[isl3cat]

Hello! I'm looking for advice on what to do when one of your rats passes away but the other one lives.

Both of my little guys are getting to be 2 years old, and from what I've read, that tends to be the average lifespan for pet rats. To my knowledge, they're both still healthy and well, and I'll of course continue to give them the best care that I can, but I'd like to be prepared for when one of them first inevitably passes away.

What are some of the things that you all have done in the past? Do you wait until both of them die before getting new ones? Do you try to transition new rats into a cage with the older one? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[Rex the Rat]

If you are willing to get more rats then that's the best option, if not, then you would want to give as much enrichment and attention to the remaining rat.

 

[Willow&Whiskers]

I would get new rats before one of them passes. That way the remaining older rat isn't alone when his buddy passes. And yes, I would introduce them so they live in the same cage. Joinrats.com has really good intro information- Introduce Rats to Rats

I started out with two rats, Willow and Whiskers. I was planning to get another pair of ratties once the rats turned two, but Whiskers unexpectedly passed right before he was to turn two. Unfortunately, it was another month before I found more suitable ratties, and now Comet and Sparky need to bond with me a bit more before we start intros.
As you can see, I didn't have a very good plan for new rats, intros, and all that new rat planning. Reflecting upon that, I can say that I would now have of started with three ratties, and gotten new rats when my remaining ratties were about one and a half years old. With three ratties, if one passes there would still be two left, and introducing new rats at one and a half would ensure that the rats would have company for their whole lives, even if their "original" buddies pass.

 

[Rex the Rat]

@Willow&Whiskers makes a fair point. If you get two new rats now while your current rats are still alive, you can ensure the new ones will be bonded with you and each other without having to risk keeping one rat alone while waiting.

 

[VivDaRatLuver]

I would suggest getting two young rats and introducing them to your old ones so they can all live together. Once your older ones pass away I would get two more within three months, just so that if/when something happens to one of them there are still others. Repeat this until you want to end your lines and then I would say when your down to your last two I would see if you could find someone to adopt yours so they can live the rest of their lives with other rats or I would foster two until your older ones pass away.

 

[isl3cat]

I would love to get two new rats to introduce while both of my boys are still alive, but I work 40 hours a week, and I spend 1 or two nights on the weekend at my boyfriend's place (I live with my parents for most of the week so they feed and check on the rats when I'm gone). I feel like introducing new rats can take a fair amount of time and supervision, especially if they don't get along right away. I'll weigh the options and see how it goes.

 

[sarahbear811]

recently one of my rats died
my remaining rat is tense and alone so we are going to get him some baby brothers!
if you dont want to get more rats after theres one left give him extra love

i think interdusing the rats when they are all still alive is a okay idea but if they bond alot then they get depressed if the other one dies ;(

 

[Becky.boo511]

I used to have 2 rats, but one did die! It is sad and the other rat can sense they are gone AND can get depression! My advice is to get two more baby rats! Do lots research and make sure to quarinte the babies before (slowly) introducing them to eachother! Make sure to google good ways to introduce them, because if done wrong they can start fighting and the older rat can heart the babies! Good luck🙃😀

 

[CorbinDallasMyMan]

If you want to continue owning rats, I would recommend getting a pair of young rats now to introduce to your current boys. It will be much better for your rats not to wait until one of them dies. If one of them dies now, it will leave the other one all alone. That wouldn't be fair to the surviving rat. If he already has a pair of young friends, they will support him and keep him company.

Working 40 hours a week and doing stuff on the weekend still leaves you with more than enough time to handle introducing a new pair of rats. This is something that we all do.

If you don't think you'll want to continue having rats, you could just wait until one of your boys dies and then find a good home for the remaining rat where he can live out the rest of his life with other rat friends.

 

[_dizzy_]

As said earlier you can get 2-3 new rats and introduce them, but if you don't want to then you can try to find another rat owner in your area who wants to/can take in your rat last rattie.