HELP with rat!!!!!!!!!! i am like scared to death!!!!?

Question

ok, so i was playing with my rat when i noticed there was a reddish residue on her paws. she was in heat for the past few says so i decided to give her a bath, thinking that was the problem. but after her bath while i was towel drying her there was the same reddish residue on the towel. it was also on her paws, near her eye, but moslty near her nose. after searching around her body i noticed she was having a slight bloody nose. i am wiping it gently with a tissue but i dont know what to do. it is very little but i dont know if i should worry to much or if i should do somethin more and i dont know how it started... does anyone know what is goin on and what to do??

Answer 1

ask a vet

Answer 2

Calm down, don't worry!

This sounds like porphyrin, which is getting a lot of questions here lately! ;P Rats secrete porphyrin from their eyes and sometimes their nose, it's a red substance and is NOT a big health emergency. It is often normal, especially after waking up, and can also be attributed to stress. Just watch her and keep her stress-free. :)

Rats don't bleed when they're in heat, because they go into heat very often.. every 4-5 days or so.

Answer 3

I also had 2 female rats, but one went crazy, so we had to force feed her, and she wouldn't blink her left eye, and she rolled in circles. We had to put her to sleep. (That was really hard because she was really gentle and was always wanting to be rubbed). She had a type of cancer, I think. My other female rat got a tumor the size of a golf ball on her cheek. We also had to put her to sleep. Female rats usually get cancers. I would suggest for your rat, that if you have multiple rats, then keep them separate from the sick one. Keep both groups cages very clean, and take the sick one to a vet as soon as possible. I haven't ever heard of rats in heat getting bloody noses. ;)

good luck!

Answer 4

If I were you I would take her to a vet, or at least call and get some advice froma  vet.  It sounds like she may be sick.  I really hope shes okay.

Answer 5

its not blood! don't worry, its porypherin. change the type of bedding you use!

Answer 6

I would stop messing with her and put her in her cage. Wait a while the problem will most likely resolve itself.

Answer 7

Like some have said, it sounds like poryphorin. Rats have this substance behind their eyes and nose. When they become stressed or ill, they secrete the substance from the eyes and/or ears, and when it comes into contact with air, it turns red. Seeing this is normal, but only a TINY bit when they first wake up, and right after they do wake up, they should clean it off completely and immediately. Your rat definately has more than normal.

The most common cause for this is stress. Something like a bath for one can be extremely terrifying and traumatic to a rat, and increase the stress. If she is stressed, you need to put her back into her cage, and leave her alone for a while to let her calm down. Start taking her out when you see that she has cleaned up the red stuff.

The other possibility is that she is having trouble with her respiratory system. How often do you clean the cage? If she lives in a dirty cage, the fumes can irritate her breathing and cause the poryphorin to appear. If she is healthy, her breathing should be completely silent all of the time. If she EVER makes strange clicking noises or has noisey breathing, even a bit, this is a sign of a respiratory infection. It is extremely important that you treat it as early as possible because if you leave it alone, it will only worsen, and become impossible to treat. You should get her to a vet to get medication for her. And if you have other rats in your home, it is very easy for them to get the poryphorin as well, so talk to a vet about that.

By the way, a rat in heat has nothing to do with bathing. "In heat" means the female is on her oestrus cycle and able to reproduce. Not that she is actually hot, or anything like that. They go into heat around every other week, so this is normal, and there is no need to do anything to her.

Edit: Hmm, I've actually never noticed females "leaking". I didn't think they did that. Are you sure she is doing that because of theheat, or could it be somethign else?

Anyway, it was probably just stress. Like if you had strange people over for dinner, and she got spooked by them o something. Or it could even be that someone sprayed air freshener or deoderant too close to her, and she breathed in the fumes. Rats are realyl sensitive, I wouldn't worry about it if it doesn't continue. But if the poryphorin is regularily there, you need to take her to a vet for medicine because if you leave her with the poryphorin, she will eventually develop respiratory problems.

Answer 8

Hi! I´ve had pet rats before and is the first time I read something like this. Do you remember if it got hurt with anything while you were playing with it? Try to wipe out it´s nose with some paper and check for any signs of scratches or something. If it keeps bleeding you should go to a vet, I´m sure they´ll help you better. Good luck ;)

Answer 9

As stated in another person's answer, it is most likely porypherin. Also, if you keep your rat on cedar or pine bedding that could be causing the poryphirin issue.

Answer 10

If it proceeds, then take it to the vet, sounds silly bringing that kind of pet to the vet, but if u care that much about it then do it. I dont think their life spam is much..I had one for 3 yrs until it developed a tumor