blood spots???

hey, does anyone know what little red spots on a rats ears could mean. when i cleaned them off i noticed it was blood. is it serious and should i take my little anakin to a vet. no reacurrences so far after cleaning but i'm still worried. if anyone knows anyhting plz help.:( :confused: :(

*are you sure they came from his/her ears and not another area on the body?

*are you sure it wasn't something s/he ate & it somehow got smeared? (When my rabbit eats strawberries, she often gets it ALLLLLL over her--and it looks very much like blood.)

My advice would be to check the rattie's body over and make sure there are no open wounds that need immediate attention. Personally, (assuming the bloody area is/was small and only happened that once) I would keep a watchful eye on the little one and wait a day or so to see how things went.

Good luck ~ Please keep us posted.

Also remember that sometimes "small" incidents are worth a trip to the vet, just for the peace of mind it brings!

no he's not bleeding from anywhere else. i checked that before. the blood spots dissapered after i cleaned him off. i know he doesnt have any parasites but i'll wait. thanks for ur advice. if they show up again then its off to the vet we go:( i'll keep updating his little condition.:D

Perhaps he had a bug bite or an itch, and scratched. But I agree - keep an eye out, and if it happens agin, then a trip to a vet who knows about rats is in order.

I'm glad it was only a one-time thing. It's so scary when our fur-babies hurt themselves! Hopefully, as Karen said, he just scratched himself a bit too roughly. ;)

ok. i believe i have found the source of anakins blood spots on his ears. today i was cleaning the rat cages and moved anakin and his cage mate half-tail(self-explanitory) into a different cage so i could clean theirs. and not 2 mins into i see half-tail jumping my poor anakin. its actually kind of funny cause half-tail is half the size of anakin. its no serious fighting just playing and anakin doesn't seem to mind so i believe i will leave then. the blood spots have ceased so all is well. thanx for the advice and the concerns :D ;)
cya

:eek: half a tail?! :eek:

Sounds a bit painful!
Glad you figured out the mystery and that "rattie" is ok!

Thanks for lettin' us know what happened to the poor baby! ;)

yes half-tail. my 5 year old little cousin wandered away from my brother and his friends and went to visit my rats. i saw him in their near the cages and told him to go back and play. my rat vala had just had babies and their eyes were just begining to open. the next day when it was time to feed the rats i walk to the cage and notice the mom has moved the nest all for one baby. i go to move the baby and i notice how cold it is. its still alive. and thats when i notice half his tail is smushed unger the wire cage. when i lift it off of him the tail goes with it. so as carefully as i could i detach the tail from the cage. when i look at the tail , half of it is hanging by a thread. so i disinfect a razor and the tail and operate. one quick snip andhe now has half a tail (hence his name). another good cleaning and a little bit of cuddling and warming up and he's ready to go back to mommy who grabs him back lol. its a sad begginning to such a young life but he is now in my care coveted by a very good buddy of mine :D

Aww..poor half-tail!
I'm glad he has a good home! ;)

Spots can usually be one or two things. Either it is getting bit by another rat which can be dressed with a little dab 'o' neosporin or bacitracin or teramycin ointment once they are seperated or they have mites. Mites are like fleas. They suck blood. You can see them around the ears and eyes if you have an infestation. It is a cage and animal problem. You will have to clean the cage totally and replace all the bedding and also wash the animal warm water. A little anti-mite spray in the water may help. Rats generally do not like this but it is necesary, like a flea dip. You may also put some ointment on the ears if there is a lot of irratation.
They also make anti-mite strips you can put in the cage which kill mites. THese are not my favorite because they are usually potent and should not be left in the cage for more than a 1/2 hour to an hour at a time