tails

Question
I have two wonderful pet rats.  I love them both dearly, but the other day when I was giving them treats, I found some of their liter had blood on it.  I look at them a little and found that my rat Zoey had a spot of blood on her tail.  The blood was dried.  It concerns me a little and I just want to make sure everything is okay.  Also, neither one of them seem to keep their tails very clean.  They both always have dirty tails.  Is there anything I can do for them? Is everything going to be okay with Zoey? Please write back! Thank you so much,
                    Kaitlin

Answer
Did you notice a wound on her tail where the blood was, or did you have no idea where it came from?  Rats often play fight and one of them could have been bitten and this caused the blood.  They usually clean it off their bodies themselves but it may have gotten on the litter that way.  Rats' faces, tails, ears, and feet can bleed quite a bit if they are wounded even from a little bite or cut.  Check their skin all over and see if any of them have any cuts or bite wounds and watch them carefully as bite wounds can turn into abscesses if they are deep enough and become infected.  If you find a wound and it is healing nicely your rat will be just fine.

Another possibility is that the blood is coming from her urine or her vagina.  Blood from the urine can indicate renal failure, kidney tumors, or general organ failure.  Blood from the vagina can indicate pyometra, uterine tumors, or other reproductive problems.  If you continue to see the blood and don't find any wounds, you should take your rats to the vet for an exam.  Keep an eye out for dried blood around the vagina and urethra, usually when a rat has blood coming out from there it will leave a bit on their skin or fur.

A third possibility, though unlikely, is that it is porphyrin.  Rats have red mucus called porphyrin and when they sneeze a lot it can look like blood.  If you found it in tiny spots on their litter it could be caused by sneezing but if it was very red and more like a pool then it is most likely blood and not porphyrin.

It can be difficult to keep dirty tails clean.  If your rats have darker fur their tails may simply have dark skin, which can easily be mistaken for dirt.  You can try scrubbing them with a soft toothbrush and some dish soap or baby shampoo, rinsing well, and see if they come clean.  Though rats are excellent groomers many of them tend to ignore their tail.  Giving it a wipe down with a damp cloth or toothbrush every once in a while can help keep it clean, but sometimes a full bath is necessary to remove tail grime.

I hope I have helped, good luck with your rats!

For more information on rats please visit my website at http://careguide.evergreenrattery.com