rat bleeding nose

Question
hi, i have a pet rat (a buck) who is around 7 months old. A couple of days ago i noticed that he had a slight amount of blood on his nose. I cant quite see if its actually coming from his nostrils. Ive cleaned his nose and it still looks slightly bloody (not actually dripping), although his nose seems to be slighlty runny anyway. He is otherwise in good health, eating and drinking well, playing and interacting with the other rat in the cage, no lazier than usual. Im also thinking he may have had a fight with his companion, can see a slight nick on his nostril or at least what looks like one.

any advice would be appreciated

thanx

Emma

Answer
 The 'blood' is most likely porphyrin, which is a rat's normal red-tinted mucus that appears around the eyes and nose in times of stress or illness.  If it is just a bit here and there there's not much to worry about, but if it is constant and/or accompanied by sneezing, wheezing, listlessness, weight loss, or rattling in the lungs he may have a respiratory infection.  If any of those symptoms appear you should take him to the vet for some antibiotics.  If it is a respiratory infection, the sooner it is treated the better.  I hope this helps, good luck!