Why is my rats eye swollen

If your rat does have an eye infection, the eye bulging will almost always be accompanied by at least one additional symptom. The most common symptoms of eye infection include puffiness in the eyelids, redness around the eyes, or discharge pus from the eyes.

If you see any of these additional symptoms, it is best to take your rat to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Untreated eye infections can lead to permanent damage, such as blindness.

However, if you take your rat for treatment sooner rather than later, your veterinarian can prescribe antibiotics to break up the infection and resolve it before it causes greater problems. Speaking of rat eye bulging, there is one other normal eye pattern in rats that can be disconcerting to owners.

Rats may occasionally have a red discharge from their eyes, which resembles red tears or even blood. However, the gland that produced porphyrin can at times have issues with overproducing, leading to excessive discharge and to discharge that hardens around the eyes into a red crust.

Are you supplying your rat with the proper food? Are you providing your rat with a calm enough environment to allow for relaxation and sleep?

If you can identify one of these areas that your rat is not being given the best wellness level, make the necessary adjustments and you should see a return to normal porphyrin production. Like other animals, and even like humans, rats will get itchy from time to time. Isolated instances of scratching and reasonable amounts of grooming are absolutely normal and even expected for your rat.

However, once they gain access into the eye these bacteria can create serious infections. Often the bacteria are introduced by irritation, an abrasion, or by an injury to the eye. Neoplastic or hyperplastic glands, or masse, behind the globe can cause the eye to bulge which make the globe more susceptible to infection. Eye infections can also occur when a rat is exposed to an infected cage mate, or even humans, or by way of contaminated fomites. This can leave the eyes highly susceptible to secondary bacterial eye infections even after the virus has resolved.

Bacterial, or fungal eye infections, or eye infections resulting from parasites often require treatment with an appropriate antimicrobial ointment, solution, or in some cases a systemic agent.

Eye infections can become a serious health issue for the rat and can result in blindness or even death if not treated appropriately. It is recommended that any rat showing severe or persistent clinical signs of an eye infection be immediately assessed by a veterinarian.

Obtain history, type of environment, exposure to any new arrival of rats into the home. Do External examination of the eye. Viral eye infections and very mild bacterial infections may resolve on their own.

Treatments may include the following:. For more serious or persistent infections, ophthalmic antimicrobial ointment or drops, or systemic antimicrobials may be prescribed by the veterinarian. For information pertaining to medications refer to the Rat Medication Guide. The Rat Guide and its affiliates accept no responsibility for misuse or misunderstanding of its information. This guide in whole or part, exists solely for the purpose of recognizing and understanding the care and illnesses in the pet rat.

Please seek advice and treatment from a qualified Veterinarian if your rat is ill. Skip to content Definition Eye ailments that are caused by bacterial, viral, or other microbial agents. Mucopurulent discharge thick white, yellow, sticky, crusty covering globe of eye Porphyrin staining rust colored tears around the eye More serious signs that may accompany infection of the eye s for which immediate veterinary assessment should be sought: Bulging of the eye s Facial swelling around the eye s Signs of respiratory infection nasal drainage, breathing issues: labored, rapid, gasping, and wheezing.

Head tilt or ear drainage Etiology Eye infections can be caused by several agents such as: bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasites. Some types of eye infections are: Conjunctivitis: inflammation involving the conjunctiva membrane, covering the eye whites and inner eyelid parts. Blepharitis: an inflammation involving the eyelids.

Keratitis: an inflammation involving the cornea. Some rats get leaky eyes and it can be due to a number of things from stress to blocked tear ducts. What I normally do is use polysporin eye drops, my vet recommended this, one drop twice a day for a week or so. If it clears up great, if not, then some rats have it for some while and some don't clear up at all.

She is still young, maybe 5 months? Supporting Member. Can you smell her eye for infection? White crusties could be regular seepage but also could be infection.

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