PTS questions - sort of

[MissGuardian]

Didn´t really know what I should put as a title, or where to put it..

I´m not wondering about the pts itself..
But I was wondering.. how do you feel about not taking the rat home after pts/or having it cremated with others if it dies during the winter?

My Stefan is around 20months now, so I´ve started thinking about it..
I think I´d feel guilty if I didn´t take the body home/got it cremated(if during winter)..
I don´t want to feel this way really.. Is there any good tips not to?
Not sure If I´m making any sense :?
Having a rat cremated here is very expencive(around 370$+pts), and I have a rather low income..
And in the winter its often over 50cm snow, so burying in the winter really isn´t an option.. Freezing them would completely gross me out(sorry!)..

So does anyone have an idea to how I can not feel guilty(not feeling guilty about pts, but over not buring them here), and still.. honor them in some way? If they die during the summer I´d still take them home, but..

 

tough question, I'm not sure how I would deal with that myself.

 

[MissGuardian]

I´d really want to know..
Since Stefan is 20months, and has always had an awful health(pet store rat - his brother died of cancer at 14 months), I expect him to die during the winter
I know it´s probably more for me than for them, but I don´t want "them" feeling I didn´t care about them :cry:

 

[Unepuce]

I rent, so I have no place to bury a body - and where I live, this is forbidden, anyway (I know, who would know about rats?). My only option is to have them cremated (although I heard of a pet semetary I should maybe look into). Having a private cremation does cost a lot of money - I believe it's in the area of what you mentionned. My vet also does cheaper, communal cremations, and this is what I go for - to ease my own guilt, I convinced myself that rats are social animals, and that they should be happy not to "go" alone. Maybe having them interact with my guinea pigs do help me believe this... but this is the only way I could make a decision as to how to dispose of their bodies. But my heart still pinches every single time.

 

[mamarat]

When mine pass in the winter months I keep their bodies in my freezer until summer. But the rats that get a postmortem done are left at the clinic with the vet. We can't get them back.

 

[MissGuardian]

I rent, so I have no place to bury a body - and where I live, this is forbidden, anyway (I know, who would know about rats?). My only option is to have them cremated (although I heard of a pet semetary I should maybe look into). Having a private cremation does cost a lot of money - I believe it's in the area of what you mentionned. My vet also does cheaper, communal cremations, and this is what I go for - to ease my own guilt, I convinced myself that rats are social animals, and that they should be happy not to "go" alone. Maybe having them interact with my guinea pigs do help me believe this... but this is the only way I could make a decision as to how to dispose of their bodies. But my heart still pinches every single time.

That´s what I mean..
Communal cremations is what I mean.. It would leave me more money for vet care for the rest of the rats..
Just not sure how to handle it without too much guilt(I handle guilt very badly :wallbang: )..

Do you have some kind of memorial to them? I think I´ve read somewhere here about someone having a dog tag for every rat? Don´t remember who.. I think I´d feel better if I had some kind of memorial for them..

 

[MissGuardian]

When mine pass in the winter months I keep their bodies in my freezer until summer. But the rats that get a postmortem done are left at the clinic with the vet. We can't get them back.

Freezing them really isn´t an option for me.. Both because it would creep me out, and because I really don´t have any room..

 

[AshleyRayeRats]

My first rat that died was my first nakee boy and it was sudden, he was just gone one morning. We were in such shock we didn't know what to do. I wrapped him in a fleece sack and then put that sack in plastic. He was in our freezer for over a month until we decided to bury him. It didn't creep me out, as much as it made me sad to open my freezer. I wish I had cremated him because we have since moved from the place we buried him . . . I like the communal cremation idea. It would cost less, but give peace of mind and still be a respectful way to let him go. . . no matter what, it's difficult. You could always do one of those plaster paw print things, but all 4 paws, that could be a nice memorial.

Other weird idea . . . what if you dug a hole before it got cold out, set aside the dirt somehow and placed a bucket/board over the spot so it couldn't get filled with snow? Kind of a morbid thought, but maybe could work.

 

[MissGuardian]

My first rat that died was my first nakee boy and it was sudden, he was just gone one morning. We were in such shock we didn't know what to do. I wrapped him in a fleece sack and then put that sack in plastic. He was in our freezer for over a month until we decided to bury him. It didn't creep me out, as much as it made me sad to open my freezer. I wish I had cremated him because we have since moved from the place we buried him . . . I like the communal cremation idea. It would cost less, but give peace of mind and still be a respectful way to let him go. . . no matter what, it's difficult. You could always do one of those plaster paw print things, but all 4 paws, that could be a nice memorial.

Other weird idea . . . what if you dug a hole before it got cold out, set aside the dirt somehow and placed a bucket/board over the spot so it couldn't get filled with snow? Kind of a morbid thought, but maybe could work.

Plaster might work.. What do you use for that? I´d prefer to do it when they are alive tho(not sure if that´s what you meant?

