3 months with a rat is precious time!

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Lise

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Winnipeg, MB
With the very short lifespan of rats, it seems that each month (and each day!) is precious.

I work at a vet clinic, and actually a particularly open minded one... even though we don't treat exotics.

Today though, while discussing how much (I hate thinking about it) I have spent on my rats in the past couple of years on their vet bills, and how even after spending hundreds on some rats they didn't live much longer than a few more months -- people were questioning why I would do such a thing. And why even after seeing that a few times it hasn't helped, I will still put myself out there and repeat the process.

Sometimes I even wonder why, but in my heart I know. If I only get to spend a year, or two years with a rat that I love dearly... even having one more month with that rat means something to me. It is not a short period of time, in the grand scheme of things.

My rats bring invaluable joy into my life -- they are the first pets of my own, and so far the only. Any amount of time I have with them is special. :)
 
I try to remind myself that sharing our lives with rats helps us to remember that each day is special. Every day with our rats is like a special gift. If we can get that thought fixed in our minds regarding our rats, maybe we can start rolling it out to other parts of our lives too.

My hubby and other people have asked why I have rats when they have such short lives and I get so upset when they die (heck! I get upset when other people's rats on the forum that I've only read about die!) But not having rats would mean missing out on so much love and laughter. There's nothing to compare with the unconditional love you can share with an animal (we humans generally aren't very good at it with each other), and rats have it in bucketsful. As I've said to hubby - if I didn't love them so much that it breaks my heart when one leaves, why would I even bother to have them in the first place?
 
This is a great thread and you guys are putting it down so well.

It's so hard to explain to those that haven't opened their hearts to rats. Next time someone will ask me, I'll show them this thread.

If I can give a rat an extra three months to his/her life, I'll do it, cause three months is part of a lifetime.
 
And from the rats side... for an average lifespan of about say 26 months, adding another 3 months on is worth 11% of their lifetime. That's a lot! I like to think of it in proportions, as spending the money to make them more comfortable for a few extra months, makes it worthwhile to the rat, and brings extra joy to the people as well.
 
You have described my feelings exactly and said it so well. Theirs is such a quiet, unconditional love and they grab your heart and won't let go. :lovestruck:
 
Shelley said:
And from the rats side... for an average lifespan of about say 26 months, adding another 3 months on is worth 11% of their lifetime. That's a lot! I like to think of it in proportions, as spending the money to make them more comfortable for a few extra months, makes it worthwhile to the rat, and brings extra joy to the people as well.

Not disagreeing with you at all but I was told earlier this year on a UK forum that the average lifespan of a rat is 21 months. That makes each day even more precious!
 
Nelly said:
Shelley said:
And from the rats side... for an average lifespan of about say 26 months, adding another 3 months on is worth 11% of their lifetime. That's a lot! I like to think of it in proportions, as spending the money to make them more comfortable for a few extra months, makes it worthwhile to the rat, and brings extra joy to the people as well.

Not disagreeing with you at all but I was told earlier this year on a UK forum that the average lifespan of a rat is 21 months. That makes each day even more precious!

For me it used to be 26 months but I will agree its gone down, so I wouldn't be surprised if 21-22 months is the norm now. :(
 
I just picked a random age to use as an example :) I don't know what the normal average is, but when I was a kid and had rats they all lived to be 3 years, my one rat made it past three, and when I was a kid like so many people I did lots wrong. Since I started owning rats again in 2004, the oldest rat is my current one at 32 months, with my personal average being 24-26 months. It makes me wonder what has changed over the years for their lifespans to be dramatically decreasing.

Because of their short lives, every day is indeed special! The first thing I do in the morning is check everyone and refill their water. Getting greeted by rattie faces in the morning is the best!
 
I've asked myself the same thing. My vet told me that it was not uncommon 15 years ago to see a 5 year old rat.
What has changed? She believes too much backyard breeding, too much lab work on them, only to then be given to people where some breeding went on.
Who knows... I just wish we could get their life back.
 
I find because of the short time span we have with the rats I make everyday even much more special. It really gives you an idea of the value of a life when it's so short.
 
I didn't know the expected lifespan was diminishing. That's very very sad and you sure have to wonder why when human lifespan is growing. Maybe we need to start experimenting on humans for the benefit of rats?
 
Fidget said:
I didn't know the expected lifespan was diminishing. That's very very sad and you sure have to wonder why when human lifespan is growing. Maybe we need to start experimenting on humans for the benefit of rats?

Heh heh heh. Right on! :mrgreen:
 
I always had cats before my ratties. And I love cats. But since the 2 don't always mix I've stuck with ratties since my cat died.
The reason for choosing repeated heartbreak over pretty much assured happy years? Cause my ratties not only are company like my kitties were, but they have an enthusiasm for every little thing in every single day that I benefit from seeing. There is no dull or same-old same-old with ratties, even the old ones. And very selfishly I like that when I don't feel like interacting I don't let them out, but when I do they are always gung-ho to come be with me, unlike a cat that is in charge of the schedule. It takes so little giving to be the biggest hero in the world to my ratties, and I never ever fail in their eyes.
They don't just comfort me like my kitties did, they make me laugh, and laughter is the best medicine in the world.
And even the shortness of the time we have means I value each moment more, and I'm blessed by knowing more of them in my lifetime.

Yes, each day of their lives is precious. I can't always afford money-wise to buy them a few more days, but it's my mission and my pleasure to put as much joy in each day they have, just as they do for me.
 
I spend so little buying the rats, but so much making their lives good :lol: and I too wonder about the lifespand, my impulse-rats (from unknown backgrounds) seem to live significantly longer than those with a pedigree and it's rather disturbing :(
 
Since the topic has turned a little bit, I have found out all too well about the short lifespan of rats these days.

I have PTS rats at 5 weeks (pneumonia), 12 months (3rd bout of pneumonia since the age of 6 months), and 20 months (chronic respiratory infections, pulmonary abscesses).

I know someone who does not give vet treatment to the rats (I don't condone that in any way), and her average lifespan is currently about 10 - 12 months old.

We have some wickedly horrible strains of rats in the pet stores where I live. :( They truly are bred to be feeders without the slightest concern of genetics or health and nowadays they are giant batches of rats with the worst health around.

I'm hoping that my newest acquisitions from a breeder will show me that some rats can be healthy.
 
It's so awful that you have to face all that sadness.:(
Four of my five rats came from a rattery, and two of them have needed trips to the vet and antibiotics several times now, and they aren't even a year old yet. They started getting sick at around four months old, and they will be a year old soon.
On a brighter note though, my other two rattery rats are both seven months old and are completely healthy!
 
I think it's hard to say how long a rat will live, even knowing their backgrounds. Gwinny and her sister, products of PJ's pet store, are great examples of that given their amazing ability to endure such tough living conditions.

My longest living rat was born July 2002 (or 2001?) and died November 2005. I adopted her from a girl advertising on GooseMoose and...best rat I've ever owned. Yes it's hard picking a favourite but she was a wonderful companion. I didn't ask much about the girl's breeding background. She was a teenager like myself so it couldn't have been for very long and yet she produced a wonderful and long living animal. She was relatively healthy too, only twice did I have to medicate her for respiratory troubles.

Anyway, also raising my glass to appreciating the time we have. :)
 
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