Treatment For 9 Rescued Rats

Putting this out there for any kind souls who may be able to help fund treatment and housing for nine rescued rats.
I am a disabled person with student debt and struggling to keep up with the cost and attention needed.

The current goal is only for three months medicine, a new cage, and neutering the two boys.

I have been struggling to keep up with so many cages; neutering the boys so they can house with their sisters in one large bought cage instead of two separate homemade cages will make them much easier to care for, give more play space and greatly improve their quality of life. 

The actual current cost is $2 515.
A monetary breakdown can be found at the bottom of this post.

In May of 2017, I was surprised with additional rescued rats. (I had five wild rescues already.) I'll spare the gruesome details, but long story short I couldn't leave the poor babes behind. 
They all seemed perfectly healthy, aside from the trauma. I spent a lot of time socializing them with great progress, but a few weeks in one started to sneeze. The vet we saw said that it was probably allergies, aggravated by being in a small enclosure with pine bedding before I took them. I was sent home with medicine for only her, "just as a precaution."

Having been under the impression that their health was good, they were housed upstairs with the others and waiting to be introduced. Months into this, one of the other girls started gurgling, and one of the boys developed a runny nose. We saw a new vet and confirmed pneumonia, which is highly contagious by air. 

All nine have been infected and need medicine every twelve hours. Due to the scarring in the lungs of the rats kept in pine, they will most likely need to be on medicine for the rest of their lives.  All rats must be treated or they will continue to be carriers, passing it back to each other.

Thank-you in advance for any help. ♥


Lucky is a wild roof rat I rescued in Spring 2016. She was found in a bag of garbage behind my house where she was abandoned by her mom. Her eyes were still closed and she was still nursing. I syringe fed her formula every 4 hours until she was old enough to drink from a small dish. She has moved twice with me and we've bonded incredibly. As far as she is concerned, I am her mom and I love her just like one.

Myval is the youngest. Her facial markings and attitude make one think of a racoon, which is how she got her name. When I took Myval in, her ears had been mostly torn off from aggressive rats but she is incredibly cheeky and playful despite this. She is so quick and lively that I can rarely get more than just a blur for a photo of her.

Zima is named after winter, for her snowy colouring. She is blind and a bit feisty, but a total sweetheart. She is slightly obsessed with the running wheel and yoghurt drops. We are still working on being comfortable while held, but she is making great progress.

Prudence is a black hooded rat and very shy. Her name comes from her skunk-like look, the skunk being an animal totem for resolving conflict. She enjoys most vegetables and quiet. She has finally accepted me as "safe" and will allow me to pick her up and pet her. 

Backpatch is the only surviving male from the 2017 lot and a total sweetheart.  He was separated from his sisters when rescued but is living in comfort with a new friend.  He is extremely lazy and is most often found lounging in one of the beds.

Ashtray is a Silver Russian male. He is probably the prettiest rat I've ever seen but is also a little piggy. His favourite hobbies are eating and getting belly rubs. He is a giant (over twice the size of the others!), but he's also a huge sucker for love.

The Coven Babies came into the picture last year. These three girls are half wild and were born to a fancy rat who was found wandering the street. Due to the aggression in two, I had to separate them from Lucky earlier this year. They live on their own now but came into contact with the bacteria through its airborne nature. 
Nucky has now passed. She was found in spring 2016 abandoned from her wild litter and I took her in shortly after Lucky. They are both wild, about the same age, and bonded quickly.  She started showing signs of her age in October and rapidly declined due to being sick.


Breakdown:

Each vet visit is $60 (4 visits so far, $240)

The monthly cost of medicine is $90.
Monthly food cost $30
Monthly bedding/litter cost $20
Total monthly cost - $110, since October 2017
(avgr $50/mo May - Sept)


The cost of cages so far has been $345 (Four are needed to house everyone safely, species separated and males separated from females.)

Currently looking to neuter the two males and obtain a large cage for the fancies so that they can have more living space and be much easier to care for/clean after.
I am currently pricing out the cost of neutering and have found the cage need on sale for $315.

Neutering is guestimated around $130 per boy. (Two total, at $260.)

We are also hoping to obtain four more 11" exercise balls. (Listed at $42 each with tax, $210 total.)
I found one on Craigslist for $15.

The bRATS and I are so very grateful for any help and would like to thank everyone who has supported this cause in any way.