Rex Rat & bloody nose

Question
Hi - we currently bought a male rex rat and he had a bloody nose yesterday.  We cleaned it up with a small q-tip.  I was wondering if this is something common, or should we take him to the vet to be checked out.  Thank you.

Answer
Most likely it wasn't blood, but instead porphin - rat snot! It's red tinged and resembles dark blood. This can be normal for some rats, and the key is to look for any other symptoms. Lethargy, loss of appetite, behavior change, bulgey eyes, swollen neck (bullfroggy looking), excessive sneezing or coughing, and raspy breathing. If he has any of these symptoms, go to the vet. If not, he may be just fine, and just had a runny nose.