# just found blood



## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

so i just put steve back in with Iriquois, Jackson and little man and i looked in cause there was a little tiff and found a dried puddle of blood. not too big but enough to worry me i checked all the rats and i can not find out hwho could be bleeding i am sure it was not there earlier i don't know what to do they were getting along sooo well and now this i am seriously thinking of finding steve a new home he is not very pleasant at all and i just don't know what to do anymore PLEASE help all the time i am here i hear how nobody has these problem and they shouldn't be as normal as they are in my house their cage is huge and they have LOTS of toys they got along great up untill this point I am at my wits end with this rat (he reminds me of my son with how much drama there is surrounding him)


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

You didnt find out were the blood came from? Have you seen him fighting with any of the other rats or heard any sqeaks that may have sounded painful? I know that Jay and Bob rough play alot and do some SERIOUS power grooming and they tend to nip each other, not to hurt each other...just happens. A couple times Jay caught his toe nail on something and we had to put some stuff on it to make it stop bleeding. That blood had to come from somewhere. Take another look. Toes, inbetween toes, tail, ears...wont hurt to look again. If you really think that steve isnt the rat for you and your babies just make sure that you find him a good home. Or you may want to separate him and try intro again? I hope you figure this out.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

yeah steve is a real punk he has been fighting with everyone but little man jackson's toenail was a little bloddy but that was fresh this blood was dried like it happened this afternoon. Steve has been such a jerk to all of them and i just don't know what else to do with him he stays in the corner not playing with any one else and i am starting to think he is just gonna be like sniffs a loner through and through! ugh my hubby is going to be mad he only wanted three rats I have seven now LoL but he has been nagging me that they all have to go in the same cage or some of them have to leave


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

Hmmm...You know even though rats are social aniamls, like humans, some just like to be alone. Maybe he's just one of those who doesnt want anything to do with the others and is happier that way. Best thing I can say to do (since hes a pain in the butt, hehe) is to just find him a loving home.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

ok so i double checked the only thing it could be is jackson's toe it stopped bleeding and put antibiotic ointment on it he is favoring it a bit so i am guessing that is what it is. still not sure what to do about steve though he and jackson have been fighting all night and jackson doesn't fight with anyone (he is very old and not so healthy these days)


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Sounds like his toe. Toes, tail tips and ears all bleed insanely because they have a lot of blood supply.

IF there hadn't been any marks on any of the boys, I would've thought a UTI and the dried blood was originally in a puddle of pee. Thank the gods it wasn't.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

yeah i figure i am just goinmg to ignore the fights anymore and take care of the bloody rats as they come steve willeventually become alpha rat and the others will have to deal with it though jackson isn't much longer for this world and i have noticed he is a lot more clumsy lately so he just doesn't have the fight left in him and iriquois will just have to learn to deal with it little man is too young to care LoL


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

ok so update the blood was from the toenail of jackson he has become very clumsy and is falling off their shelves and the fights have subsided i started using a water bottle and spritzing them when it got too hairy! they aer all getting along pretty well these days and i hope to have them all reunited soon maybe sniffs and iriquois can put their differences aside and enjoy each others company or at least get along enough to co exsist together LoL


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

Thats great! Poor Jackson's toe though! lol


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

yeah it is all bruised looking and he keeps reopening it but not too bad he is going to the vet on tuesday to get checked i think it may be coming close to the end of his time he is 2 and just not as active, doesn't want to be held and doesn't want to come out any more so sad!


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

I wish rats lived longer than they do. My Beavis was close to 4 years old when he passed.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

yeah wish so too but the way i see it about two years ago jackson was suppoed to be inside a snakes belly and we swooped in and saved the day so he has had a better life than he was destined to have


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

Haha, same with Beavis.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Aww, poor thing! If you can request it, Metacam is a fantastic pain medication for rats. Older ratties slow down with age, so he's probably not going down hill currently, he's just taking things a bit more leisurely. My older boys tend to want to be in the cage more rather than come out, and sleep more than usual. That's normal


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

well he has been really clumsy lately and just not very social his breathing is a little harder and i am just a little concerned nothing like a respitory infection just a touch harder so i don't know like i said he is going in on tuesday and i will see what the vet says untill then i am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing drastic happens


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

sorry my mind is gone thank you night for the kind words i hope it is just old age LoL


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