Hi, guys. I've lurked for years and have been able to find what I needed up to now using Search. But it's for the love of a rat that I've come out of lurk mode, asking for help ... ideas ... insight.

I have a pet rat named Gentle who's not doing well. Most (if not all) pet rats suffer from mycoplasmosis. Laboratory rats used for research do NOT have mycoplasmosis because the mother(s) was/were sacrificed and the babies were delivered by Cesarian section in sterile antiseptic solution. Lab rats, mycoplasmosis = no; pet rats and wild rats, mycoplasmosis = yes.

What typically happens is that as rats grow older, they start having respiratory issues caused by the mycoplasma that can be controlled by Antibiotics . Antibiotics actually do a reasonable job of keeping the mycoplasma stomped down. Secondary infections also need to be managed with different Antibiotics . From a very young age my rats have had Lugol's Iodine added to their drinking water prophylactically. All of my rats are doing well except for Gentle. The stress of a surgery (rat neuter) threw him into a tail spin. He's a young rat and should NOT have to be dealing with mycoplasma-related issues at his age. But unfortunately, some of us are born with weaker immune systems than others, which is the hand it looks like Gentle was dealt

Recently I've added another water source, 50% Colloidal Silver , 50% water. Gentle is currently on Baytril and Doxycycline and probably will be for the rest of his life. But with all the things we've tried and do currently, he is still health challenged and suffers from labored breathing ... which leads me to my question.

I just purchased a Silver Smoke Research blood electrifier and would like to use it on Gentle. For a rat, he's a big guy, weighing in at almost 1.5 pounds. Does anyone have any ideas on how/where to apply the electrodes? On humans I've seen discussion of ankles and wrists. But with rats, their feet/legs/ankles are just so tiny. I've figured out a whole-body restraint that should work because there's no way he's going to sit still for a blood electrification session. I'm going to use a short section of 3" PVC pipe. It's a toy in his cage that he's familiar with. He'll feel safe and be able to rest quietly and comfortably without being able to turn around. But again, where/how to attach the leads?!?!