How to help my rat

[DanDino]

First off i'll give a short backstory. I was in my own place at uni with my girlfriend at the time who's training to be a vet. She wanted a pet so we adopted a pair of rats, however we have since parted ways and i ended up with both of them because her new accommodation didn't allow pets. I love animals so i was happy to have them both, they had been with me at home for about 4-5 months and they are approximately 2 years old.

Their names are Ziggy and Dusty, and as i was out this Saturday evening playing snooker with my uncle, we stopped for food as well so i was gone for around 8 hours. When i got back at around 11pm when i went to say hello to the ladies, they usually both jump up as happy as anything to see me. However i saw Ziggy just laying there, breathing but unable to properly move. I picked her up and cuddled her and it was obvious she was in a very bad way. I rushed her to the vet at around 1am and sadly she had to be put down because her brain was damaged somehow and she couldn't control her legs. So i said goodbye and came home.

As i'm sure this community will understand, i am heartbroken, i've had no sleep all night and i'm so worried about Dusty, the vet said to keep a very close eye on her for a solid week to see how she is, so i have cancelled all my things for the week to sit with her because there's a chance she could catch the same illness. They had been together since birth and now Dusty is using a hammock i regularly make them, has nibbled it to a sort of tent style and is just laying there, i tried to coax her with her favorite foods but she just takes them back inside with her and lays down again.

I know very little about rats beyond Google and i'm just heartbroken. i can't stop getting choked up and i feel so helpless. Is there anything i can do to help her?

I also know this isn't the nicest of things for you to read and i'm sorry for that, but it's a Sunday and all the pet shops are closed and i really don't have anyone else to ask for help.

I'm new to the forum so i'll introduce myself, my name is Dan and i'm a 21 year old male who lives in London, it's nice to meet you all.

 

[dspch911]

:thumbup: Welcome, your baby sounds depressed. You need to take her out and give her extra cuddle time. I'm not an expert on this, but I'm sure some will come along and help you.

 

[Aida]

Hi Dan, we're so sorry for your loss. You came to the right place- this is why we're here.

Your little girl is probably missing her cagemate, which is normal and really common. As mentioned above, you need to spend as much time as you can with her until she gets past this. Make sure she isn't just "out", but that you are playing with, petting, and cuddling her. Even if she doesn't want to come out, take her out anyways. However, still be careful and pay attention to any symptoms that might mean she's sick.

 

[jorats]

Hi Dan, I'm so very sorry for your loss.
Like it's been said, you've come to the right place. We can offer you advice and support for your grief.

It's really hard to lose a pet and even harder to watch the remaining one struggle with the loss as well. Sounds like Ziggy had a pituitary tumour which is quite common at around 2 years old. It's not contagious or anything.
Dusty is most likely missing her tremendously. Are you in London Ontario or England? If you are in a position to adopt more rats, I highly recommend that but please consider going to a rescue. If not, then I'd say spend lots of time with Dusty. Add a small stuffed toy near her favourite sleep spot too.

 

[DanDino]

Thanks guys, i did let her out for more cuddle time, we played for a while and now she's laying on the bed with me. She seems her quirky self, in her cage it looks so open and desolate without Ziggy in there to be honest. So i took your advice and added a small stuffed animal for her, so when she goes back in for the night hopefully they will become better acquainted.

Pituitary tumour sounds like a horrible way to go, but at least she's not suffering anymore. I'm in England, do you think she'd be ok accepting two more cagemates? If i got any i would like to get a pair of babies, purely so in a years time when it finally is Dusty's time to go we don't have to suffer the sadness of a lone rat all over again.

Firstly i would like to thank you for all your replies, it's nice to know there are others out there who understand these situations and i've taken all your advice on board, if anyone has more to add i'm more than happy to incorporate that too. Secondly i'd like to thank the Admin jorats for giving me a possible definition of exactly what was wrong with her. It all happened so fast last night that i didn't have the chance to stop and think about it, i accepted that she wouldn't make it the second i saw her and just wanted to get her to a vet to put her out of her misery. I dunno if it's weird but i find it more comforting to know it wasn't something that is my fault. I keep beating myself up for being out yesterday because i thought there could be more i could have done if i'd been here.

I've never had caged pets before, i had a rabbit when i was about 13 but that was even a house rabbit. I was so scared that i had done something wrong and that Ziggy had paid the price, my mind has settled a little more now.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my idea of getting her 2 more cagemates as well as any previous experiences you've had involving the introduction process so i can avoid making the same mistakes! and once again, thank you all so much.

