How to increase the immunity of your rats

As winter approaches, it’s important to turn our attention to how we can boost our rats’ immunity against infection and give them the best possible defense during what is often a vulnerable period for rats, especially elderly ones.

High humidity, along with cold, can create conditions that affect a vulnerable rat’s respiratory system. This is due to the increased water element which can aggravate mucus conditions or people susceptible to them. It is important to be aware that there is a greater need to balance the water element within the body system at this time, so that we can increase the body’s ability to cope with dampness and cold.

In Ayurveda (an ancient Indian healing system based on maintaining balanced health), the water element is most aggravated during the winter months. There is a tendency for more mucosal conditions to arise. Therefore, it is important to try to offset this tendency by creating an ‘internal’ balance within the body while adjusting ‘external’ conditions to reduce stress. We can do this by addressing environmental factors that can aggravate a watery condition, for example using a dehumidifier, also avoiding sweet moist foods, reducing stress, and incorporating various immune-building strategies (as suggested below).

Some rats are more affected by an aggravation of the water element than others, especially those that have already had recurring respiratory problems. These rats will be most susceptible at this time, but it is important that all rats need extra help during this season.

The following are some ideas to help boost your rats’ immunity (and yours too). I always recommend and personally use human grade supplements because I believe the health of the entire family is where the focus should be. Many of the supplements created in the pet industry are not that great and have a certain ‘novelty/benefit’ value. I feel it is wise to look for better quality supplements that we ourselves would be happy to use and then simply ‘decimate’ some of these to our rats. Our rats need us to be healthy to care for them, so I think it’s better and less wasteful to buy the kind of supplements we can all benefit from.

LIFESTYLE CONSIDERATIONS

Stress is a major factor in depleting the body’s defenses. Rats are often under stress due to group incompatibilities or other factors. One thing we can do is make sure we don’t subject the rats, especially the older rats, to undue stress during the winter season, for example we can avoid big changes to their routine during this time i.e. avoid new introductions to other rats or change the cage/group. dynamic etc Avoid mating/breeding as the females would naturally conserve their own energy during this time. If you’re thinking that our rats are indoors and therefore not affected by the seasons, that’s simply not true. They are energetic beings and intrinsically linked to the greater whole. They are affected by nature’s biorhythms even if they are not ‘in’ nature. That’s why people can see the effect the moon has on their rat’s behavior. And why the solstices and equinoxes often create a portal for many animals to make their transition. Everything is in the network and the flow of energy, yin and yang.

In the wild, animals are hibernating at this time of year or keeping close to home, they are not in ‘breeding’ mode. Nature knows this is a time to retreat and harness as much energy as possible to build reserves and maintain resistance to cold. It’s a natural ‘build and rest’ time, which is why most of us put on a few extra pounds during the winter/holiday season. The energy is necessary to maintain the heat and the source of heat is inside. Trees shed their leaves in the fall so they can store the sap to sustain them through the winter.

You may notice that your rats sleep more in the winter, this is their way of conserving energy and staying in tune with nature’s ‘slowing down’. The time will come again in the spring when you come out of your sleep and return to high levels of activity. I’m not saying don’t play, far from it! I’m just saying that levels can fluctuate based on environmental factors/seasonal changes. There is always much more activity around the full moon, for example. Therefore, by being aware of environmental stress/seasonal changes and adjusting accordingly, we can help further boost our rats’ immunity during the winter months.

DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS

A whole food diet of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in chlorophyll like kale, will provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that help protect against cancer and also boost the immune system. Think in terms of availability like organic fruits and vegetables in season and if you can provide a nice ‘rainbow’ plate of these, you’ll cover most of the nutrients needed for balanced health. Here is a list of some of the essential supplements that you might consider adding to your diet.

multivitamin/mineral – always a good backup to provide essential vitamins/minerals that might otherwise be missing from the diet. I wouldn’t use them on a daily basis though. Overuse of vitamin supplements is easy and wasteful. Just add them when you feel like they need a boost. Otherwise, if you’re feeding a diet rich in fresh produce, simply use vitamin and mineral supplements as needed. I think they are more essential for young growing bodies and old rats.

