death of rat...

Question
Hey there
I recently got two pet rats two weeks ago. A couple days ago I noticed one of mine had swollen testicles but after a couple of hours they were normal again. I had begun to notice he was not as energetic as my other one, but I thought maybe he just wasnt as hyper or something. This morning I checked in the cage and he was dead. Very upsetting, but I am quite confused on what happened. Can you share any insight? Also should I take any precautionary things to make sure my other rat does not get sick? Thank you very much.


Answer
That's a fairly unusual symptom. Generally rats retain water or have circulation issues that cause swelling due to a secondary problem; an injury or infection. Without anything else to go on, I really can't give you any definitive answer -- it could have been a million different things or perhaps unrelated entirely -- other than to just keep a close eye on your surviving boy, and if you feel he's acting odd in any way, get him in to see a vet.