Had to put my Rat to sleep today

[kalaban]

I am new to these forums and am glad that I found them.  This site helped me to understand what was happening to "buddy", my 14 month old Rat.  I have had him and his brother since they were old enough to leave the store.  Buddy was very active and more intelligent and affectionate than my Chocolate Lab (Most people don't believe that).  I feel weird posting this, but it pained me to have to put him to sleep today.

He started dragging his back legs last week and he was squinting, something he has never done in the past.  He lived in a 3 Tier Rat condo and I thought maybe he just over exerted himself.  Monday, I really saw him struggle and noticed his breathing was labored.  He just didn't have the usual life in his eyes and I knew he was in trouble.   That's when I sought answers and found this wonderful website.  I immediately called the Vet and knew more than likely he wasn't coming back home.  My kids (5 & 7) cried when they didn't see him with me when I came home today. Turns out, he had a tumor on his spleen and his hind quarter was paralyzed.  I have put 2 dogs to sleep in the past and this was almost as hard.

Thankfully, I had a very good vet and she let me stay with him for a considerable time.  I made sure they provided humane ways of euthanasia and after she provided the sedative I held his head in my hand and spoke to him as I always do.

My bigger concern now, is his brother.  I am too drained to search the net now, so any feedback is appreciated.  These were our first Rats and my knowledge is somewhat limited.  Do I buy another Rat for him to have company, or leave things as they are??

Thank you for allowing me to share my joy and grief.

Dan

[Jaguar]

Welcome to the forum.  Sorry to hear about Buddy, it really is hard, especially when problems like that arise so quickly.

Yes, getting your remaining rat a friend or two would really be best for him.  I'm sure he is feeling the loss as well, and he may start showing signs of depression if you leave him alone.  I always say you should keep three or more rats at a time, so when one passes, there is not a lone rat left to suffer.  If he is an adult your best bet would be to introduce a few babies, as that tends to be easier than introducing other adults.  Be sure to check out the "Quarantine Information" sticky in Rat Health, and the "How to introduce a new rat to your group!" sticky in Rat Behavior.

[Lea]

Sorry you lost Buddy so soon.    I agree that getting a couple of babies would be good for his brother.

[psycho_ash]

That is so sad, I am very sorry. Just know that Buddy is in Ratfriend Heaven scampering about all healthy and playing with other ratfriends and nomming (that means eating, lol) all kinds of tasty treats. *hug*

And yeah, you should probably get a baby (or two, that would probably be best) for the brother. Adults and babies get along better (generally) than adults and adults... There are lots of stickys floating around concerning quaratining and introducing ratfriends to each other.

May Buddy rest in peace.

[AvaAdoreSmashing]

I would get two. Then you wont have to worry about the new rat being left alone if something should happen to the one you have now.

[AMJ087]

Hang in there. RIP Buddy.

[olddeadpig]

Hi Dan - I agree with the other posts here, it's best not to leave a rat on his own, and if you can get a pair of bucks to cheer him up, so much the better.

Now what this advice means is that you will never be without rats, as you will always have to make sure you don't leave one on his own! I think most of the people who post on this forum are long-term rat-keepers (or kept by rats, not sure which way round it is) and I know I've not been able to live without them since the first one. I can easily believe your Buddy was more affectionate and intelligent than the Labrador, no offence to the pooch!! I've kept all sorts of animals; the only ones I still keep are rats.

I had to put my wonderful doe Flash to sleep yesterday. I am a 40-something lawyer who deals with the most upsetting personal injury claims for a living without flinching, and I cried like a baby. I cried again when posting her memoriam on this section of this forum this evening. Grief is a close companion of love, but I'd rather have both than neither, and you don't get to choose just the fun one.

I hope you find some cheeky new companions for Buddy's brother. I have found a lot of help and comfort on these forums - Flash suffered a number of problems over the last month or so that I have posted on extensively (probably ad nauseam, sorry everyone!) - try leaving pictures of Buddy here, or both your boys on the Meet My Rats section. You'll get some random strangers telling you how great your rats are! It helps. All the very best.