# Rat's Eye Bulging Slightly.....help? Advice? Please?



## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

Hello Everyone!

My wonderful heart rat, Amber, has something a bit funky going on.

Her right eye seems SLIGHTLY bulged.....I can't stress the "slightly" enough. When she is just running around, it's very barely noticeable at all (it took my fiance about a week to admit that I wasn't crazy lol)...I have attached a photo. The only time it is really noticeable it is when she snuggles with me. She will close one eye all the way, and the other doesn't close completely. When she does eventually close it (she is able to, but just doesn't), the eye isn't swollen, nor does it stick out further under the lid than the left. But it does take quite a while for it to happen.

Background info:

She is nearly 2 years old. She came to us from a rescue and she is a solitary (she spent the first year of her life alone and is TERRIFIED of other rats). When she came to the rescue she was in utter filth and both her eyes were infected. Her left eye was more infected than the right and it took much longer to clear up (could it be that the left eye is squinty from that, making the other eye look bulged?). 

She is eating and playing absolutely fine. No issues there what-so-ever. Other than the eye, she is healthy as a rat can be.

I took her to the vet once before (for a different issue) and asked him about the eye, but we couldn't find anything (no tumor, growth, etc). I have a call into the vet for a check-up next week...should I bring her in sooner?








Sorry, I am probably being a super over-protective rat-mom right now....but she is ultra-special to me!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

It should be fine to wait until next week, it gives you time to observe for more things. The first thing that comes to mind is a pituitary tumor, which can put pressure on the eye. It usually has neuro symptoms too.


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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

I have lost two rats to PT's....I know each case can be different, but I haven't seen anything resembling the behavior of either of those rats. As I said, she's acting perfectly normal...and this is something that I have been noticing for about a month+ now. The vet didn't see a growth in any x-rays (although he did say that it can be hard to see).

thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

You know, I just keep comparing her eye to my rats and it doesn't seem like the left eye is bulging more than the right eye is squinting (my left, of course)


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Elias's normal eyes: http://i.imgur.com/wZiDjfp.jpg
Demetria being squinty rat burrito: http://i.imgur.com/ZpYEzfg.jpg


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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

nanashi7 - Thank you so much! This is actually something I've been wondering about...her other eye was the worst with infection, so I didn't know if maybe she was squinting that eye. I will ask the vet about it at the appointment.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Let us know! Best of luck!


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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

I will!


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