Rat Concern

Question
My husband and I purchased 2 rats a little over 2 years ago--we had a female and neutered male. Yesterday the male rat died after having some problems with paralysis. Now, we are concerned about the remaining female, who still seems to be in good health. She seemed to be looking for her brother last night. Will she be ok on her own? I know introducing a new rat can be really tough, but I don't want her to be lonely either. Any thoughts?  

Answer
First, let me offer my condolences on your loss.

Rats do grieve for a lost cagemate, especially if there was as few as two or three in the cage.

This is a hard question to answer because rats can go either way during the grieving period. She could be perfectly ok in as soon as a couple of days, or up to a week or two until she comes to terms with the loss, or she could pine away, become depressed, and die of a broken heart. You will need to watch her for signs of depression. The two most prominent signs are poor eating habits and withdrawing into herself where she doesn't want to interact with you.

What can you do to help her through this?
Do not change her schedule or the way you interacted with her when her cagemate was alive. Everything should remain normal without fuss.
Make a sock buddy for her. Stuff a sock with material until it resembles the size of her cagemate and put it in the cage with her.
Now, when it comes to introducing females to females, it is easier then introducing males to males. Females seem to be more accepting of new babies. If you would like to continue having rats in your lives your girl might just enjoy the company of *two* young ladies around 5 weeks of age. Get back to me if you choose this option and I will help you through the procedure.

spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com