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Treatment

Treatment is not available, nor would it be practical to attempt it. However, supportive treatment with extra fluids and electrolytes can be given to help your rat to fully recover from the parvoviral infection. In the meantime, you will need to confine your rat and take extra steps to keep your environment and yourself as clean as possible so that the virus cannot be passed along to other rats.

Living and Management

Segregate any rat that is affected with parvovirus infection from other rats. A pet rat that is recovering from a parvoviral infection will be very weak and will need your maximum care and attention if it is to survive the infection. Consult your veterinarian regarding the diet that should be fed to your pet rat during the recovery period.

Prevention

The parvoviral infection is highly contagious and is mainly transmitted through contact with infected feces, urine and bedding material. Therefore, properly cleaning the cages regularly of feces and urine, along with changing soiled bedding material routinely is essential. As much as possible, try to avoid housing rats of different age groups together, and do not mis new rats with old rats. In addition, be mindful of cleaning your hands and clothing thoroughly after handling other rats, before handling your own again. Following these simple steps will go a long way toward preventing the spread of parvovirus infection in rats.