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~Quarantine~ Michigan is one of the worst areas for rat illnesses due to the fact that many breeders and pet owners here do not follow appropriate quarantine practices. SMRF and its members believe that strict quarantines are one of the most important considerations when bringing a new rat into your home where existing rats are present. If you intend to bring home any rats from different sources, even for those animals that are symptom free, quarantine is essential. Some rats that look perfectly healthy can be carriers of a disease that they are already immune to. Rats from the new source that are silent carriers and if not quarantined properly can now expose your existing rats to these diseases, causing them to become sick very quickly, followed by death in many cases. Eight weeks is the ideal period of time for quarantine before introducing new rats into an existing colony because some diseases take that long to run their course. Other diseases, however, are always present no matter what. Ideal quarantine also means keeping them in a separate building with a separate ventilation system. The reason for this is that with some diseases, the viruses are airborne. Most people don’t have the facilities for this but at least make the effort to get as close to the ideal as possible. The SMRF requires an absolute minimum of three weeks quarantine. However, four weeks is preferred. The less time you quarantine, the riskier it is for your existing rats. The longer you keep them quarantined, the lower the risk is of exposing your existing rats to a potentially fatal virus. The SMRF also recommends quarantine to take place in a separate buliding with separate ventilation. However, we realize that this isn't always possible. If you don't have access to separate facilities (such as a temperature controlled out-building or a friend's or relative's house) quarantine can be accomplished in your home. Make sure to keep any new rats in a separate room from your existing rats, as far away as possible (such as the other side of the house or a separate floor). While your rats are in quarantine you must NOT go from room to room without first washing your hands and, if you have handled any of the rats, changing your clothes. There are some diseases that can live outside the rats on these surfaces for short periods of time. When traveling between ratteries, it is best to avoid contact with your existing rats for at least two hours, three being preferable. If you find your rattery infected by accidental exposure, such as an outing that involves other animals or a rat show, one of the first things you MUST do is to place your entire rattery in quarantine. This means no new rats in and no rats out for a minimum period of two months. This is after all symptoms of disease are no longer present and after any nursing young have been weaned. If any symptoms reoccur or if any new animals are born during quarantine you must start all over again counting from the time that the symptoms have cleared or from the date that the young are weaned. Two months is a minimum when an outbreak of illness has occurred. Three months is better and, when it comes to SDA, six months is not out of the question. SMRF requires the two-month quarantine. Keep in mind that depending on the club, event or type of illness, further quarantine may also be needed. Read more about quarantine here. A recap of the SMRF requirements regarding minimum quarantine times:
Requirements finalized and adopted on July 1, 2004. RSA Quarantine information is also available here. |
