Year: July, 2008
Tools: mouse, psp7, photoshop
Notes: First in a series of pictures Im going to be doing, using my rat characters, to educate about rats in general.
Seems a fun way of getting certain pieces of info across. For people who are new to rats, a picture might stick in their mind more than just reading something on a website.

Number 1: Porphyrin
Today, Im using my lovely assistant, Jigsaw, to talk about porphyrin.
Porphyrin is a reddish brown substance that you might sometimes find around your rats nose or eyes. Most of the time when people think their rat is bleeding from it's nose, its actually porphyrin they're seeing. I even knew someone who had two of her rats put to sleep because she, and her VET, didn't know what porphyrin was and assumed they both had a serious internal bleeding problem!
So in that respect, knowing simple things like this can even save a rat's life!

Rats produce porphyrin when they are stressed, run down or ill.
There is no need to panic if you see porphyrin, as it can be the result of something as simple as stress within the cage (perhaps if their has been a little scuffling lately, or the heirarchy is shifting).
You might see your rat produce porphyrin after a bath, as a stress response, but usually it disappears as soon as they settle down.
Porphyrin is mainly a sign that you need to be a little more vigilant about that rat, as it could indicate he is not feeling quite right. Maybe he's being bullied, maybe he is coming down with something.

If porphyrin is accompanied by sneezing, or any unusual bubbling or crackling noises from the chest, or any other signs of illness, a vet visit is in order.
Although porphyrin isn't an instant sign of illness, persistant porphyrin should be monitored and dealt with if accompanied with any other signs of ill health