rat cischarge

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1 1/2 year old male dumbo rat.  There is a discharge that appears to be pale pink.  I can't tell where it's coming from but it's there every day.  He seems healthy, has a very good appetite and energy.

ANSWER: Hi Joyce


Where do you find this discharge at?  On his fur, bedding or ?

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

QUESTION: The discharge is on the bedding and there's no evidence on his body where it's coming from.

Thank you................Joyce

Answer
Sounds like porphyrin.  It usually comes from the nose or eyes as normal secretions from a gland called the harderian gland.  

Sometimes when the rat is really stressed, it will produce excessive amounts of porphyrin which appears like blood. Sometimes its pinkish sometimes darker red to reddish brown.  Often it can smear from the nose to the paws to the fur, changing a once nice white rat to one with pink tinged fur!  It gets on the bedding if the bedding is light. I use white paper towels for my rats to use for a nest and change it out daily. It always has splatters of red dots or pink dots all over it but nothing from their nose or eyes.

If you would notice it from their nose and eyes and this is something they normally dont do, this means something may be bothering the rat, from illness to anxiety.

For more info on porphyrin please check out my site. I made a page devoted to a short discussion about porphyrin and some photos too.
If your little guy is eating and drinking and acting totally normal and has no signs of any respiratory problems including sneezing he normally doesnt do, I would not worry unless you do notice these things.

Here is the URL to see more about porphyrin:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/bloodynoseandeyes.htm