My albino rat

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1 year old rat (i am guessing he is 1, i gothim last November from someone who said he was "bored" with him which angered me).  I noticed today that he is a little purple from just below his right eye towards his right ear.  Could he have just bruised himself somehow?  His appetite is still high. He is drinking regularly, and his stools appear normal.

ANSWER:   It's possible that it is a bruise, though it is fairly rare to notice bruising even on light colored rats.  Is it possible he stained himself a bit with a dye from food, bedding, or a toy in his cage, or is it only on his skin?  If his cage is tall he may have fallen and hit his head.  If he isn't showing any other symptoms I would just keep an eye on it for now and note if it gets larger, smaller, or changes color.  If you are at all concerned it wouldn't hurt to take him to the vet.  If you notice any other symptoms or the bruising remains for more than a week, gets larger, or shows up in another place you should get him to the vet right away.

 If you do find out what this is for certain let me know =)  Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He only eats dry rat food (should i be giving him fruits too? or now that hes been on dry so long could that effect him negatively?)

he also has a wooden carrot (orange on the outside) which he uses for his teeth?

Thank you for the amazingly speedy response, this is my new place to be for concerns!

Answer
 Giving rats fresh food can be beneficial, but they don't usually become ill if they don't get them as long as the rat food he is getting is a quality brand.  It's recommended to give 2-3 rat-sized servings (about the size of a large grape) of fruits or vegetables per day, and it is good to give them fresh grains and meats too.  Usually table scraps or supper leftovers can provide the rat with some extra nutrition and cover some of their dietary needs that the dry food cannot.