# Worried about Squinting



## Roddy St. James (Jun 4, 2015)

I might just be a worry wort because I just got my current rat pair a few days ago, but Silvia seems to be squinting, (not majourly, but she looks like she just woke up most of the time.) She is completely white and does the head sway thing really noticeably, so I know she doesn't see well, but that's normal in rats with pink or red eyes. She also doesn't seem to open her eyes very wide, and that's what concerns me. I read through forums and saw that she could be dehydrated. 

I use a water dish instead of a bottle because I find it easier to monitor, and it creates a situation where I have to clean the water dish often, which is better for the rats. I used a dish with my last rat and had no problems, and Silvia's sister figured out how to use the dish, as I have seen her drinking. I haven't witnessed Silvi drink, and I am worried that maybe she isn't drinking from the dish. 

I tried the skin pinch test, but she is very young and has a lot of loose skin so I couldn't tell for sure. I then tried dipping my finger in water and seeing if she would lick it off. She didn't seem to care about the water and I even touched my finger to her lips in case she just didn't know I had water, but she still seemed disinterested.

She is very calm and sleeps a lot, (she's been sleeping in my shirt pocket the whole time I've been typing this,) and is notably smaller then her sister. She isn't lethargic though, and is active for short periods of time, either pop corning and climbing around the cage, or when I'm picking her up and moving her before she quickly settles done to snuggle.

I'm not 100% sure they are from the same litter, as the breeder brought a small collection of rats of different ages for me to choose 2 rats from, but most of the rats were around the same age, (2 noticeably bigger and older and a double rex that smaller and younger, defiantly from different litters.) They get along and everything, and she's not much smaller, and they might still be from the same litter. 

I might be worried over nothing, but that usually comes with the territory. I'm usually worried about any little thing that I deem 'abnormal' or a possible symptom of something else I've dealt with. 

I highly doubt an eye irritation or injury because it's in both eyes, and she doesn't have any porifin discharge, (symptom of eye infections, irritation and sinus issues.) I don't have money for a vet right now, especially if it turns out to be nothing. 

She is not acting weird in any other way then in the above text, and her sister is wide eyed and healthy. If you have any ideas about why she looks like she is squinting, (or reasons I shouldn't worry, lol,) then please, comment.


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Squinting can also be a sign of pain or illness and unfortunately with rats, they hide their illnesses well, so that's something to keep in mind. If you think she may not be understanding the water dish, you should probably try a water bottle in addition to the dish and see if she drinks from that. In my experience, some rats just don't like/understand an open water source like that even if it's the only source and their cage mates drink from it.


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## Roddy St. James (Jun 4, 2015)

I caught her drinking from the dish, and then she promptly pop corned around the cage. I might be worrying about nothing, because they are both babies and sleep a lot, so maybe she looks half awake most of the time because she is half awake? I don't know. She is eating and drinking, (proved now at least lol,) which is a good sign at least. I rubbed clean water, (from a water bottle, I'm not a fan of tap water,) gently over her eyes in case some outward cause was bugging her, but it didn't seem to help. She isn't washing her face obsessively, which is an other sign of irritation, (though I know they try to hide illness and pain.) I pushed her skin back gently to look in her eyes to see if they looked odd, and I didn't see anything noticeable, so unless is a duo eye infection, if it is a problem, then it's probably not her eyes. I'm not ruling it out, and I'm not ruling out dehydration. Maybe she didn't figure out the dish until today.


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