Rat’s eyes , please help identify issue

[Jrb]

Does anyone know what may be going on with my rat’s eyes? (I’ve included pictures) They get like this sometimes, and other times are seemingly normal. It feels rough- like there’s a scab. Is this those “red tears” rats get? (I can’t remember what they call it). She gets hiccups quite frequently (when shifting positions or just waking up), but otherwise seems to have regular breathing (not a lot of sneezing or labored breathing- so I’d think her respiratory is fine?) Her appetite seems ok, and she’s as active as she normally is. Also, she’s currently an only rat (so it’s not from fighting with another rat). Is this stress-related? Environmental? (There’s no smoke or anything in my house, but the weather is changing and is a little less humid and chillier). She’s about 8 months old. I don’t know if this is a vet issue or just something that’s not a big deal. Has anyone else seen this or know what it may be?

 

[Jrb]

Does anyone know what may be going on with my rat’s eyes? (I’ve included pictures) They get like this sometimes, and other times are seemingly normal. It feels rough- like there’s a scab. Is this those “red tears” rats get? (I can’t remember what they call it). She gets hiccups quite frequently (when shifting positions or just waking up), but otherwise seems to have regular breathing (not a lot of sneezing or labored breathing- so I’d think her respiratory is fine?) Her appetite seems ok, and she’s as active as she normally is. Also, she’s currently an only rat (so it’s not from fighting with another rat). Is this stress-related? Environmental? (There’s no smoke or anything in my house, but the weather is changing and is a little less humid and chillier). She’s about 8 months old. I don’t know if this is a vet issue or just something that’s not a big deal. Has anyone else seen this or know what it may be?

Please note… I just noticed the pictures aren’t showing it really well… her eyes are kinda a reddish rusty-colored crusty material (like a scab, but I think it may be that the secretion dried.) Also, her eyes around the rim are kinda pinkish… not sure if that’s the color of her skin or something to do with the secretion?) If you’ve had experience with this, please let me know what you think!

 

[Lise Patterson]

Hi Jrb. What you describe is very likely porphyrin discharge from the eyes; while it's normal for rats to discharge small amounts of this compound, larger amounts could point to health or environmental problems.
I suggest you check out possible reasons for excessive porphyrin build-up listed here to see if any might apply to your little darling: https://ratguide.com/health/eyes/secretions/porphyrin_secretions_red_tears.php