Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / July 2004

It sounds like Porphyrin (sp*) which is a discharge with Rats can get round their eyes and noses.  The Causes are many and varied but Stress is one of them.  If there are no other symptoms like breathing problems etc then I would keep and eye on it but if you are concerned that I would seek medical advice.  Your "Blonde" Rat is swaying to compensate for his poor eyesight, this helps him to focus on objects.  I have 2 PEWS (Pink eyed whites) who sway and because of their poor eyesight they are not as friendly as the others.  They are very shy indeed and prefer to stay on one or two levels and are less adventerous.  They are still adorable though...LOL.  Hope you find some info here that is of help..:)

Regards Kate
 Hi There,

 We have two boy rats. One Black and White, Loves to be naughty and run about all over the place. The other is blonde, Red eye, sways alot but is so loving when he gets to know you. In fact he is sitting here with me now, chattering away.

 But Huston I think we have a problem, the blond rat keeps getting nose bleeds, I've never seen him have one, but quite often there is blood in his tank, and on his nose.

 Has anyone come across this before ? Any ideas ?

 Thanks

Hi There, after looking about on the net I think I have found out that our rat has Mycoplasma pulmonis has anyone else's rat had this ? were they ok ?

 Hi There,

 We have two boy rats. One Black and White, Loves to be naughty and run about all over the place. The other is blonde, Red eye, sways alot but is so loving when he gets to know you. In fact he is sitting here with me now, chattering away.

 But Huston I think we have a problem, the blond rat keeps getting nose bleeds, I've never seen him have one, but quite often there is blood in his tank, and on his nose.

 Has anyone come across this before ? Any ideas ?

 Thanks

Hi There,

We have two boy rats. One Black and White, Loves to be naughty and run about
all over the place. The other is blonde, Red eye, sways alot but is so
loving when he gets to know you. In fact he is sitting here with me now,
chattering away.

But Huston I think we have a problem, the blond rat keeps getting nose
bleeds, I've never seen him have one, but quite often there is blood in his
tank, and on his nose.

Has anyone come across this before ? Any ideas ?

Thanks

Hi... what your rat is secreting is porphyrin similar to snot. This is
caused by a number of factors. It could be stress related, infection, myco
flare up or habitat. I noticed you wrote "tank". This is a very poor
containment for rats as it does not allow for proper air circualtion. What
type of bedding are you using? With rats living in a tank with minimal air
flow, it would need to be cleaned out every day, with new bedding. Rats
respiratory system are so sensitive, it doesn't take much for them to become
infected.
I would suggest getting them a wire cage with levels. This would allow for
proper air flow and the rats won't have to breathe in the high amonia
concentration from their urine. The levels would give the rats proper
stimulation and exercise.
Mycoplasmosis is a bacteria found in just about every single rat. This myco
is a nasty bug and can contribute to secondary infection which many rats die
of. If you hear wheezing, coughing, gasping, rush him to the vets to get him
on proper meds.
Your rats sound very sweet: the first one sounds like a black hooded and the
second one a beige rat. :)

I'm no expert but a runny nose does not necessarily mean Myco.  We have 10
rats in the house and often find the red 'bloody' mess on the cage or wall
but none of them are sick.  Rats' tears and mucus are red.

Jaimie
Mom to the M*A*S*H rattie bunch: Margaret, Radar, Sophie & Rosie
Grandma to Mary, Baby, Dorie, Nibblin, Alicia, and Sniffles

(Resending...1st one didn't seem to post.  Sorry if it is a dup.  :)

The swaying is intentional.  Rats will sway back and forth to improve their
depth perception.  Red eye albinos have the poorest vision (so I'm told) and
are therefore more prone to swaying.  It means he is watching you.

If the "nose bleeds" are crusty, reddish brown, and frequent, it is probably
not blood at all.  It is porphyrin and a sign of stress.  This may be caused
by illness.  You mention he lives in a tank.  Poor ventilation and a
confined space may be the cause.

Hi There,

We have two boy rats. One Black and White, Loves to be naughty and run about
all over the place. The other is blonde, Red eye, sways alot but is so
loving when he gets to know you. In fact he is sitting here with me now,
chattering away.

But Huston I think we have a problem, the blond rat keeps getting nose
bleeds, I've never seen him have one, but quite often there is blood in his
tank, and on his nose.

Has anyone come across this before ? Any ideas ?

Thanks

Hi,
My little Lily sways all the time, we think she may be blind. She never runs around like the others but is the greediest of the lot. Her nose is the same. I would have been worried had it not been for having rats in the past who were perfectly healthy but had had bleeding noses from time to time . We also noticed out of all the rats we have had it always seems to be the ones with red or ruby eyes that have this. We have never had it with any black eyed rats. I put it down to stress with Lily because she either can't see at all or has very little eye sight.
Regards,
Rosalind.
 Hi There,

 We have two boy rats. One Black and White, Loves to be naughty and run about all over the place. The other is blonde, Red eye, sways alot but is so loving when he gets to know you. In fact he is sitting here with me now, chattering away.

 But Huston I think we have a problem, the blond rat keeps getting nose bleeds, I've never seen him have one, but quite often there is blood in his tank, and on his nose.

 Has anyone come across this before ? Any ideas ?

 Thanks