sudden death of our rat

Question
Hi, one of my daughters rats died suddenly last night and we are devastated. She was 18 months old. She did not appear to be unwell my daughter just said she had refused a treat 2 hours before we found her which was unusual but sometimes she would refuse in the hope for something better! A few months ago she was treated with antibiotics as she had either vaginal or urethral bleeding the vet wasn't sure. She had no other signs of being unwell. could she have just died of a heart attack like on of yours? We now have one rat left. Will she be ok? we feel she is going to be so lonely now and she is a little subdued, Any advice would be great.Thanks. Debbie

Answer
Hi Debbie


I am very sorry for your loss.  Your little girl wasnt very old. I am sorry she died young.   As for it being a heart attack; anything is possible.  You must have read some of my stories previously to know I have lost a few this way, esp one of my favorite boys, Peanut, who died right in front of my eyes after playtime.  I was so distraught for hours I would not put his body down and kept holding him, wrapped in his baby blanket.  It was really a bad moment for us losing him so suddenly this way.    

As for your girl, it could have been heart related, but since you brought up the bleeding, she could have very well had a problem internally too.  It concerns me the vet did not know the difference between it being vaginal bleeding or urethral bleeding.  The vet should have had no problem at all distinguishing the difference.

Of course, what "ifs" and "why didnt he do this or that" bring her back, I do want to know his credentials and if this is a certified avian/exotic vet or simply a vet that sees pocket pets and perhaps think of seeing another vet next time you need to bring your other girl to the vet.  Hopefully not for a long long time!  Which leads me to concern for her too.  She probably misses her cage mate and rightly so...rats are very social and love to be with other rats.  If you want to continue keeping rats, I suggest bringing home another pair of females that are younger, around  3 to 4 months of age. I say a pair so this way they can play with each other like young ratlets do and not agitate or disturb the older girl, yet be there for comforting and snuggle time.  Also having a pair will keep you from having to worry about a solo rat in a year or more. If you would get one friend, whos to say the older rat wont pass and here you will have yet one more solo rat again, sad and mourning the loss of her cagemate once again.  its a vicious cycle.  

Remember, depression weakens the immune system and can cause the depressed rat to fall ill, so for now at least until you know what your plans are as far as getting more rats, try to be with her as much as you can.  This wont take the place of another rat, of course, but at least she will not be so lonely.  I have a male that is alone after his 3.5 year old brother passed in December. He is now 4 years old and he and I have bonded alot.  I knew I could not bring new rats in his cage, not at his old age. He is too grumpy and old to start again with pups and I am not sure it would work out, so I spend as much time as I can with him.  I cherish each day he is alive since he is almost a month into his fourth year of life.

Anyhow, if you want to make the next message private and let me know the name of the vet I would be glad to check things out and even give you names of other vets if needed.