Albino Female Rat has a red/bloody eye?

[takagari]

OKay she has regular red eyes. i know that lol.

But her right eye has been almost inflamed for a week now. I'm getting concern

sometimes it is fine. but a lot of the time now i almost looks like she is crying a bit of blood. and her top eyelid gets red enough you can see it under the fur.

Anyone have any thoughts? She is my favorite. Comes when I whistle.. know's her name. just worried..

[GirDance]

Unfortunately red mucous typically warrents an immediate vet trip. Red mucous around the eye in rats can actually signify a respiratory infection. It could also be a plain old eye infection, if an eye infection they are typically bacterial, and it needs to be quarenteened from your other rats to ensure it doesn't spread.

Do you have a picture? That might help with mucous vs eye infection possibility.

[GirDance]

Oh , one other thing so you don't get immediately worried. It is not uncommon as well for over stress to cause this to happen as well. If it is mucous it's very often mistaken for blood when dry because it looks the same, but still very worth the vet visit.

[frankykeno]

The red discharge is called porphyrin and is a product of their Harderian gland. The presence of it does not, to me, indicate the need for an immediate vet visit. It can be an indication of illness but also it can indicate a stress reaction.

Gently wash the rat's face with a warm, wet and soft wash cloth over the next couple of days to make her more comfortable. Examine the eye area to see if there's any physical issues you can see (bedding in her eye, etc.) Determine whether she and her enclosure mates are on the whole healthy (check for things like breathing, sneezing, loose stool, etc.). Make sure this rat is not being stressed by being overly dominated by a cage mate.

Make adjustments to any issues you find that may be contributing to the presence of the discharge. If you see any reason, however, to suspect an illness or injury to the rat, of course, see your vet if that is the appropriate choice for this rat.

Watch her closely otherwise to see if the discharge goes away after some changes are made that may be causing it in the first place.

[takagari]

wife has camera. wont be home till tuesday

She did just give birth twice. which I know if VERY stressing on poot mom so It may be that. her kids are all gone tuesday though so I hope it calms her

[littleindiangirl]

I would do exactly what Jo said. Here is an article that is a great read on porphyrin in rats.
http://www.ratbehavior.org/porphyrin.htm

[frankykeno]

wife has camera. wont be home till tuesday

She did just give birth twice. which I know if VERY stressing on poot mom so It may be that. her kids are all gone tuesday though so I hope it calms her

Awww well if she's a bit overtired from two back to back litters that could easily explain the stress reaction. It could also indicate that's she's a bit run down from the constant pregnant/birthing/nursing/pregnant thing. I'd let her have a good bit of rest afte this group is fed off or weaned.

A good breeder female rat is worth her weight in gold to me. My big, robust females produce large healthy litters for me, rarely lose an offspring and bounce back well after their litters are off them. A bit of rest between litters is, I think, a good investment in keeping that female producing at the top of her game both in litter numbers and in her usual breeding life.

[takagari]

oh she is a champ.
her first litter was a solid 16 no one died from that.
But she birthed while i was away. my roomate didnt know to seperate them so I think he got her pregnant right quick and she had a litter right after the first was weened.

the second litter she has is 15. and they are healthy and growing fast.
So she is definetly an amazing breeder Time for a break though. all the babys are gone tuesday and she will be off for at least two months