocky) was making a really horrible snoring sound when he breathed hard (i picked him up and he got a little scared and started breathing fast) he sounded so congested. so i made up a brew with peppermint, chamomile, cinnamon, lavender and echinacea. i put it right by their cage as it cooled so they could breathe in the vapors, then once it cooled, i put it in their water bottle.

well, by the time the water bottle was empty, about 2 days later, Pocky's breathing sounded normal!

so basically i'm asking, how would you treat a HUMAN upper respertory infection (cold) and i can translate that into a smaller dosage for a rat.