Red Tears

Question
Hi,
I read your page on red eyes/nose and found it helpful. You helped me on one of my other rats with bumblefoot. Well this rat is a hairless female. She is about 1 1/2 years old. I got her from a local farm breeder. Whenever she cleans her face there is red surrounding her eyes. I get very worried that she is bleeding internally and that something is seriously wrong with her. I wipe the redness away and she is fine. Normally she is skittery. I hope this doesn't sound like I don't care because I do but i would not like to take a $7 animal to the vet for $50+. Is there some sort of at home analysis or treatment i can do instead of the vet.

Thanks,
Sam

Answer
It sounds like she also has porphyrin, just like the webpage on red discharge from eyes and and nose suggests.  Sometimes the porphyrin gets on their paws and if they have light colored fur, it will actually discolor the fur to a pink tinge, which also creates lots of email to me from worried rat owners wondering why their once nice and white rat has now turned pink. LOL  not funny, but funny once the owner realizes all is well.

If  your rat is NOT acting sick, is eating fine, not lethargic and is not losing weight or sneezing heavily with congestion, this is normal for her to have porphyrin discharge. All rats have a harderian gland which is a tiny gland located behind the rats eyes. This gland produces a secretion that is reddish brown in color and it resembles blood to an unknowning rat owner. The purpose of porphyrin is really unknown, but animal science guess is that it is to lubricate the rats nictating membrane, which is the third eyelid. Humans have one believe it or not, which is the blob of pink in the corner of our eyes!  Anyhow, when a rat is stressed, they tend to produce more porphyrin than usual, which is a great indicator to the rat owner that something is bothering them, often an illness.  However, many rats produce more porphyrin than other rats and when they wake up from their lazy day sleep, they may have some around the eyes or nose or both.

Again, I said all of this on my website but just to refresh your mind or in case other readers are interested in this message, I typed it up again.  Info on this plus much more can be found on my website, Sandyscrittercity.com

As for spending $50 plus on your $7 dollar rat...but trust me, many people feel like this and I do understand that, for starters, the economy sux rotten eggs for sure, but there may  come a time that your little inexpensive yet very well loved rat will need to see a vet and your dreaming if you think it stops at fifty bucks.  LOL!  I am teasing of course....lol......some people have lucked out and have found vets that have treated their rats for less than that, including meds...I have yet to be so lucky. If I sat here and counted what I have spent on my rats over the years I could have purchased a new car and paid it in CASH. Thats enough to make me shudder. Oh and worse yet, if I added up ALL vet bills including for the cats and dog, esp the last incident where my cat needed his tail amputated that cost us $1800 and of course wouldnt you know it, it happened just in time for our income tax refund,(like always)
I could have purchased a house on the beach in the most swanky part of Florida you can  chose.   I just dont think about it and instead, think that these are my pets and I have to just do what I  have to do. If not, I will feel dizzy, pass out and possibly never be the same again.  Oh wait, thats how my ex husband would feel. I am not THAT bad.  LOL

Anyhow, Sam, let me know if she is acting sick. If not, just keep an eye on her. This may just be natural for her.