 

[jorats]

I would definitely get her two younger females for her. I have found adding buddies always helped the rat and the sooner the better. This is a great time to intro because the rat is grieving and not worried about territory and probably needing companionship more than anything else. Two babies is an excellent idea. The babies can play crazily with each other and not bother Dusty so much.

 

[DanDino]

First of all, i gave her a small stuffed toy and it does seem to be going down quite well. Fantastic advice!

I have spent all day arranging new babies and i'm glad to say on Wednesday i will be getting her 2 new friends, I already have 2 cages for the introduction process, i also know to leave them near each other for 2 weeks to get better acquainted, and then to let them meet on neutral territory. Apart from this is there anything else you could recommend? I have a feeling i'm missing some vital component!

 

[jorats]

CongRATS! You've got a good plan. That's what I would do as well.

 

[Aida]

You're doing great, Dan!

Like it's been said, PT(pituitary tumor) is NOT contagious- and it can happen to any rat, regardless of how wonderful or bad it's care has been. There's so many threads about this condition, because it is a common and awful one. If you do a search for it in our forum search bar, you'll find lots of user threads about it and let us know if that is what your resting ratty was going through or not. It could also have been a stroke that caused the sudden death. Still, there is no point in worrying over it now- you can't change what happened. The important thing is that none of the symptoms you sound are anything close to any contagious diseases I know of, so your other girly is safe.

As for in regard to you getting the two new babies, I also agree that it's an awesome idea- and they will for sure be easy to introduce not only because your girly is still grieving, but also because they are young. Here are some awesome articles about introducing rats:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/newrat.html
http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/introducing_rats.php
http://www.rattyrat.com/guidebook/newrats.html
Don't get scared, though. ALL of the rat introductions I have done in the past have been super easy and worked out great. I'm not speaking for everyone though, ha ha. Just be near the whole process(with a thick glove, or a towel) and be ready to just pull the rats apart if a fight breaks out.
Also, I don't mean to ramble, but some fighting is normal and is needed to establish each rat's status in the colony. The rule I usually go by is "no blood, no worry". Rats will push each other over, wrestle, or "box" and this will probably result in some squeaking. It's a rat's way of saying it gives up to the other rat. As long as there is no screaming, wounds, or preventing one another from eating(as in aggressively guarding the food bowl), everything is OK.

 

[DanDino]

I'm happy to say that i've picked up two little 8 week olds. They seem pretty shy but i'm sure they'll warm up to more human interactions in time. Not had the time to stop and think of names yet, my first pair were named from the David Bowie song Ziggy Stardust (Dusty just seemed to stick!) so i'm sure i'll think of something.

Thanks for all the information and the links, they shall now be my bible for the coming month or so. Obviously now i'm going to quarantine them to make sure they're not carrying anything. I gave them both a good check and they've got lovely soft fur, nothing protruding from their eyes or mouth and so on. So it's all looking good so far. To keep myself busy i'm gonna make some soft furnishings from the big cage as well as some tunnels as i've read that after thoroughly cleaning out the cage it's good to move the furniture around so that Dusty won't recognize it.

Any advice on how to get the younglings to warm up to me more?

 

[Aida]

Yaaaaaaaaaay! Pictures please! I looove squidhy little babies~ <3333


As for getting them to warm up to you, coax them out with food, and just spend time holding/playing with them each day. It's also a good idea to be close to them, even if not holding them or anything. For example, if you're going to watch TV, sit next to their cage- so that way they can smell, see, and hear you through the bars, and will warm up to you. Another thing to point out, is that they will learn from Dusty once the three are introduced. Seeing him comfortable with you, they'll know it's OK.
Here are some more links, then. I studied all of these websites intensely before I found the shack- I have a whole folder-full of links:
http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/training_playtime.php
http://www.ratfanclub.org/trust.html


Also, I'd like to point out: you said you're quarantining them for the recommended two weeks. However, if their cage is in the same room- or even same house as Dusty, then I would say the cat is out of the bag.
Most of the scariest ratty diseases, and the most common, are transferred through the air- therefore it is most likely Dusty and the two have already exchanged their germs. I'm not sure if the other shackers will agree with me(so you should wait for their opinion, too)- but that is just my view, and because it is not possible for me to keep new and old rats in other buildings, I just start intros within days of their joining.