Question
Luckys Eye
My male rat all of a sudden today develped red around one eye He seems fine He was in his cage for over a day and a half Could it be strees related Larry see photo
AnswerYour rat has porphyrin discharge. It can be normal in many cases, providing your rat has always had some from the time he or she was a baby, usually seen when they first wake up. It is also found around the nostrils. Sometimes the rat grooms and smears the porphyrin around onto light colored fur and will actually stain white fur to look pink! Sometimes people mistake porphyrin as blood and come to me in a panic thinking the rats eyes are bleeding. Because porphyrin is so common among rodents I have added a page on my website, Sandyscrittercity.com about porphyrin and also have some photos too. In fact, I only have a few photos and would like to ask if I can use pretty Lucky as a case study as well so I can show others what porphyrin looks like.
Please let me know!
Anyhow, this can be stress related absolutely yes. Porphryin is produced by a gland located behind the rats eyes. When the rat is stressed, from either illness or some other reason, they tend to produce more porphyrin than normal. Trying to determine what the problem may be is another story. Is your boy eating and acting ok? Has any new activities occurred lately, such as a move, a new cage, loss of a cagemate, a dog or cat scaring the rat, anything at all you can think of, even new litter or a new toy added to the cage can cause it.
If he is acting ok, not lethargic, eating and drinking and has normal energy it could simply be from not doing his usual every day activities. A change in schedule can even upset a rat.
Please see my website and check out the page called BLOODY EYES AND NOSE... or at least I think thats what its called....LOL.....you can see photos of rats like yours and learn a bit more about it. Just keep an eye out though just to be safe. Watch for congestion, sneezing, loss of appetite, loose stools, etc... have you checked him for any bumps or lumps? check the bottom of his back feet and be sure they are pinkish and not blue or purple. Feel under his front paws and under his back legs for any bumps. Check his tummy for lumps too. Make sure he is urinating ok as well. let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary!
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