# Green on the tail?



## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

??? So one of my girls has some green on her tail and I don't know what it is. It's about an inch up from the tip of the tail and maybe a quarter inch long. It's bright green, and at first I thought maybe she has a marker mark on her but then realized that there's no way for her to get a marker mark on her. So any help would be amazing. Thank you,

Shelley


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

Do you have any colored chew toys in the cage?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hahaha, coloured wood chew toys get peed on and make pretty tie-dye rats LOL


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

No chew toys in there at the moment since they are all wooden and they have lice right now.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

does she get out of her cage?


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

Not unless I take her out and I know where she goes, I don't let her out of my site. She's never been around anything that bright green. When the chew toys were in there, there was only a small part that was a dark green, and thats been out of the cage for 2 weeks, and it just showed up.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

It could have been anything that has a tint of green color in it, really. Green is the most common color to "just show up" on the tails.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

OK so you are sure its not just a coloured marking...

Does it look bruised? Can you take a pic?


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

Sorry about how blurry this is...it's just to show you the color and place.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

Looks like dye to me.


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

That just doesn't make any sense to me because anything with dye has been removed. So strange.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

Many have had this mysterious green show up before. You'd be surprised what results in the color transfer on the tails.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Does your rat get out of the cage?

This little monkey Tosca would come back from her exploring looking like this every once in awhile. I checked the room she roamed in, felt under things etc...nada. Still a mystery a year later. :


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

Nope they don't get out unless I take them out. I have the lid to their cage weighted, and they actually don't try to get out unless the lid is off.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

What type of cage do they have?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

noshortsforhobos said:


> Nope they don't get out unless I take them out. I have the lid to their cage weighted, and they actually don't try to get out unless the lid is off.


But what do they do when Out? They don't run around anywhere?


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

Just a simple glass cage that fish could go in. It was actually a fish cage before a rat cage.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

If I may, I would recommend you finding a new cage and nixing the glass tank. Ammonia can build up pretty fast in there and cause serious health issues.

How long to they get out for and where do they go?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Malachite green is a very common fish med, maybe some remained trapped under some plastic.

How big is this aquarium? You do realize your rats need to come out at least an hour a day?


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

I've had rats all my life, so yes I do know how to take care of them, and I do play with them daily. I've used the fish tank for 14 years now for rats and everything's been fine, I clean the cage often so there shouldn't be any trouble there. Its almost two feet long, and a foot wide. But I doubt I'll be getting another cage anytime soon, since this one has never given me problems, and I don't really have the money to buy a new cage.

When I take them out, if it's a nice day out, I'll take them outside and let them explore. Or I'll just play with them in the living room. They don't leave my sight and don't go around anything thats green. If it's not a big deal then I won't worry about it.


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## cupcakesleepyshadow (Dec 16, 2008)

noshortsforhobos said:


> ??? So one of my girls has some green on her tail and I don't know what it is. It's about an inch up from the tip of the tail and maybe a quarter inch long. It's bright green, and at first I thought maybe she has a marker mark on her but then realized that there's no way for her to get a marker mark on her. So any help would be amazing. Thank you,
> 
> Shelley


my gerbals tail got green once and he died becuse of it, if i were u i would take them to the vet
i hope he gets better, keep me updated


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I have had rats since I was 8 years old but have only been an informed rat owner for 5 years now. I shudder to think of what I did wrong before 

Eventually get a high wire cage with shelves and see how much happier your rats are when they can climb up the sides,e tc...I got my first good cage 5 years ago, along with more than 2 at a time...hehehehe


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## Indo (Dec 16, 2008)

Could me algae or moss from when you've let them outside.


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## xxhawksxx (Jun 19, 2008)

Any hammocks or similar in the cage? or green blankets outside the cage? or worn green clothes around them?


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## noshortsforhobos (Dec 5, 2008)

I highly doubt it's moss or anything like that, when they go outside they tend to stay on a person or on the towl I bring out. No hammocks and I just now started using fleece bedding, but obviously the mark came before the new bedding.

But I just checked her again and it's fading. If it's not a big deal then it's fine, and it's going away so I assume it's not a big deal.


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