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If you’re new to pet rats, the anatomy of your rats’ faces may lead you to believe that your rats don’t have eyelids. Their eyes protrude by quite a lot, and they almost look like there’s no way to seal them off. However, all you have to do is catch your rat in mid-nap… Read more
Rats can develop white eyes, giving the impression that the rat has become blind in one eye. Usually, a blind eye will be completely and totally bluish white, as if it were cloudy. However, white spots can occur as well. The severity of the condition depends upon what is causing the eye to become white. Read more
Normally, both eyes of a rat are relatively even, sitting on top of the head like small, delicate glass beads. Then, one day you wake up to find a terrifying, disturbing problem has occurred: one of your rat’s eyes is now bigger than the other and bulging, as if it was swollen and ready to pop! Is it possible that the rat has an infected eye? Is it cancer? This really is a creepy situation. Every time I see it, it STILL scares me. I always feel as if the eyeball could pop out, and the imagined visuals are enough to make you cringe. However, I don’t intend to make you hyperventilate and trip over your own two feet in an effort to grab the travel kennel and do 90 MPH on your way to the emergency vet. Let’s take a moment and look at what COULD be going on.
Eye infections are no fun to deal with. At all. Rats are much more susceptible to eye infections than we are, as they live in close quarters with their own waste. They don’t have quite as clean of environments as humans do. While a dirty environment can have a lot to do with any infection, an eye infection for a rat does not necessarily mean that the human owner is at fault. They do just happen sometimes, and all we can do is treat them properly! Read more
At some point or another, it is likely that an owner is going to be dealing with an eye problem from his or her rats’ eyes. Rat eyes are very sensitive, and must be watched over to ensure nothing bad happens to them. While rats do not have perfect sight, they still rely on vision as another sense. Read more
Cedar bedding has long been identified as a deadly bedding source for pet rats. If a breeder or rescue finds out that someone is using cedar, they will quickly run away from them; this includes other breeders and adopters. Once a rat has lived on cedar bedding, it will likely have permanent issues thereafter, even though they might not be serious. One hallmark symptom of cedar sickness is the porphyrin that will be around the eyes and nose. A pink eyed rat will be the most distressed appearing animal, as their porphyrin will appear brighter on their white fur. Read more
Pet rats sometimes make weird noises. Knowing the differences in particular noises can help you to figure out just how serious the issue at hand is. Just like humans, rats do sneeze on occasion. However, rattling and wheezing is a very serious issue that could become life threatening quickly. Read more
For the new owner, the sight of reddened eyes on their pet rat can be quite scary. It may look as if the rat’s eyes are actually bleeding! The truth is, their eyes are not bloody. However, that does not mean that your rat doesn’t need medical attention either; because he or she is probably very, very sick! So what exactly is going on??? Read more