# Any extra care requirements with red-eyed rats?



## sonicboom (Sep 3, 2011)

I'm thinking of getting a rat with red eye - not just pink...

I know that their eyesight is not as good. Do I just let them get on with things, or do I need to be more careful with things like climbing and drops?


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## sonicboom (Sep 3, 2011)

While I remember, my rats like sitting onto of the wire cage, which is the only wire that they get access to and can stand on. I'm worried that might give them sores on their feet? They also climb up the cage a lot - is that a problem at all?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

sonicboom said:


> While I remember, my rats like sitting onto of the wire cage, which is the only wire that they get access to and can stand on. I'm worried that might give them sores on their feet? They also climb up the cage a lot - is that a problem at all?


Ruby eyes can range from a light red to a almost black, so I am not sure what you mean by red? 

And no, wire shelves cannot give a rat bumblefoot. bumblefoot happens when a rat is older, or obese and genetically inclined to it. Filthy living conditions can also exasperate bumblefoot as well.


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## sonicboom (Sep 3, 2011)

I've been told that they are to the redder side of the ruby scale.


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## HoneyRose (Sep 7, 2011)

My rat has red eyes and she acts like any other rat, only thing is every so often she has to stop and starts slowly swaying her head from side to side as if adjusting her vision...after reading on this forum its perfectly normal. She is very healthy and the friendliest of all my rats.


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## Maltey (Jun 26, 2011)

Red/pink/ruby eyed rats are the same as black really. Yes, their vision is a lot worse but a rat's vision was never very good to begin with! They mostly get around based on their whiskers/smells etc anyway.
Until recently I only ever had black eyes, but last week I adopted two pink eyed girls and I didn't change the cage at all- they're still getting around just the same.
Only thing I've really noticed is that I need to alert them of my presence otherwise they get a bit jumpy, but that could also be due to their lack of socialisation.


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## Blarklark (Oct 31, 2011)

I just got done reading a book on caring for rats. They had a section on rats with red eyes. They say you have to be careful of strong lighting . Basically, because normal black eyed rats have the pigment in their that helps protect their eyes from harsh light. Red eyed rats don't have that protection there fore need a way to escape harsh lighting situations..


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## Critter Aficionado (Jan 30, 2011)

Our girls have darker ruby eyes and sometimes they move back and forth trying to focus on things. But they have absolutely no trouble climbing all over the cage, leaping off the sides inside their cage, and finding their wheel/food/water bottle.


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## Ratzy (Apr 6, 2012)

Thank you Blarklark (if you're still around) and Sonicboom for this topic. I just got a pair of red eyed girls and have been reading about their impaired vision (and smell). ratbehavior.org has GREAT info on their vision (SO interesting!) and says that they get dazzled by bright lights. 

I have only had them a few days now, but I do notice that they are more active in dim light! Learning about their vision and sensitivity to light has helped a lot in better understanding them. They are quite shy and hesitant, and it all makes sense now. They also seem to use their mouths/teeth more for exploring, again makes sense for them to compensate for poor vision/smell. They do not do it hard, just very gently place teeth around my fingers, etc..... Ok one of them gets a bit overzealous w/ the bite-exploring of my toes! .....Really considering their limitations, I'm quite amazed at how gentle and trusting they are already. 

As far as accommodations for them, I am going to plan on having dim lighting in the room for their playtimes, and I may drape some fabric over top and a couple sides of their cage to shield them from direct bright lights overhead. And of course like any ratties, they will have pitch black hidey boxes for sleeping. 

QUESTION: Does anyone think that red eyed rats would prefer less frequent changing around of their cage? Seems like they would rely on familiar tactile environment to feel comfortable/secure, so would prefer that their furnishings stay the same??? On the other hand, I don't want to deprive them of variety and newness.... maybe just slightly less frequent rearranging of things?


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## Malcolmratdad (Mar 29, 2012)

My pink eyes girls like their cage rearranged as often as any rat. However they do not like bright lights. Their vision gets easily dazzled by sudden bright lights. They are most active in the dark.


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## Ratzy (Apr 6, 2012)

Thanks Malcolm! Anyone else have opinions/insight into whether pink eyed ratties care about cage rearranging?


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

My pink-eyed and red-eyed rats have never had any problem at all with cage rearranging. In fact the only rat I've had that seemed a little uneasy when I changed up the cage was a black-eyed rat.


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## Ratzy (Apr 6, 2012)

Thanks JessyGene and Malcolm!

Now that I've had my girls for a while, I sounded like a nervous nelly there thinking they'd be scared of things moving around. Haha. I wish I were as easy going and adaptable as they are.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Red eyed rats can be more prone to macular degeneration from strong lighting, also some have other vision problems. 

This does not mean that all normal eyed rats have good vision however. Some do and some don't. My rat with the best vision actually becomes much shyer and more retiring when it gets dark and she can't see as well.


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