[Plaguekid]

Context: my rats are over two years old and they came from feeder breeders (not the best genes and cheaper than a rattery bred). I am a teenager who got these rats when they were babies as pets, and my mother was the one who got them.

My first rat has a tumor that is big, and when I first noticed it when it was a bump (months ago) my mom refused to take it to the vet. I have a job and offered to drive to the vet myself and pay for whatever my rats need, my mom refused to let me leave. She says that my rats "were only 3 dollars and I can get new ones" but these rats are PRICELESS. My other rat just started to bleed from her vaginal area (she is not spayed).

I am reading all of these posts similar and it all says to go to the vet but my mom will not let me, even though I have my own job and money. She does not wash their cage, feed them, handle them, etc. She has never touched them their 2 1/5 years of their life! I cannot secretly go to the vet because my card is connected to her bank account, which she will see. She has threatened to kill the rats by boiling them or feeding them to the hawk outside my house if I annoy her too much. What do I do I am scared for my rats. They are my first pets and stuck with me through COVID. I have such a big attachment to them and I don't want them to suffer. What do I do?

My mom says there is no point in trying to convince her because she hates animals and only got them for me because I was able to take care of them, but she says she refuses to waste money on them no matter what. I don't want my rats to die painfully. What do I do if I cannot go to the vet?

 

[ratbusters]

Hi there.
I would say this is an animal welfare issue, in which case you might find some good advice from your local SPCA or similar animal welfare organisation. I wish you the best, and hope you can find a positive outcome.

 

[_dizzy_]

Big yikes
At that age, even if you could get them to the vet, surgery may not be viable. They're old and surgery might not end well. My personal choice would be putting one or both of them down or surrender them to a rescue.
If you have another guardian maybe try to work with them to get them to a better place. And I advise not to get another pet until after you move out because, again, yikes.
Some rescues may even have a volunteer come and pick them up if you call around and explain. Though once they're in they're hands you can't control of they put them down or proceed with surgery.
I'm sorry you're in such a predicament...

 

[JulesRules]

That is a tough situation. Unfortunately the parents make the rules, and it's a shame that they cant see this as an example of how responsible and empathic you are. I agree with the other suggestion that you maybe could talk to a rescue or other friends or family to see if they can take them. Would your parents object to you rehoming them to friends or a family member and providing them with medical funds? A lot of people that might take them otherwise could have second thoughts if vet bills are needed right off the bat.
I'm sorry you are going through this. It breaks my heart to see young people that care but cant have control over big decisions about their pets.
As for people that say " the rat (or whatever pet) was only $3 How could you spend that much at the vet??" (I have heard this sooooo many times..) I tell them my dog was free (true). I would mortgage the house to pay to care for him if I had to. They seem to agree that is OK, so hopefully realize their 'money' argument doesn't make sense and they are honestly just species prejudiced...

 

[Plaguekid]

Big yikes
At that age, even if you could get them to the vet, surgery may not be viable. They're old and surgery might not end well. My personal choice would be putting one or both of them down or surrender them to a rescue.
If you have another guardian maybe try to work with them to get them to a better place. And I advise not to get another pet until after you move out because, again, yikes.
Some rescues may even have a volunteer come and pick them up if you call around and explain. Though once they're in they're hands you can't control of they put them down or proceed with surgery.
I'm sorry you're in such a predicament...

Thank you. When I first got them I never thought about this stage of their lives, but now that I am in it I definitely will not be getting any more pets because of the situation between my mother and the vet. If I need to put them down, I will need to put them down together. They have been together since they were babies, so I do not want one of them to get extremely depressed (and that they both are suffering). My mom says putting down animals is expensive and she insists on using a hammer or dropping them off outside for a hawk but I will not allow it. I have the rats in my room and I watch it constantly in case my mom does decide to kill them. I do not want them to die in such a brutal way, so I need to do some research on how to peacefully let them go.

I was searching for peaceful methods to let a rat go and I stumbled upon the "at home DIY" stuff but not sure if this would be the best. I found this video, and plan on doing this method.
"At Home Small Animal Euthanasia"

This video seems to be the best thing to do when my mom won't let me go to the vet: for help or put down. I appreciate your advice.

