The Importance of Proper Quarantine

Why your rats are more than worth the precaution each and every time!!

Please note that the guidelines included in this article apply to NORTH AMERICA ONLY Breeders and pet owners in other countries, especially the UK and Australia, do not need to be as strict about quarantine because they do not have viruses as severe as we have in North America.

Why quarantine?

Rats are susceptible to a number of illnesses and parasites, from some very mild ones like lice and mites, to the very severe, such as the often deadly viruses SDA and Sendai. Unfortunately rats are often infected and contagious for several weeks before they might begin to show any symptoms of being ill or harboring parasites. Proper quarantine helps to reduce the risk of transmitting dangerous diseases and parasites, whether you are bringing new rats into your home, preparing to attend a show, or returning from a show.

What is quarantine?

Quarantine for the purposes of this article (unless otherwise noted) is defined as a separate airspace, completely disconnected from the airspace your current rats occupy.

• Examples of separate airspace include (but are not limited to):
  
  • The home of a friend, relative, or neighbor, who does not already have pet rats of their own, and occupies a residence in a separate building from you.
  • A secure outbuilding such as a shed, barn, or detached garage which has reasonable climate control (air conditioning or heat, as necessary) and can protect the quarantined rats from predators and other pests (such as wild rats and mice).
  • If you are allowed, your office at work or if a teacher, your classroom, so long as there are no other rats around, and there are no contractual stipulations prohibiting pets.
• Examples of what is NOT considered a separate airspace include:
  
  • A separate room or floor in your house, even if you do not have central air/heat. This includes basements, bathrooms, finished attics, etc.
  • A separate cage in your house from your current rats.
  • A neighbor in an apartment complex, particularly if they live in the same building and/or units share heating or air conditioning
  • Boarding rats at a vet's office or kennel, for obvious reasons (could be exposed to many other rats and small animals)

Ideally new or returning rats should be quarantined for a minimum of 3 weeks, with longer lengths of time (4-6 weeks) being preferred. If no symptoms are seen after that time, then it is generally safe to consider your rats free from most communicable diseases or parasites. Treat any all and all symptoms of any kind of parasite or infection promptly! DO NOT assume that whatever symptoms you are seeing could be caused by stress!! Quickly treating parasites stops them from developing into severe infestations, and treating signs of any respiratory problems very quickly can help save your rats' lives in the event of something such as SDA, which often progresses quite quickly into pneumonia.

Once your quarantine is over, proceed with introductions carefully! If the rats who were quarantined had previously lived with the rats they are being introduced to (such as rats returning from a show), don't assume that there won't be problems reintroducing them even if they lived together peacefully before. Both males and females may need some time to readjust to old cage mates, and should be highly supervised during this time. If you are introducing new rats to your current rats, go slowly and be patient! Some introductions go very well, especially with young rats, but others may be tricky and require much patience and time.

So, I understand what quarantine is, but how do I know when I need to quarantine?

• There are basically 4 times you will need to quarantine:
  
  • Anytime you consider bringing in new rats, no matter where they are from!
    
    • It is never a sign of "respect" to skip quarantine with rats from any breeder, no matter how much you believe them when they say their rats are healthy, or how much you think you can trust them, or how many clean test results they can give you -
    • Skipping quarantine should only be done with the awareness that you are potentially putting both your current rats and your new rats at risk for disease, and is not something that should be considered very often. The benefits of doing this will NEVER outweigh the risks!
  • Anytime you take a rat to the vet, and there were other rats present.
    
    • This one is often overlooked by many people!
    • Ask if there will be other rats seen the same day before you take your rats in, and request a time at least a few hours apart from any other rats, and ask when any other rats were seen while you are there - as most offices will not refuse an emergency situation, so there is literally no guarantee another rat won't be present.
    • Other rats at the vet at the same time is particularly risky, as they are often there because they are ill - very few rat owners schedule "well rat" visits.
    • Ask the vet what kinds of measures they take to disinfect their exam rooms and equipment (such as scales, otoscopes, stethoscopes, etc).
  • Before you plan on attending a rat show or event with other rats present.
    
    • This is the only exception to the "off-site" quarantine.
    • This kind of quarantine is performed in your home to prevent the possibility that your rats could transmit something to any other rats in attendance.
    • Typically the length of time will be determined by the club or organization holding the event, but quarantine times from 2-6 weeks are typical. Check with the organizer of the event if you are unsure of how long is required.
    • Pre-show/event quarantine normally requires that all young rats be weaned by the date quarantine starts, that no new litters are bred or born during quarantine, and that no new rats (even if quarantined separately) are brought into your home once quarantine begins. Requirements for rats leaving your home during this time will vary between each organization.
    • If you have ANY contagious illness or parasitic infection occur in any of your rats, even if it is in a rat your were not planning on bringing, you should consider all of your rats to be contagious, and thus they should ALL stay home. Rat shows and events were designed to be fun for everyone, and while it is definitely not fun to leave your rats at home, it's even less fun to know that you brought a disease or parasite to a show and caused other people's rats to become infected. Please do NOT put other people's rats at risk just for a show ribbon - there are plenty of companies who will be willing to print up as many as you'd like, if that is what motivates you.
  • o After you attend a rat show or event where there were other rats present
    
