Quarantine
RSA Guidelines 

Quarantine after illness and for shows has been a topic of debate pretty much ever since rats have been bred in the United States. Elsewhere in the world, illnesses that we face do not pose the threat they do here. SDA exists in other countries, like in the United Kingdom, but it is not the almost-certain death sentence that it can be here. Prompt veterinary attention can save animals, but it doesn't always. We simply don't have the freedom that fanciers enjoy in other countries here in the United States and Canada, so we must take precautions to protect our rats and the rats of other fanciers. While there are no guarantees in protecting our furry friends, there are steps that can be taken to minimize the risks. The RSA has chosen to spell out guidelines for fanciers, especially for those planning on attending a show. The guidelines are here, but if you have specific questions about quarantining your animals for a show, contact the club that is hosting the show. For general questions, feel free to contact the RSA directly at the email address at the bottom of the page.

Protecting Your Animals

In your day-to-day dealings, whether you are a rat owner or breeder, you must keep the welfare of your pets in mind. Even a trip to the pet store to pick up supplies can cause trouble for your animals. It is believed that the SDA and Sendai viruses can be carried on clothes for a short period of time (60-90 minutes). To be sure you don't bring anything home to your animals, be sure to take these precautions whenever you have been exposed to other peoples' rodents or to animals in a pet store. First, be sure to wait at least two hours before exposing yourself to any other rodents (such as in another store or home) or to your own. Second, when you do arrive at the destination where there are other rodents, be sure to wash yourself very thoroughly with a disinfectant (at least your hands and any other part of you which came into contact with the other rodents) and change your clothes, if possible. Third, if you changed your clothes, go ahead and throw them into the wash. Mostly, be aware of where you have been and how long ago before you handle any rats. If you can avoid handling others' rats, it might be best to do so, just to be on the safe side.

If you notice any of these symptoms, even one, in your rats, or anything else unusual, they may need to be checked by a vet:

Quarantine for Illness

Once you have determined that your rats do need to be quarantined or may need to be quarantined, you will need to decide how long and how you will do it.

If the problem was a particular parasite like mites or lice, you should be able to treat them with medication and then give them a week or so past the treatment. At that time, you will take them to the veterinarian to be sure they are free of the parasites. All in all, that should take about one month and no further quarantine should be necessary unless there is a show involved. If they are to be shown, there will need to be a quarantine after the final treatment of at least three weeks and one day. During that quarantine, they must be symptom-free or the quarantine period must start over.

If the problem could be SDA, Sendai or another viral illness, then the rats will also be more susceptible to secondary infections. The quarantine for this cannot even begin until the last symptoms of the SDA/Sendai and any secondary infections are seen OR the last litter is weaned, whichever is later. At that point, the quarantine is to be two months. During that time there can be no new rats introduced to the quarantine group, no new rats born or weaned and there should be no symptoms. If any of these occurs, the quarantine starts over.

Mycoplasmosis, in itself, is not considered to be a contagious illness as almost all rats carry it. Whether or not they show symptoms is based on their resistance to it. It is, though, reason enough not to bring a rat to a show.

If you have any questions about illness and quarantine, consult with your veterinarians. You may also feel free to ask your local club or the RSA.

Quarantine for a Show

When preparing to show your rats, it is very important to time everything so that your rats will be quarantined properly and so that there are no new litters born and no new rats allowed into your rattery or exposed to your rats. Most breeders find it easiest to plan litters so that the babies are born and weaned before the quarantine period begins rather than raising pups at another location or keeping the animals for the show quarantined at another location. In this case, the entire rattery is quarantined. You must keep in mind that rats may not breed immediately when they are paired. Allow at least 23 days for pregnancy once the breeding takes place, and remember that the earliest the pups can be separated from their mother is three weeks of age. Many breeders feel that three weeks of age is still too young for the pups, so you must decide when you want to take them from their mother. You need to allow at least three weeks and one day for the quarantine period after they are separated from their mother. Even if you do not plan to show any pups (ages six to twelve weeks), there still cannot be any new pups born or weaned in the quarantine location during the quarantine period. If this happens, the quarantine has been broken and must start over. If it is too late in relation to the show date, you cannot bring any of your rats to the show. If there is any possibility that a litter may be born during your quarantine, we strongly suggest you find another place to house the expectant mom before the pups are born so that you can avoid breaking the quarantine.