 

[Plaguekid]

That is a tough situation. Unfortunately the parents make the rules, and it's a shame that they cant see this as an example of how responsible and empathic you are. I agree with the other suggestion that you maybe could talk to a rescue or other friends or family to see if they can take them. Would your parents object to you rehoming them to friends or a family member and providing them with medical funds? A lot of people that might take them otherwise could have second thoughts if vet bills are needed right off the bat.
I'm sorry you are going through this. It breaks my heart to see young people that care but cant have control over big decisions about their pets.
As for people that say " the rat (or whatever pet) was only $3 How could you spend that much at the vet??" (I have heard this sooooo many times..) I tell them my dog was free (true). I would mortgage the house to pay to care for him if I had to. They seem to agree that is OK, so hopefully realize their 'money' argument doesn't make sense and they are honestly just species prejudiced...

Unfortunately, my family members are not fond of rats, let alone any animals. It took me years to convince my mom to get me rats (some home, school, and extracurriculars), but throughout their lives whenever family came over I had to hide them (no one can go to my room basically). Most of my family members don't even know I have rats, and I doubt they would want to take care of them. They don't like dogs or cats, so rats are probably out of the picture as well.

I am deciding to put them down due to their age and condition, since I have no idea how they would do in a shelter. I don't want to take them out of the place they lived in, especially so late and how their stress may be already. Most likely together because they were born and raised together, and one of them parting would be devastating to their physical and mental. My mom doesn't want me to go to the vet to put them down since it may be pricey, therefore I am planning to do an at home euthanasia. This is a way better option than smashing their heads with hammers or feeding them to hawks (which my mom wants to do). I have this video that I plan to follow, which by the comments seem to be peaceful for the ratties. "At Home Small Animal Euthanasia"

Thank you for your help

 

[Plaguekid]

Big yikes
At that age, even if you could get them to the vet, surgery may not be viable. They're old and surgery might not end well. My personal choice would be putting one or both of them down or surrender them to a rescue.
If you have another guardian maybe try to work with them to get them to a better place. And I advise not to get another pet until after you move out because, again, yikes.
Some rescues may even have a volunteer come and pick them up if you call around and explain. Though once they're in they're hands you can't control of they put them down or proceed with surgery.
I'm sorry you're in such a predicament...

When I first got the ratties, I never thought about this stage of their lives, but now that I am witnessing it and the situation between me, my mom, and the vet, I will definitely not get any more pets. I do not have any family members who are fond of rats, so I am deciding to put them down together. Since they lived their lives in my home, I fear that the shelter can bring some added stress, so I plan to follow an "at home euthanasia" so they can "born together, live together, die together" type of thing. I don't want to only put down one because my other rat losing her sister will be devastating to her mind and body. My mom will not let me go to a vet to put them down, insisting that she can use a hammer or feed them. I do not want that, so I want to follow this video "At Home Small Animal Euthanasia" . from the comments it seems like a peaceful and best option for my rats since my mom will not let me go anywhere near the vet/shelter for my rats.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Plaguekid]

Hi there.
I would say this is an animal welfare issue, in which case you might find some good advice from your local SPCA or similar animal welfare organisation. I wish you the best, and hope you can find a positive outcome.

Thank you.

 

[_dizzy_]

Ah... I'd look to see if you have feeder breeders in your area with a CO2 chamber connected to a CO2 canister. It's a little more reliable and they're usually willing to do this for rat owners.
A proper CO2 set up will flood the chamber with CO2 far faster than baking soda and vinegar and render your rats unconscious within seconds due to CO2 poisoning.

 

[Audrey wood]

where are you located? and as sad as it is putting them down may be the best option unless you can get them treated or rehome them. i wish you the best of luck

 

[Plaguekid]

Ah... I'd look to see if you have feeder breeders in your area with a CO2 chamber connected to a CO2 canister. It's a little more reliable and they're usually willing to do this for rat owners.
A proper CO2 set up will flood the chamber with CO2 far faster than baking soda and vinegar and render your rats unconscious within seconds due to CO2 poisoning.

I will definitely look into that.

 

[Plaguekid]

where are you located? and as sad as it is putting them down may be the best option unless you can get them treated or rehome them. i wish you the best of luck

I live in California, and thank you. I appreciate it.

 

[Verucasdad]

You need to be aware that self-euthanizing pets in almost every jurisdiction is illegal and can lead to charges if it is found out. I am sorry for your situation. Maybe you could get a friend to take them to the vet for you?