    • Even if others are the event claim to have followed the pre-show quarantine, there is no guarantee everyone was honest about actually doing so.
    • Post-show/event quarantine should be performed just as a new rat quarantine would be.
    • If you are a breeder, no new litters should be bred or born during this quarantine, to make sure you didn't accidentally cross-contaminate your "home" rats. Do not accept offers to use other breeder's males for "stud service" at a show - there is nothing riskier that two breeders can do. It's easier to delay any litters by a few weeks than to quarantine the resulting babies for several months if you do bring home an infection. If you want to borrow another breeder's rat for breeding, make arrangements for full quarantine for the rat's arrival and return, don't take a chance at a show!

Ok, so I know what quarantine is, and when to do it, but HOW do I quarantine?

If you are having a friend, relative, or neighbor care for your quarantined rats, this is fairly simple. If they are not already informed about caring for pet rats, give them some information on the basics of pet rats. Supply your quarantiner * with the stuff (food, bedding, cage, water bottles, toys, etc) they will need for the duration of the quarantine, and assist them in setting up the cage for the rats, and instruct them them on how and what to feed the rats and when, and give them some pointers on interacting with the rats. You should plan on visiting every day for the first week if your quarantiners are new to rats, or every other day if you are confident in their abilities, and after that, at least twice a week during the duration of the quarantine, but more often if you wish to visit more. Instruct your quarantiners on when to call you if they suspect a problem, and what to do if a rat needs to be seen by a vet in an emergency situation.

* I admit I made this term up...

When you make visits to your quarantined rats or if you are quarantining your rats yourself in a separate building, always care for your current rats first, wash hands and exposed skin and change clothes, then go visit the new rats, then when you return home, immediately put the clothes you are wearing in the wash, shower, and change into clean clothes before handling or going near your current rats. This helps to limit the transmission from the new rats to your current rats. There is less risk of the new rats picking something from your current rats than the other way around, which is why there is no need for a shower before you visit the quarantined rats. The real danger is a disease being brought home from the quarantined rats.

Treat any all and all symptoms of any kind of parasite or infection in any of your rats (quarantined or home) promptly! DO NOT assume that any symptoms of illness you are seeing could be caused by stress!! Quickly treating parasites stops them from developing into severe infestations which are more difficult to irradicate, and treating signs of any respiratory illness as early as possible can help save your rats' lives in the event of something such as SDA, as a simple respiratory infection can quickly turn into pneumonia when a virus is also present. As hard as everyone tried to quarantine perfectly, occasionally a quarantine "leaks" and the rats you have at home can potentially be effected by anything the quarantined rats have - treating any illnesses promptly can save the lives of your pets.

If you have to treat any illness or parasites during quarantine, the length of quarantine is reset once all of the quarantined rats are clear of any symptoms. If you suspect a viral infection, the quarantine is also extended the necessary length of time to eliminate the virus (at least 8 weeks following the last symptoms). It is also recommended that an ELISA panel be performed to rule out any serious viruses, and to more specifically determine the necessary length of quarantine.

Once quarantine is over ...

Once your new or returning rats have been quarantined successfully without any symptoms of parasites or disease, it's time to bring them home. Please proceed with introductions carefully. Sometimes even rats who were previously familiar with each other and lived together peacefully can suddenly develop problems with each other. Both males and females may need some time to readjust to old cage mates, and should be supervised during this period. If you are introducing new rats, go slowly and be patient! Some introductions go very well, especially with young rats, but others may be trickier. Lots of supervision and patience is often required.

Do your part!

Above all else, better safe than sorry! We all know the saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," and no where is that more true than with quarantining new and returning rats! Always quarantine consistently and correctly each and every time you need to!! Quarantine isn't something to be taken lightly, and it's not something to be done only when convenient. Don't support breeders who don't or won't quarantine properly, since doing so puts your own rats at risk even when YOU quarantine correctly, as well as sends the breeder the message that it's ok to cut corners. If it starts with inadequate quarantine, what comes next?

Quarantining is highly effective in keeping your rats healthy when done correctly, and it is worth the effort EACH an EVERY time! I have personally dealt with the worst of what can happen, SDA, back when knowledge about proper quarantining simply did not exist, even in areas where viruses were more prevalent than where I am. Now that the information is out there, there is absolutely no reason not to do everything possible to prevent the spread of disease. Your rats are more than worth the inconvenience! As Gabriel Edson of the Blue Velvet Rattery says:
QUARANTINE IS THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS!