Paw Talk - Pet Forums banner

A rat Elizabethan collar? Eye itching...

3K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Vladina 
#1 ·
Well, my elderly lady rat, Peanut got what appears to be a "rat zit" on her outer upper eyelid (in the fur). It looks just like a human zit, just on a rat. I've been cleaning it daily to try to help it go away, but Peanut just keeps rubbing at it and now her one eye looks slightly larger than the other. It might just be my imagination though, lol. Ive read that constant irritation can cause eye swelling, which concerns me, but I'm not sure how to stop her from itching on it and making it worse. Any suggestions? Regardless, I am monitoring it and if it does get much worse, I will try to take her to the vet as soon as possible, but I'm not sure what she can do if its just Peanut scratching herself. :confused:
 
#2 ·
Hmm, I am not sure if there IS anything you can do to keep her from scratching it, but I would definitely get an appointment with a small animal/exotic vet asap to get it checked out. Let us know what happens!
 
#3 ·
Well, the "head" of the zit is gone this morning, and it looks as if the swelling is nearly gone. I'm still monitoring it, and if it hasn't died down completely by this weekend, I'll take her to the vet (I have classes today and tomorrow, so it has to wait a little while unfortunately :( ) Thanks for replying so quickly, btw! This forum seems to be full of very knowledgeable people! :)
 
#4 ·
You are welcome! Well, the fact that the head of the zit is gone is good news...maybe it really was just a little rodent pimple, you never know! You can see how it looks over the next day or two.
Nice to have you on the forum! :thumbsup:
 
#6 ·
The zit is still there somewhat, I've discovered, but it is going down. I wonder if its just the pressure from having it in that spot that was causing the swelling :confused: Her eye is still slightly more pronounced than the other, but it had decreased since last night, which I am taking as a good sign! I'm kind of a lurker on here. I read posts, but seldom post myself lol, hopefully, over time I can overcome that :yes:

also you can try cutting the nails down. I mean if your rattie scratches, it won't be as bad.
Good idea! I can't believe I didn't think of that :tonguerol I've got itty bitty fingernail clippers that will come in handy!
 
#7 ·
I am glad the zit has gone down, that is good news! Keep us posted on how it goes with that. Yes, I read lots of posts and got some great information on this forum before I started posting. It is a great forum with very nice people who love their mice and rats. Feels like a little online family. And I learn a lot on this forum!
Hope to see you again soon. :D
 
#8 ·
I have a rattie named Peanut, too, but he's a boy..LOL.
 
#10 ·
LOL! Awesome!! I love boy rats. I took in a couple of foster boy rats once and loved the big dudes while they were here! :D They were much less squirrely than my girls, even when they were younger than the girls...although they smelled a little more hee hee!

Peanut is one of those awesome names that works great for a boy or a girl, I love that name! It's just too cute!:D
Yep! She got her name from her love of peanuts. She was my first rat (3 years ago lol to give you an idea of her age, and yet, she is still pretty healthy albeit a bit ragged looking lol) And before I knew better, I used to get her Kaytee Fiesta, I now feed exclusively Oxbow so don't worry lol, and she would immediately go and hoard the whole shell peanuts from her little sister Maggie (now gone and very missed :( ) So, it wasn't too original lol, but its certainly a fitting name! :D

Once I get enough posts on here, I'll post some pics of my rat girls!
 
#9 ·
Peanut is one of those awesome names that works great for a boy or a girl, I love that name! It's just too cute!:D
 
#11 ·
Yep, that sounds like boy rats alright! Boys are normally more laid back and lazy than girls and they usually have a slightly stronger smell. :)
Of course, we love the smell of our two boys...they smell like warm corn chips or corn tortillas, I kid you not! :D
 
#12 ·
YES! That's the smell! My roommate and I were having such a hard time with ID'ing what they smelled like, but we couldn't pin point it, and they weren't around incredibly long for me to really ID it! (We don't eat tortilla chips at all lol) But, now that you mention it, that is totally the smell lol :D Weeks of questioning answered in only a moment! :giggle:
 
#13 ·
Ha ha! I am glad I ID'd the smell for you! :D
Or should I say, the "scent"..or "fragrance". Yep, that is what they smell like to me!
 
#14 ·
Well I came in late, after the issue had resolved but you did the right thing...warm compresses will bring it to a head and burst.

Trimming hind claws to prevent any other scratching injuries works well, and keeping an eye on it is best. The ,ids swelling from the rubbing can make the eye look like its bulging but it usually isn't :)
 
#15 ·
Good to know that I went about it in the right way! I just kinda looked at what I do when I get a zit, and "ratticized" it lol. Its barely showing any swelling today. There's no discharge, redness, etc., so I think its on its way to complete recovery! Really, she's been blessedly healthy and long-lived considering she started off life as a "feeder" rat :)

All of my rattie's might be in for a nail trimming pretty soon. I had to give my Siamese girl, Ophelia a bath last night (she was looking more pink than white lol, joys of having a whitish rat) and my forearm is covered with the usual tiny scratches. None of my girls enjoy bath time lol :D
 
#16 ·
That is great news! It does sound like she is recovering, that is good to hear! My husband and I are such wussies about trimming our two boys' nails. We tried it once and we hated how they squirmed and seemed to be saying, "What are you DOING? Stop it!" so we got a brick for their house (a suggestion from my rat books and people on the forum) so that they walk over the brick whenever they come in and out of their house and it keeps their nails pretty decent. Of course, we still have the usual battle scars on our forearms and hands from tiny ratty scratches. But we don't mind. :D
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top