# Rat looks like she has black eyes, could be that red stuff that starts with a p.



## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

One of my girls often looks like she got punched in the face and has a black eye. I'm worried it might be that red stuff they secrete from the nose or mouth, I think it starts with a P.. can't remember exactly what it's called. Anyway, I wasn't that worried about it because it's just a tiny bit under the eye and is hardly noticeable so I thought it was just similar to when people sleep and wake up with gunk in their eye. Then I was watching her last night and she was grooming her face and it occurred to me that I wouldn't even know what was going on because she grooms so much. She could be leaking a lot of the stuff and then just cleaning most of it off. She's been like this for quite some time and I just never thought much of it but now I'm concerned. What could this mean?


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## notscaredtodance (May 5, 2009)

Some rats just have more poryphin secretion than others. It doesn't always mean they're sick. Ihave two girls and one has perfectly clear eyes, while the other almost always has at least a little red staining around on her fur, despite getting them from the same litter, and having them live in the same conditions. 

It is also more obvious if one rat is lighter than the other. If you have a white rat and a grey rat, it will look like the white one has more poryphin.

A little poryphin is normal, I wouldn't worry about it, unless she's also sneezing a lot, or breathing heavily or gurgling or anything.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Too much porphyrin on my new rescue Yogurt


















Poor Yogurt was bought as a snake's meal, the snake was rehomed and Yogurt the "boy" stayed. The snakeowner was terrified of her, but when Yogurt developed inner ear infection/head tilt, she did treat her. Sadly she has now developed a URI so the porphyrin makes sense. She is back on antibiotics.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. They all appear healthy and she is a lighter color than the rest so I don't think it's a problem. If I notice any changes in their behavior or if they seem sick I'll take them to the vet but they seem ok now.


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