mamphy1
New Member
Hey everyone. Back in October I temporarily took on two beautiful little male rats as the owner couldn’t give them enough attention. Sully and Duchane. They were meant to be moving on but Duchane became ill with pneumonia so I kept them while he was treated and after several weeks of antibiotics and extra cuddles he recovered. By this time I was in love so decided to keep them. (I should point out that I’d never had ratties before.) We formed a bond, I became invested and without realising I was suddenly a rat mum. I did lots of reading and tried to make their life as fulfilled as I could. Then suddenly Sully started acting strangely. He couldn’t climb, his head tilted and he stopped being able to feed. I took him to the vet straight away and was told he’d had a stroke and was now blind. He was very ill and even after seeing an exotic animal specialist, the decision was made to let him go. I was heartbroken but know he was suffering so it was the right thing to do. So this leaves me with the dilemma. I know keeping one rat is unfair. Even though I’ve loved this experience I can’t continue to have pets for various reasons. So I don’t want to get Duchane a new cage mate but I know he’s not ok on his own. Are there any times when it’s ok to have a single rat? Sully died today so this is very new and raw. I will make sure Duchane is loved and I can have him with me through out the day. But I know I’m no substitute for another rat. Basically I’m asking what do you guys recommend I do, that will be the best for Duchane. I love this little guy, but I know I can’t be selfish. I’m new to rat ownership so any advice would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
