Fur on face is red

[dan2333]

The fur on my rat's face is red. I think it might be from scratching but I'm not sure.

If he has mites, how would I know?

What can I do?

When I look at his eyes, he just doesn't look bright-eyed anymore. I think he might have some kind of health issue. His brother just died on saturday and I think it might be affecting his health too.

He is about 2 and a half years old now by the way. I do everything I can to make sure he's healthy.

Any ideas as to why his fur on his face is red and he seems not as healthy as he should be?

 

[SQ]

It is likely that the red fur is porphrin.
This means that he isn't feeling well and may be ill.
How is his beathing? Do his sides more more then normal when he breaths?
Does he sound conjested when you listen to each side of his chest with your ear?
Is he eating ok? Is he less active then usual?
Was his brother ill? What was wrong with his brother?
Is he on any medication?

He may be depressed at the loss of his brother. Does he live with any other rats or is he now alone?

If he is scratching quite a bit or has scabs around his head or shoulders he may have mites.
If you think he has mites then he needs to be treated with revolution which you get from a vet.

If you think he is ill then he needs to see a vet that is knowlegable about rats asap

 

[jorats]

Like SQ worte, older rats or stressed/sick rats will get red on their fur due to excess porphyrin.
I'd bring him in for a complete vet check. If the vet doesn't find anything, it could very well be that he's grieving hard for his buddy.

 

[dan2333]

He seems better today! Last night I gave a small piece of romaine lettuce and a piece of pecan nut. Then I just hoped and prayed for him to feel better and now he seems better!

His face looks better and he just seems less stressed out about this brother's death.

 

[mamarat]

That's great!