The rats who will be going to the show (or those who will be traveling with rats going to the show) must be quarantined in a location separate from any other rodents, that is, they must be in a different building. The building cannot "share air" with any room that houses or contains other rodents unless they are a part of the quarantine, too. Two different rooms in the same building are not acceptable. Some breeders may choose to house the rats who are going to the show in a place other than the rattery so that they do not have to disrupt breeding plans. In the event that you choose to do this, the rats who will be going to the show (and rats who will be traveling with them) can be kept in another location, such as a house, where there are no other rodents. A friend or family member might be helpful for this as long as they do not own any rodents. When you do go check on your quarantined rats, be sure to take at least two hours between locations ("kill time" if you have to), and when you do arrive at one of the locations, clean yourself thoroughly using disinfectant (and, if at all possible, change into clean clothes) before contact with that group of animals.

Wherever you choose to quarantine your animals, be sure to understand what you are looking for, and if someone is looking after them for you during the quarantine, be sure they understand what to watch for. Just keeping them alone isn't all there is to it. You must watch them for any signs of respiratory illness, SDA or Sendai (both are airborne), parasites or general ill-health (see the list above). If they didn't appear healthy to begin with, don't bother including them in your quarantine. If any of the animals in quarantine show signs of any contagious or unknown illness or parasites, the quarantine is broken, and you cannot bring animals to the show. If an animal dies during quarantine the hosting club will require a signed pathology report from a qualified vet and it will be up to the discretions of the host club about the status of the quarantine.  The RSA has these minimum requirements, however you will want to check with the club holding a show before attending to be sure you will meet their requirements. You want to bring the best and healthiest animals with you just as you expect others to bring their best and healthiest animals. There is a great deal of trust involved when a group of rat owners get together with their pets in one place. Do everything you can to protect your animals and theirs. Broken trust and sick and/or dying animals are not worth being able to show your rats. It is simply too high a price for anyone to pay.

Transporting/Trading Rats

In the event you will be transporting your rats to a show or other location and might be picking up rats along the way either for yourself or for someone else, there are some points you need to remember.

Do not go into a pet store, breeder's home or any place else where there are rodents without waiting the two hours before returning to your rats and cleaning up before contact with them. Follow the same rules you do at home for such exposure.

Before making arrangements to pick up rats on the way to a show, either for yourself or for someone else, make sure the host club is allowing Trade/Transport Quarantines. If they are not, make the arrangements to pick them up on the way back or at a later time. If that club is allowing Trade/Transport Quarantines, be sure to give the breeder very specific information about which rats you want and remind that person of the quarantine date. They must complete the form, get it in to the host club and approved before the deadline or the transport cannot happen without you breaking your quarantine.

If you intend to stay over with another breeder or rodent owner, even if you are not going to pick up any animals from them, they must complete the Trade/Transport Quarantine form, get it in to the host club and approved before the deadline or you will not be able to stay with them. Exposing your rats to theirs would break your quarantine.

Remember, any rats that come into contact with yours before you arrive at the show, pass the health check and enter the show arena, must be approved first and accounted for by way of a Trade/Transport Quarantine. This includes picking up additional rodents, riding with another who has rodents with them, bringing them inside a dwelling that has rodents in it, etc. There will be no exceptions.

Quarantine After a Show

Just in case of the unlikely event your rats picked something up at the show or on the way back, you should quarantine your rats in a separate building from your other rats for at least three weeks before allowing them to rejoin the colony. If you choose to bring the new rats or the rats who were at the show back to your rattery, the entire colony is to be quarantined for at least three weeks. If the rats are symptom-free during that time, you can feel reasonably sure they are fine. If there are any symptoms in any of the rats, follow the guidelines for quarantine for illness.

None of this is designed to scare you, but it is designed to make you aware of the Rat Society of America's requirements for showing rats with regard to quarantine. It is also meant to help us all to be more aware of where we go and what we do so we can do everything in our power to keep our rats healthy and safe.