Ginessas Pet Rat

Question
Sandra,

I want to thank you for all of your help for the past few days with Ginessa and her pet rat, Methuselah. Last night, around 9:30pm EST, Methuselah passed away in her arms.

While she is an all-around animal enthusiast and lover, she was particularly fond of her little hairless "rattie." Methuselah and his brother, Nebuchadnezzar, were treated like kings in her house. She fed them nothing but the best all-natural food and even alkalized water to keep them healthy. They very rarely were caged as they loved running around her bedroom. They would even find their way onto her bed and jump and play on the down feather comforter. But no matter where they ran and played, you would have most likely always have found them in their favorite hiding spot, under Ginessa's hair cuddling on either side of her neck.

I know that as she goes through this loss, she is very thankful of all the time and effort you put into helping her save one of her best friends. If there is anything I can ever do for you, please feel free to ask.

James Morgan
(Ginessa's Boyfriend)

Answer
Dear James

Please give Ginessa a hug from me. Let her know my heart is just broken for her and little Methuselah. I wanted so hard to help and tried so hard to find a vet for him to see when he was first stricken. She went beyond every measure to try to get him on the right track, but to be honest I knew he was losing his battle last night with his body temp dropping. This is almost always a sign of impending death in rats.
I am glad that he was able to fall asleep forever in the arms of his beloved keeper. There is no bond stronger than that of a rat and his keeper. When rats finally trust and love, they do it for life.

I know all too well the pain of losing these little animals. WHen people cant seem to understand why I am upset for days, sometimes weeks and most recently, I lost a rat in July 07 after keeping her nearly 4 years and I still cry when I think of her. I usually tell someone that doesnt understand the pain to just imagine if it were their dog, its the same pain only we get hit harder because we only get a few years with these rats and thats it....

Anyhow, thank you for writing. Tears are burning my eyes  as I write this. I wanted to much for that little rat to be ok! The lack of medical facilities are also to blame...nobody wants to learn how to take care of rats and living in a rural area, its almost impossible to find someone. THe vet she had for little Methuselah meant well, but it obviously was not enough.

Let Nessa know she is more than welcome to reach me on my personal email at Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com  any time she wants to just talk. I live in southern NC so we are not that far away from each other.

Sincerely

Sandra