Help! Why are my rats are suddenly scared of me?

Question

I have two female hairless rats that I bought at the beginning of May, and they were babies when I got them. Every day I would take them out for an hour and they would run and jump around. They would always run over my arms and pee on me. But then about a week and a half ago, I had a friend visit me and I didn't take them out for about three days. We were gone one night and I had left my light on, so when I came home and found them acting strange I thought it was the light. But since then every time I try to let them out of the cage they are reluctant to leave. They jump and run from me if I move too much. They squeak and kick when I pick them up. When I let them out they hide under my desk. They don't run on my arms or pee on me anymore. I noticed a small bump on the face near the mouth of one, and yesterday I found them covered in either blood or red tears and it had stained their hammock there was so much, but today there is none. I don't know what's wrong with them or why they are so scared. Should I take them to the vet or is there anything I can do to fix this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I think something has made them sick or very stressed. That 'red blood' is called poryphin and rats usually release large amounts of it when they're sick or stressed.

Something is definately wrong with them. A sudden behaviour change AND bumps on the skin need to be investigated by a vet.

The vet will help so get them there asap. Good luck with your rats:)

Answer 2

They may be sick and it hurts to be touched or squeezed. With hairless rats it can be hard to tell when they have itchy or infected skin since there's no hair to lose, but that may explain why they're suddenly very afraid to be touched. They may also have internal digestion problems...such as constipation or gas that make it uncomfortable to be held and to move around.

Another sad thought is if your friend handled them roughly while you were not around. Young grown rats tend to hold firm grudges and build strong fears if they're handled wrong. Tiny baby rats forget easy, and older adults can understand that it never happened before and may never happen again. It could have been something as simple as being surprise-grabbed from behind (something one of my ex-boyfriends used to do until he finally got bit).

You should take them to a good rat knowledgeable vet to be checked out just to be sure it's not illness.