# sleepy eyes



## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

hey can anyone help,
noticed yesterday that after hes been asleep for a while and then wakes up rusty has started getting a bit of sleepy in the corner of his eyes, its not sticky or yucky and when he or smokey washes his face it goes.
he only has it when he wakes up so i dont think its an eye infection as he would have it all the time and also ive never noticed it on smokey.
is it normal. and would bathing his eyes improve it in anyway? 
help would be appreciated,
thanks, 
leigh, x


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

It's not blood but mucus which reacts with the air and changes colour to appear like blood.It could be stress or illness related but thats not to say it's anything serious.If the mice remain in good health don't worry to much.


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## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

yeah hes fine in himself, running found being a little bugger as usual lol  so im not too worried. and like i said its not yucky its like human sleep and as soon as he washes its gone. its never been red though :/ x


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

If you have albino rats or mice the red can clearly be seen and can look quite dramatic as if they have been crying tears of blood but its not so easy to spot on coloured mice.It makes rats look like extras from a horror film.


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## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

oh god that sounds horrible... i cleaned the mice out earlier today and rusty woke up when i was taking the toys out of their cage ready to clean and his eyes werent like it... i dunno really, i asked a few people and everyone has said itd be clear if he had an infection.. if it gets more frequent or his eye looks sore ill ring the vets. thanks for your help though,x


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Sarah is referring to porphyrin, which both mice and rats produce in reaction to illness, stress or other strains on the body. It looks like reddish brown tears. Mice can also get white sticky eyes when they have other illnesses, from minor to major, and this can often be cured by wiping with a damp cloth every day to keep clean. This is of course providing there is nothing more serious underlying the condition.


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