 

[ratbusters]

You need to be aware that self-euthanizing pets in almost every jurisdiction is illegal and can lead to charges if it is found out. I am sorry for your situation. Maybe you could get a friend to take them to the vet for you?

Yeah, I must admit I was a little bit concerned about the do-it-yourself euthansia too, especially since you won't have the backup of a vet if it goes wrong.
As I mentioned earlier, it would be worth contacting the SPCA or some other animal rescue, as I am sure they would be able to help with putting them to sleep humanely.

 

[Mkd]

Your mom sounds like she is mentally ill
You should call the police and inform them of the situation. If you have money and transportation get your pets to a vet. If your mom tries to stop you call the police and they might take her to a psychiatric hospital. There she might get the psychiatric help she needs.

 

[Basil9]

It is definitely illegal for your mom to kill them and I think also might be illegal to refuse to take them to the vet when they are sick because it is purposefully causing suffering. I also agree that if both of your rats are over three the surgery they would need to help them might not be the best option. Sadly, I think probably the best thing to do is try to get them to the vet and have them euthanized. I agree with the previous person who said to give them to a friend to bring to the vet. Calling the police might not go well. I am so sorry for your difficult situation, I hope it all turns out all right.

 

[Plaguekid]

You need to be aware that self-euthanizing pets in almost every jurisdiction is illegal and can lead to charges if it is found out. I am sorry for your situation. Maybe you could get a friend to take them to the vet for you?

I never realized that it would be illegal, especially since I see videos online. I am unsure of what to do, but I will try to contact someone.

 

[Plaguekid]

Yeah, I must admit I was a little bit concerned about the do-it-yourself euthansia too, especially since you won't have the backup of a vet if it goes wrong.
As I mentioned earlier, it would be worth contacting the SPCA or some other animal rescue, as I am sure they would be able to help with putting them to sleep humanely.

I will definitely need to rethink, but I will look into my local animal shelter website or find a friend.

 

[Plaguekid]

Your mom sounds like she is mentally ill
You should call the police and inform them of the situation. If you have money and transportation get your pets to a vet. If your mom tries to stop you call the police and they might take her to a psychiatric hospital. There she might get the psychiatric help she needs.

The problem is that I would ruin the family's reputation. I know that police would be a short-term solution but a long-term problem for me. In my family I am already being hidden for my history of going to a psych hospital and the stuff that happened to me, so I would have to call the police as the last option especially since I am not willing to be "erased" from the family. Some of my family members refuse to call me "cousin" "sister" or "daughter" and completely removed me from albums and online mentions. If I would have to reason that she threatened to kill my rats, then of course the family will see me as a selfish person and drive me out. It sounds a little extreme, but they're Asians who only want cookie-cutter perfectionists, and I have seen how they aren't joking as some of my cousins have been forced to leave the family, which I don't want to end up.

Plus my mother is a single mother, and having her go to a hospital means I ruin my sibling's normal life, which I don't want to do. My mother isn't a bad person, but she does have different views than me especially when it comes to presentation and of course animals.

If I didn't have a reputation that was linked to my history of psychiatric hospitalization, then my family would be able to listen to my argument.

I have no idea what to do, but hopefully I can figure something out.

 

[Plaguekid]

It is definitely illegal for your mom to kill them and I think also might be illegal to refuse to take them to the vet when they are sick because it is purposefully causing suffering. I also agree that if both of your rats are over three the surgery they would need to help them might not be the best option. Sadly, I think probably the best thing to do is try to get them to the vet and have them euthanized. I agree with the previous person who said to give them to a friend to bring to the vet. Calling the police might not go well. I am so sorry for your difficult situation, I hope it all turns out all right.

Thank you. I will definitely need to bribe my mom somehow, but not sure yet. Or secretly get there. I am not sure how vets work though because I don't have pet insurance and was never allowed to go to a vet. I also don't know if they would be confidential (if my mom suspected something and called the local vets and asked about me or my rats, would they tell my mom everything from visit to price?). I am saving up my tip cash so my card (linked to my mom's bank thing) wouldn't suspect. The tip money isn't enough because ever since I started working any cash would be given to my mom so she can transfer it to my card, but I don't know how to get my mom to trade back some of my money in my card to cash without her noticing. I would probably need to say that I want to go to a yard sale/craft fair or something.