Recently I bought a third rat when through all the introductions and quarantine for a month. Finally the little rat is in with the older ones and is doing fine, but after a couple days of the new rat being in there one of the older ones doesn't want to be in the cage and when i do let him out he just lays on my bed, not moving. there is a lot of red stuff around his nose, he eventually cleans it off but it takes him awhile to do and it builds up a lot.
Is he just jealous or could he be getting sick?
I am just getting over a cold and cough that wouldn't of affected him would it?
2007-11-29 13:23:26 · 6 answers · asked by meowmeow2082 1 in Pets ➔ Rodents
I give them all the same attention the older rats get out and roam around my room, while the younger rat i don't let out and roam he's too fast to catch lol but i do carry the younger rat around during the day so he can get out and able to watch him...Most of the time i see them snuggling... I dont know why the older one would have problems with him, If that is the problem.
2007-11-29 14:12:29 · update #1
You really should take him to a vet. The red around his nose is PORPHYRIN, and though it can be caused by extreme stress, it is more likely to be caused by illness. The introduction of a new rat is not enough stress by itself to cause noticable leakage. The ailment I have in mind is Mycoplasmosis, which is VERY contagious to other rats!
I suggest you definitely take him out and put him in his own cage for a little while (and hold him even more often to keep him from getting lonely!) This will calm him down a bit if it is just a cold combined with the stress of a new roommate (your cold IS transferable to him by the way), and at the same time you will be "playing it safe" in case he does have this very common, contagious disease. Other signs of a Myco infection are lethargy (which you already have) sneezing, wheezing, head tilt and infertility. If any of these show you should keep him isolated until you can get him to a vet. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions about him! Good luck! = )
2007-11-30 06:38:18 · answer #1 · answered by redeyedrat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From the description it sounds like stress. Rodents are very suceptible to stress and there are many different things that can cause this.
"Red-Brown Tears of Rats: Rat owners, at some point, notice red-brown tears staining the eyelids, nose and sometimes the front paws of their pet rats. This substance is always mistaken for blood. It is actually a normal secretion from a large gland behind the eyes. red-brown tears are noted most often in response to stressful situations (restraint, fright, illness, etc). "
Keep an eye on this and if it gets worse, he could be ill and need a trip to the vet. Take all your animals with you(this will also reduce the stress during the trip) and your vet may check them all out for a reasonable fee. ope this helps...
dave<:3}~...OWNER/ SHAGGYMOUSE YAHOO GROUP
2007-11-29 22:47:50 · answer #2 · answered by dave s 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It sounds like he's sick.... You definately want to take him to the vet..
In this article there is a section of rat health, that provides a link of symptoms that tell you your rat is sick.
http://www.squidoo.com/pet_rats/
Red discharge from the nose is a serious concern.
Your illness will not affect your rat, but he may have a respiratory illness, which can be treated or left alone. Kind of like a cold in humans, but also like a cold in humans sometimes we don't make it. If our immune systems are too low, any illness can become fatal.
2007-11-30 18:31:31 · answer #3 · answered by Whitney 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like your rat may be ill, especially since he just lays there when you bring him out of the cage. The red discharge is porphorin, which occurs naturally in a rat's mucous, it only *looks* like blood.
Respiritory problems are very common in rats & it would be good to take your guy to a vet to make sure he's ok & to get antibiotics if necessary. Good luck.
2007-11-30 02:12:06 · answer #4 · answered by Catkin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it could be that they may have fought the new comer. do u give hin more atention? the others might feel left out or that u don't like them, so they fight the new one. The new one might not know how to fight. That would explain the "red stuff". it might be BLOOD! you shold think about buying a new cage for the new one and maybe one or more YOUNG rats,just so it won't be alone in the cage.
2007-11-29 22:01:54 · answer #5 · answered by Karla P 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
my rat merlin used to get the same stuff around his nose but he was always by himself so i always took it as basically the wet nose of a dog
i think that the red stuff if just a mucus that helps gather scents and transmit them to the brain
i could be wayyy wrong because i never learned about rats in vet science but my baby was always fine so i think it is just them smelling alot and the mucus buildup getting out of hand until they clean it
2007-11-30 01:07:24 · answer #6 · answered by isisthewolf 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