If it weren´t so much snow, it could work.. But where I can bury them(we don´t have much soil here, mostly just rocks), snow falls from the roof too, so it´s usually A LOT of snow..(last winter it was1,5 meters at least there).. Which would be a lot of snow to move :giggle:

 

[AshleyRayeRats]

Plaster might work.. What do you use for that? I´d prefer to do it when they are alive tho(not sure if that´s what you meant?

If it weren´t so much snow, it could work.. But where I can bury them(we don´t have much soil here, mostly just rocks), snow falls from the roof too, so it´s usually A LOT of snow..(last winter it was1,5 meters at least there).. Which would be a lot of snow to move :giggle:

Yes, I would do it when they are alive, leaves a nicer memory, as well.
Here are some instructions for making a plaster relief (it's for a human face, but could work for anything)

http://www.ehow.com/how_4853252_plaster ... -mold.html

Also, I am NOT jealous of your snow. It never snows where I live, but I grew up in North Dakota, so I know your pain.

Good luck with everything!

 

[MissGuardian]

Yes, I would do it when they are alive, leaves a nicer memory, as well.
Here are some instructions for making a plaster relief (it's for a human face, but could work for anything)

http://www.ehow.com/how_4853252_plaster ... -mold.html

Also, I am NOT jealous of your snow. It never snows where I live, but I grew up in North Dakota, so I know your pain.

Good luck with everything!

Thanks! It didn´t really cross my mind that I know what plaster are :emb:
I´m not jealous either.. I´m more suited to live in some place that is over 18C all year around :giggle:
In the summer we have rain(a few years ago it rained 83 days in a row!!), and in the summer we have snow..
It´s jokingly said that God loves this part of the country so much, he has to wash it every day :laugh4:

 

[AshleyRayeRats]

Well, I hope to visit Norway someday. My ancestors came from there and I have distant relatives that still live there. It seems like a beautiful place . . . I think I would trade 115 degrees (F) . . . what's that about 45 C, for colder weather. . .

 

[MissGuardian]

Well, I hope to visit Norway someday. My ancestors came from there and I have distant relatives that still live there. It seems like a beautiful place . . . I think I would trade 115 degrees (F) . . . what's that about 45 C, for colder weather. . .

Give me a couple of months, and I´ll trade you any day! :giggle:
Where are your relatives from?(or if you want to, you can PM me)

 

[MissGuardian]

Going to go buy plaster tomorrow to make footprints of them all^^
If anyone has any more ideas for a memorial, just post them tho..

 

[temblabamomo]

If I were ever to be faced with that sort of situation, I would find comfort in knowing that a body is simply that - a body. The body is merely a vessel for the soul (in my opinion). What happens to a body after the soul leaves it isn't quite so important to me, although I think every respect should be taken with the body. I *prefer* to bury all of my little ones at home. But in the event that I wasn't able to do that, I would likely leave them with the vet to be part of a mass cremation (which I assume has to be cheaper than having them cremated alone and getting their ashes back.) Knowing that their soul was free of the body would be a comfort in that situation.

 

[MissGuardian]

If I were ever to be faced with that sort of situation, I would find comfort in knowing that a body is simply that - a body. The body is merely a vessel for the soul (in my opinion). What happens to a body after the soul leaves it isn't quite so important to me, although I think every respect should be taken with the body. I *prefer* to bury all of my little ones at home. But in the event that I wasn't able to do that, I would likely leave them with the vet to be part of a mass cremation (which I assume has to be cheaper than having them cremated alone and getting their ashes back.) Knowing that their soul was free of the body would be a comfort in that situation.

Thank you. That did help.
I think it would cost me around 63-90$ for a mass cremation(pts price.. If I recall correctly that is included the cremation).. So it is A LOT cheaper.. And a price I would be willing to(and able to) pay anytime. A single cremation would cost me almost half my paycheck, so it´s not something I can do often, or probably shouldn´t do at all - considering my rats practically lives at the vet :emb:

The most important thing isn´t necessarily that they *have* to be buried here, but that I don´t just "dump" them in mass cremation without some kind of memorial to them.. If you understand what I mean?

 

[MissGuardian]

Made paw prints today, and have ordered tags for the rats that has already passed..

Nirvana´s prints

The dogs´

The rest is still in the moulds.. Thanks for the idea!

 

[temblabamomo]

Made paw prints today, and have ordered tags for the rats that has already passed..

Nirvana´s prints

The dogs´

The rest is still in the moulds.. Thanks for the idea!

They are lovely :heart:

 

[MissGuardian]

Made paw prints today, and have ordered tags for the rats that has already passed..

Nirvana´s prints

The dogs´

The rest is still in the moulds.. Thanks for the idea!

They are lovely :heart:

Thanks!

 

[*Rebel_Angel*]

I love the tag idea.
Post pics of them when u get them, so I can see what they look like.