My poor Larry............

Question
QUESTION: This morning I went down to check on our 3 friendly, sweet male rats (Larry Curly and Moe), only to find Larry disembowled(!!!!!!!!!) and the other two acting like nothing had happened. I know these 2 used to pick on Larry alot, and we sometimes considered splitting up Larry and the others, but did not want Larry to be lonely. I suppose in retrospect I should have.

Why would they do this??? Was he sick? Did he pick a fight?

I am in hysterics. I can't believe my sweet boys would do such a horrible thing. And how long before they turn on each other? Should I split up Curly and Moe????? Are Curly and Moe sick????????? I am so confused, and this is heightened by the fact that I am so upset that my baby is gone.

ANSWER: For whatever reason, they decided Larry wasn't part of the family trio. This is actually a lot more common than you'd think, I recently dealt with this. I'm very sorry for your loss.

I'd keep an eye on Curly and Moe. If you see any squabbling that is severe enough to warrant separating them, do so. If they're unaltered (un-neutered), I'd consider having them neutered, also. Dominance is the main cause of argument between young males.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your answer. I have been watching Curly and Moe, and now Curly is extremely depressed. He won't eat, and won't come out of the back corner of the cage. We had to take him out this morning to give him a bath (he had some blood on his fur), and instead of being his usually spunky self, he just laid there and let us give him the bath... considering they have never once let us get near them with a wet towel.. this is odd. They usually come right up to the cage when we walk in the room. Moe comes up a bit, but not all the way, and curly just lifts his head then turns away and lays down. When I try to pet Curly, he rolls over on his back.

Are they depressed b/c Larry's gone? They were fine until we realized Larry had died and took his body out of the cage, now they are very out of sorts.

Can I cheer them up in some way? They won't even take their favorite fruits and veggies.....

thanks again.

ANSWER: Well, rats grieve just like people do - so its possible they're grieving, especially if they'd been together since they were very tiny. Keep an eye on Curly, make sure you don't see any obvious signs of illness. If you do, take him to the vet to have him thoroughly checked out - he may have something and that may have perhaps sparked some of the argument between boys, particularly if Larry had it also. I'm guessing he's just grieving, but keep an eye on it nonetheless. One of those "better to be safe than sorry" situations.

Other than giving them attention and comfort, there's not much more TO do for him.. time heals all, with rats and with people.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks - I guess it was illness. We were worried by the lethargy, and took Curly to the emergency vet. He got very stressed as soon as he went in there - he had a seizure and died right there on the table while the vet was examining him. We got Moe out of the cage immediately after we got home, changed his food, his water, but now he is showing the same signs. He got better overnight and we will take him to the vet if the symptoms continue.

My only concern is that whatever they got.... will our 2 cats get it? Are they in danger?The vet said probably not... Could it have been something with the cage? I am so exhausted and confused and I want to make sure I protect my other babies....

Answer
Oh my gosh! I'm sorry honey!


Nope, your cats won't get it, guaranteed. The two species have no shared traits so its not a communicable disease possibility.

Sanitize EVERYTHING... disassemble the cage to sanitize it if you need to. Freeze the bedding you're using, freeze the food, and keep a VERY close eye on Moe.