Help! I noticed blood on my rat's chin

panthra · Sep 22, 2018

Please help if you can. I have had my rats for 2 months. Last night I played with them for 1.5 hours with no problems, and this morning I woke to find Olive with two drops of blood on her chin. I don't know what happened.

I am suspecting MAYBE she tried to chew on some plastic or a dog bone treat that might have cut her mouth or chin. I have no idea!! They have had 0 health problems.

Here are pics.

What do I do??

**EDIT: I went and checked on her again JUST after posting. The blood is gone! Did she lick it off?
It makes me so nervous that I wouldn't have seen it if I had woken up an hour later..

SQ · Sep 22, 2018

I would suggest keeping an eye on her
Can you check her teeth, to make sure her 4 front teeth are wearing properly and not too long.
Keep an eye on her weight (a digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram and has a tare function is a good investment for rat owners) and keep an eye on her to see if she is eating ok, in case there is a problem with her teeth or mouth

It is possible it might have been porphyrin http://ratguide.com/health/eyes/porphyrin_secretions_red_tears.php
Hopefully if it is a cut, she will heal ok and not get an abscess

panthra · Sep 22, 2018

Thank you SQ for your quick reply!
Olive is a big chewer, I have wood blocks, wood shapes, two dangly wood kebabs, and wood sticks as well as some plastic that she likes to chew on all the time. As far as I can see when she looks up her teeth are regular sized.
She has been running/climbing/playing with me and her sister just fine and eating my treats (cheerios and egg) as normal.. and like I said, the blood disappeared right after I noticed it..
I will keep an eye on her.. She scared me so bad when I first saw her!

SQ · Sep 22, 2018

Keep an eye on it. If you have a regular vet you might want to inquire if a course of antibiotics, such as clavamox, might be a good idea to prevent an infection of the gums ...... facial abscess and gum infections are very dangerous in rats

Edit: If you think that the things she chews are not safe, you might want to look into provding other materials .... for example, rats enjoy chewing cardboard boxes and ripping up paper and building nests (both get peed on and smelly so need to be frequently replaced

jorats · Sep 22, 2018

Check to see if her teeth are ok.

panthra · Sep 23, 2018

I checked her teeth and compared them to Magpie's teeth and some photos from the Rat Report. They are normal and straight. She chews so much anyway that I know her length should be healthy.

I have plenty of rat chews for her that I rotate around for interest. I always thought wood could splinter and hurt rats but everyone seems to be fine with using it. Maybe a splinter caused a small cut? She's still eating.

Thank you both for replying to my post (and many others.. I've read this forum for a long time before signing up, and you two are always helpful to everyone)! If anything changes or I see more blood, I will be sure to come back to this post.