hairless eye shut

[violet976]

I'm not sure if this is really an issue yet or not. She is young and has seemed very healthy to me, with just some occasional small amounts of porophyn around the eyes but not much. Today her eye looks stuck shut. Not irritated, just perhaps "stuck with sleep" - that gunk that builds up in the eye. Now, I've had other rats who I've found with an eye stuck shut, and simply wiped it off with a damp, clean rag and they were good to go. Is it the same protocol with a hairless, or is there anything extra I need to consider with this one? Probably a silly question, but since I've never had one and have always heard the dreaded "they are prone to eye issues", I want to make sure I don't do anything wrong.

I also read something about having non-medicated eye drops? Can someone please explain to me if that's something I need and what I should be doing with them, along with any other special considerations I might be overlooking for a hairless rat.

 

[lilspaz68]

Natural Tears drops are invaluable when owning (or being owned by) nakies, for flushing debris, etc. you can just wipe her eye for now though and see how she does

 

[violet976]

Thanks. I jumped the gun I suppose, as when I came back she had cleaned it right up and was peeping freely through both peepers again. But I'm glad I asked, as I'll definitely get those eye drops for her. The idea of a naked rat is so new to me, I'm just afraid I'm going to forget some extra care or concern needed for her.