Plz help, is my rat sick?

Question

i have black and white one month old rat who i bought a week ago.My mum said it might have been scratched in the eye because i have 2 females so i cleaned it with warm water and no change. its still squinty most times of the day. they both eat very well so its not an illness im just curious if the eye is infected or not. please no bad comments xx

thank u

Answer 1

My girl Patches actually scratched her own eye. Just take her to an exotics vet and they will give you an antibiotic opthalmic to put on her eye. It will clear up in no time. But if you dont and the eye gets infected in severe cases the eye can bulge out and she could lose the eye. Opthathalmic eyedrops are not that expensive from the vet. And I have had to get them numerous times.

Answer 2

Hi,

If there is red fluid coming out of her eye, you can bring her to the vets. But you can easily wipe it off, but the red fluid will keep coming out. But if there is no red fluid coming out that's good, since if it comes out it means it has respiratory problems or stress. If her eye looks strange and not clean, it may be a infection. However, you can always take her to the vets for further information. Good luck.

Answer 3

you could just phone the vetenary practise and ask what they think you should do. i dont think its anything to worry about but it might be worth a visit to the vet and he might give her some eye drops to give her and she will get better. if she is eating and drinking there is nothing to worry about but i would still give them a ring. just to be safe.

good luck

Answer 4

I would take her to a vet who will be able to diagnose a scratch or infection. Does the eye dispel a dark discharge? If it does then there is something wrong - infections are not uncommon as all rats have pretty poor eyesight. If the eye is clear, but squinty, it may just be her young age or she may have a scratch that needs treating properly. Make sure your rats are in a large cage with at least 2 cubic feet per rat as high levels of ammonia due to a small or poor cage environment may cause eye irritation. Also make sure the cage is not in direct sunlight as amongst other things, this can damage the eyes. She's a black and white hooded rat so I assume she does not have red or ruby eyes? Rats of these eye colours are sometimes born blind. I would definitely take her to a good vet who is experienced with rats for a checkup.

Hope she gets better!