Omega 3, 6 and 9 (A good oil like fresh oil, flax oil, or hemp oil will provide a rich source of these), as well as hemp, flax, and chia seeds. Flax and chia seeds absorb many times their amount when immersed in water. I do not recommend feeding them dry to rats. You can grind them first and just add pinches to food or use in cookies etc. Or soak them first and use them in your recipes. If you already use them, please comment below how you use them, I’m interested and I’m sure it would be useful for other readers to know. j

Selenium (a good source is Brazil nuts) stimulates the production of natural T-cells that fight viral and bacterial infections. Selenium helps produce antibodies, and in my studies, I discovered that it is one of the essential minerals in cancer prevention. I like to grate Brazil nuts on top of the rat’s dinner or pasta like ‘parmesan’

Vitamin C – We all know that vitamin C supplements are recommended for humans, but apparently rats can make vitamin C on their own. Although I’ve heard this, I still think that any additional vitamin C they can get will only be beneficial, and in fact if you feed them fruits and vegetables they are already getting a reasonable supply anyway. I feel like it’s good to be mindful and if you want to give them rosehip tea or something, go for it. I just bought rosehip/hibiscus tea for myself and the rats enjoy it too. I sweeten it with agave and dilute it a bit and they enjoy sipping it during the corral. So just because they can make vitamin C, I wouldn’t stop giving it to them anyway, you can’t go wrong! And recent studies have shown that very high doses of vitamin C are needed to prevent cancer and other viral infections.

echinacea – It is the echinacaines in Echinacea that stimulate the immune system by promoting the activity of white blood cells that destroy bacteria and viruses. Many studies have been done on Echinacea and it seems that it really helps protect against colds and viruses. I use capsules and just mix a little of the powder into food.

probiotics – help regulate acidity in the intestine and promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, thus preventing ‘enemy’ bacteria from multiplying. They also produce natural antibiotics, which stimulate the immune system to produce antibacterial antibodies. Many people feed yogurt because of the probiotics, but yogurt forms mucus and acid, and possibly has several variable hormones and vaccines from the dairy industry. I do not recommend it for rats. You can buy the probiotics and add a capsule to a nut milk and then use it in your food/meal preparations.

Supplements that boost immunity – There are many ‘prepared’ immune system supplements now available that contain things like medicinal mushrooms, vitamin C, astragalus, etc. These mixtures can be very useful. You can take them yourself and add small amounts to your rat’s food.

Iodine – this is my ‘must have’ plugin. It tastes bad so I just put a few drops in my own smoothie or milk and then share some of that with the rats. Other ways to add iodine to your rat’s diet is to provide a good variety of sea vegetables or use a little seaweed powder in the food or in the soaking water for legumes/wheatgrass. In rat studies, iodine was shown to prevent tumor development and have natural immune-boosting properties. It is antiviral and antibacterial. Many of the additives in our foods deplete the body of iodine, so adding it back is essential. I will write more about iodine later.

thyme – My rats like to nibble on fresh thyme, so I hang a sprig in their cage. Thyme has thymol as an active ingredient, which is very good for clearing mucous ducts and also has antiviral properties. You could also try making thyme tea for any rat with a cold. I have also put thyme in a small bowl of boiled water and the steam that comes out can help any poor rat with respiratory problems.

pau de arc – a Peruvian tea that helps develop resistance to infections and boost immunity. I like to keep this in good supply for my rats. It helps treat candida and has been recommended for cancer prevention. It has antiviral properties.

Summary:

Consider the ‘stress factor’ in your rat’s lifestyle and find out how you can reduce it

Be “environmentally” aware of seasonal changes and prepare for the future.

Feed a healthy diet rich in ‘rainbow’ foods

Incorporate supplements as needed, especially those that strengthen the immune system

Think about how you can boost immunity and continue to do so (the above lifestyle/dietary considerations and herbal teas, etc.)