Lonely Rat

Question
Hello,

Last night my fancy rat died suddenly of what we assume to be a UTI based on research. It came out of no where, and left her sister alone for the first time as long as we've had them. I know rats hate to live alone, but I don't know what to do. She has two tumors that have been growing for several months, and I could tell they are beginning to bother her. And now with the death of her sister she is seeming really depressed. I really don't want to get another rat, so what do you think I should do with her? She doesn't like us touching her or picking her up at all, so she's making it difficult to replace her sister with attention from us. Do you think I should put her to sleep to end her suffering with loneliness in combination with her tumors, or what can I do to ease her sadness?

Thanks

Answer
Your story is so sad.  I'm so sorry you lost your rattie suddenly.  When you have two rats, losing one before the other is bound to happen.  I had a similar experience...I had 2 girls and lost one suddenly also when she was about 20 months old from cancer.  Her sister became extremly depressed, never even leaving her hammock except to eat.  The difference is that my remaining girl was healthy.  I intended to always keep rats so I adopted a new baby to be her companion.  From that point on, my plan (and other rat owners will tell you the same) was to always keep 3 rats at all times so the sudden loss of one would not be that tragic to the others.

You say you don't want any more rats, so you don't have many options.  If your girl has had the tumors for several months already, she probably won't have much longer to live.  Generally, a mammary tumor will grow to a size that will end the quality of a rat's life to the point where the rat will have to be euthanized within about 4 to 5 months.  

I won't tell you what to do at this point, but personaly I would not end her life due solely to depression.  When you see clearly that she cannot feed herself, cannot walk easily or groom herself is when most people will make the decision to euthanize.  Since she won't accept affection from people, you can only do whatever else makes her happy for the remainder of her life.  Give her lots of food that she really likes, even unhealthy foods like ice cream, sweets, etc.  It doesn't really matter at this point.  If she enjoys free play time, let her free to roam an empty room (with supervision of course) several times a day.  Make sure her food bowl is close at hand.  If she has a 2 or more level cage, remove access to upper levels so she doesn't try to go up as it may be difficult or she might fall.  Place fresh cool water in a sturdy bowl on the first level so she can easily drink as a water bottle may be difficult for her.  If she uses a hammock to sleep and has a hard time getting into it, replace it with a super comfy soft place to sleep that is easy to reach (like soft towels). I'm sure you can think of other things that she enjoys.  If she doesn't like to be petted, she may still enjoy your company in other ways...perhaps you can hand feed her or simply let her sit on your lap for comfort.

I hope some of this will be helpful to you.  Enjoy your last days with your baby as much as you can and you will know in your heart when the time comes to put her down.  Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.