Rat is without friends now.

[komisar]

Hello rat owners. I seem to have a problem now.
I used to have two rats, but had to put one to sleep today. His buddy is left alone now and seems depressed (obviously). The one left alone wasn't a very active rat to begin with. Actually, he was the laziest rat I've ever seen, all he did was to eat, sleep and occasionally - groom himself, but today he has been far too inactive. He eats, but not much, and goes to sleep even when I let him out of the cage.
Maybe that will change later in the evening, as he becomes active then, but I've been trying to get his attention all day with no effect.

My question is - what can I do to make his life more interesting and bring him out of this state? Do rats used to constant company get used to being loners?
Getting a buddy for him is out of the question, I get very attached to my pets, and rats are far too fragile. No more rats after this one.
I will pay a lot of attention to him (he is sleeping on my lap now), and hopefully he will snap out of it, but any advice is much appreciated.

Also - I haven't cleaned his cage yet, so it still smells of his friend. Should I do that to erase the smell, or should I keep it like this for a few days?

 

[dspch911]

I'm new to rats so I cannot answer your questions, but sorry for your loss :hugs:

 

[hopefloats]

We just lost Lydia who is Marinettes sister she was so sad for a few days after. Spend extra time with him and give him a few nice treats. He will come out of it. or find a buddy around his age for him.

 

[jorats]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Your little guy will grieve and that could be why he is less active. Make sure to spend a lot of time with him. I would clean the cage and make it eye pleasing for him, colours and hanging toys. Maybe even change it up for him. Give him newspaper to play with and tissue boxes. Entice him with healthy treats. Put a stuffed teddy bear in there in case he feels like cuddling.

 

[mamarat]

Your baby is grieving. Is it possible to foster a buddy or two until he passes?

 

[komisar]

Thanks for the replies. So far I've put a piece of cloth and some paper in his cage to keep him busy when I'm not carrying him. Other than that - I'll get him some sort of a small plush toy tomorrow to see if he will be interested in it. Right now he gets a bit more active at night - eats more and moves around the cage a bit. Today he has even groomed himself a few times while on my chair.

Getting him a new friend won't happen, I'm afraid. No more rats after this one, partly because they are so prone to sickness, but mostly because I'm leaving for university next year, and pets don't stand too well with dorms.

Just hope that the rat can get over his depression and live a normal rat life.

 

[SQ]

How old is he?

Your baby is grieving. Is it possible to foster a buddy or two until he passes?

Rats need to live with at least one friend .... as mamarat said, would it be possible for you to foster another rat or 2 for a rescue?

 

[komisar]

Nope, no more rats. Like I said - I get very attached to my pets. That, and I'm moving in less than a year.

 

Aww. Poor buddy. Well, if getting another is out of the question, maybe you could let him have play time with a friend who has rats (if you have a friend with rats), or maybe you could find a local shelter that would let you bring him in and play with some of their healthy rescue rats (if that's an option). Other than that just do what everyone else suggested and play with him and give him toys and stuffies. Maybe you could get a rat pocket or a sweatshirt with a big pocket and carry him around in it.

 

[komisar]

I've been playing a lot with him in the past few days and he seems a bit better now. He spends less time staring blankly into nothingness, and more time grooming himself, moving around or eating. He also walks around the room when out of his cage.
I bought a stuffed toy for him, but he doesn't pay much attention to it. Maybe he will once it starts smelling of him.

Are small rubber toys a good idea?

 

[jorats]

You could try a rubber toy, any bird toy would be great too. You could wrap some treats in a napkin, stuff it in a toilet paper tube and hang in not too high in the cage so he has to work at getting it. That would keep him stimulated.

 

[SQ]

btw, visiting other rats (unless rats you know well) is a bad idea
- you would need to do intros, unfamiliar rats can not just be put together unless all are under 3 months old
- the risk of him catching a disease from other rats like SDA, etc

 

[komisar]

Will give the piniata a try, he needs more exercise. I've been feeding him far too much in the past few days tho.

Update on the rat: he seems to be doing much better now. He wants to play and goes out of the cage more often, even tries to 'read' the books and newspapers on the shelves. Maybe there is some hope for him.

 

[MattJJC]

It always hurts to see them go or even worse, having to put them to sleep...

I found out my old rat, Spirit (who is in care with a friend) has a growing Tumor on her stomach so I may be losing her soon.

However, she never had a cagemate due to my mom thinking 'One rat is bad enough' (Of course before she came to love rats) But of course, it was too late to buy her a partner, so I'm not sure yet how to handle a rat who loses his/her cagemate. I rue the day this happens with my current rats.

Best wishes.

 

[fleecywonder]

I had one rat who lost her sister and WOULD NOT accept cage mates after that, she would shriek and squeal if a rat got within 12 inches of her even through the cage bars. I tried intro's for 2-3 months and finally gave up and just visited her multple times a day. Don't beat yourself up if you can't get more rats or find another rat for yours just give him LOTS of extra treats and scratches and love and out of cage time.