lonely rat due to loss of cagemate

Question
Hi
Yesterday one of my two rats died, The vet was pretty sure it was a brain
tumor, she started to deteriorate very quickly, Now since Aj has passed my
other rat Dilly is squeaking constantly, she has become very withdrawn, not
interested in food.

firstly Is the squeaking a common display of beh. as a result of a loss of a
friend or could her health be in danger too?

and secondly how should I go about finding a new cage mate? I don't want
her to be lonely, but I'm scared she will fight with a new companion as the
other two used to scrap often!

I hate to see her acting like this and just want to do whats best for her.

She is about 6 months old.

any advice would be helpful, thank you
siobhan x

Answer
Hi Siobhan

Sounds like your rat needs to see the vet. Rats don't squeak all the time unless something is wrong. If she is withdrawn and not eating she is probably ill as well.  You are not sure what killed the first rat and because the vet is guessing it was a brain tumor since she declined so fast, thats just a guess. Rats can die from contagious illness such as strep pneumonia, in less than a day, same for many other contagious viral illnesses or bacterial infections.
Being lonely comes in time..I don't think your rat would be this upset and lonely in one day.  

I would call you vet right away! Hopefully the vet is an exotic vet that understands rats and their care. If not I can help find one that can help in the mean time.

What was the symptoms the rat that passed away displayed? How did she act and for how long was she ill?  Maybe this will help shed some light on what she died from.  I had a rat die from a brain tumor last month and he was showing signs of illness for a full week. I have also lost many female rats to pituitary tumors as well and they were sick for a month or longer so its real hard to say.

I am so sorry your other rat passed away.  
I want to be sure it isn't catchy before you bring new rats  in.  The new rat needs a 3 week quarantine so if you plan on it, I would do it soon as we are sure that this rat isn't getting sick
Here is more info on quarantine for rats and the reasons why it is so vital it needs done.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/thequarantinepage.htm

Let me know how it goes!

Sandy