pink spots on rats bedding

Question
Hi Sandra, one of my female rats died yesterday - it happened very quickly - less than 24 hours of visible symptoms - it was a respiratory illness.  I took her to the vet and she had one dose of antibiotics and when I got her home, she had died.  She has a "sister" (Jasmine)  who seems fine - good appetite, not hunched over, no sneezing, active.  Jasmine is approx. 4 mo. old and I got her from a breeder.  I'm keeping an eye on her to make sure she is healthy before we get another female to keep her company. I put recycled paper bedding in her cage and I also put in some unscented toilet paper (because she seems to like to bunch that up in her little igloo) but yesterday, I noticed there were little pink spots on the paper - they looked like watered down blood, very pale and little dots of them.  This has me worried!  Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Roxanna

I am sorry you lost the other girl.  Usually when they die this fast from an acute respiratory infection, it is 9 times out of 10             Streptococcus pneumoniae  (not related to  strep throat at all so dont worry)  
This type of pneumonia is very aggressive and often kills anywhere from 12 to 24 hours unless aggressive  treatment is started and that is no promise that the rat will recover, either.When I say aggressive, I dont mean giving the rat some baytril and sending them home. I am talking serious treamtne that has the rat staying at the clinic, having medications given via nebulizer so the drugs go right to the lungs. IV fluids are given to keep the rat hydrated (yes IVs can be given) if there is fluid on the lungs, lasix is used, medications to open the rats airway  such a albuterol, may be used and even steroids for inflammation as well.  The most important part would be oxygen, which the rat would be kept in an oxygen enclosure and would need to spend several days there so the rat could be comfortable while the meds  start to work.
However, as much care as this all sounds , with that type of deadly pneumonai, outcome  is still grim since the rat hides  signs of illness until its too late in many cases which is why its important rat owners learn about rat illnesses and how to spot them etc...
As for the remaining girl, what you see spattered on the tissues is called PORPHYRIN.  Is she sneezing much or does she drool while sleeping?  Porphyrin is a mucus that is produced by a gland behind the rats eyes called the harderian  gland      .
Normally this gland produces porphyrin to lubricate the rats third eyelid but its  also a good indicator that the rat is stressed.
When the rat is stressed, the gland produces large amounts or porphyrin that comes out of the rats eyes and nose. THis  happens if the rat is stressed from illness or anxiety.
My guess is that your little girl is mourning the loss of her cagemate. She is probably producing excessive porphyrin due to the stress of losing her cagemate.  THe problem is, stress can compromise the rats immune system and cause illness. Sometimes the surviving rat falls ill after losing a cagemate and the deceased rat is blamed for the other rats illness, but the truth is, the surviving rat may fall ill on its own due to stress from mourning.
I would keep an eye on her just like you said. Also as for another cagemate for her, remember when buying a new rat you must follow proper quarantine rules so therefore the new rat will need to be kept from the exising rat for at least 3 weeks in a different airspace.
You can read more about quarantine on my website at this URL:

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

Anyhow, hope I didnt write too much but I did want to explain to you what I think took your little rats life . I am so sure it was strep pnuemonia I would bet $100 it was!!  
And again, those spatters you are seeing in the rats nest is porphyrin for sure. If you wipe her nose you may even get some on the white tissue.  I buy my rats bounty paper towels (white) and  rip them into small  squares and my rats love to nest with it too...and I see tons of porphyrin on the papertowels every day.  Some amounts are normal to secrete, and some rats have alot of it daily and are not even sick. Over time you will get to know what is normal for your rat and notice if she normally secretes a small amount of it or not.  Have you recently started to use white tissues for her?

Anyhow, I hope I have helped shed some light for you and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Sandra