My girls sleep differently now ....

[2Rats]

Ever since one of my girls ( Lamb :sad4: ) died nearly 2 weeks ago - her remaining 3 sisters I find sleeping in different locations in the cage. And rarely do all 3 sleep together. It is usually 2 together ( and not always the same 2 ) and 1 separate - or all 3 separate.

When Lamb was alive all 4 slept together in the hammock EVERY night w/o fail. They are all doing great but the sleeping arrangements are so different now. The girls have been together always since March 2013 since the day they were born. I just thought it was odd for them to rearrange their sleeping ways since her death. Anyone have something similar to this happen after a death?

 

[temblabamomo]

I am sorry for the loss of your little one. The death of a cagemate can put a kink in their routine, for whatever reason. My Helo always slept in the bottom corner of the FN with Wolfie; when Wolf died I never saw Helo sleep there again, he took to the upper shelves. It's hard to know just what goes thru their minds when they lose a friend.

 

[Joanne]

My rats change up their sleeping arrangements on a regular basis. I also find when a rat is sick, they will often sleep on their own, probably because sleeping in a pile may be uncomfortable.

 

[jorats]

A loss in the colony can change things but also, without a loss, this can happen as well. It's whatever their preference. Don't read too much into it.

 

[2Rats]

It could just be a coincidence that sleeping/napping preferences changed up after Lamb's death :think: -- but ya know we get paranoid about these ratties when "changes" pop up!