The Rat Room

Hairless rats are prone to all kinds of ailments. One of the worst ones is eye gunk. The hairless rat has no way of protecting his/her orifices, and eyes are no exception. In fact it’s a pretty good reason why hairless rats really shouldn’t be bred. When you think about it, it’s an anomaly. It’s a defect in the pet rat. The hairless rat is cold, has a faster metabolism to try and stay warm, they are prone to multiple skin issues from dryness to keratin cysts. They get cut up easily and gashes are always deeper and more serious on a hairless. Most hairless seem to remain smaller which I would think is a stunted growth. In the past, many hairless barely made it to 2 years.
But breeders need to make their money. So they make these lovely babies with these issues and don’t give it a second thought.
A Rat Shack member Lilspaz68 rescued 4 hairless rats with extensive and critical eye damage. They were rushed to the vet who was able to clear them up, clean them from all the debris buildup and save the eyes. Due to lack of immediate vet care, sweet Melvin had to have his ruptured eye removed and might very well lose his other one.
Fortunately, the other members rallied and helped Lilspaz68 because vet cost is not cheap. These rats will have a lifetime of special care living in a cleaner environment. During their treatment, these rats are on antibiotics, they need special drops and daily cleaning. Their cage must remain lint and debris free. My sister and I from The Cozy Corner will be donating special hammocks for these babies. We have found broadcloth that is a blend of 35% cotton and 65% polyester and hopefully this will be better suited for them. Fleece and flannel are completely out of the question for these special rats. And worse yet, they can never live with a furry buddy since the fur can actually become debris and affect the eyes.
If you have a hairless rat and you notice any kind of changes around their eyes, even excess porphyrin, it is imperative that you see a vet as soon as you can. Eye gunk can accumulate and damage the eye in no time at all.
Take special care of your hairless, so they can live healthy and happy lives.

Here are a few pics of these rats before they were brought to the vet.

And thanks to their guardian angel Lilspaz68, these rats are looking so much better.