Grieving Rats? Becoming a Single Rat?

[whoknew]

I'm really sorry if there is already a thread like this.. but I did a quick search and nothing came up directly like this...
So, as some may know my one boy isn't doing so well, and of course the thoughts of him passing on have come to mind. :sad3:
With that being said.. his brother has been assuming an almost "protective" role- sleeping on the ground with him and laying over him.
So.. what happens when a cagemate/brother dies? Do rats show an obvious grieving period?
Also, are there issues when two rats suddenly becomes just one lone rat? How will he tolerate that?

Ahh.. sorry for so many questions.. I've only ever had a lone rat before and I've learned since then that having a lone rat isn't really desirable.
Any help or answers are greatly appreciated! :heart:

 

[natalie11123]

yes its very sad when they pass on the other rat is ususally depressed for as long as months, my rat was raised by my other rat who died she took it very hard,i gave her time about 3 weeks to grieve and gave her extra attentiuon before getting another rat i thouht that would be enough time so i brought home a 1 month old rat from the pet store my other rat was so mean to her huffing and hitting at her and even tried to throw her out of the cage i dont think she was over the death of her sister yet, so i kept them in seperate cages and introduced them in neutral areas like the couch. eventually about a month later they are inseperable. rats definitly need time to grieve but they hate being lonley too it s hard to tell when to bring another rat into the picture

 

[DadRat]

Yup, they grieve. When we lost our first, his brother was very lonely. We were in the process of intro's but nowhere ready to put him together with the new crew. Since I had the flu at the time and was spending most of my day curled up on the couch, I brought Dom's cage close to the couch and left it open as long as I was there. He about lived on me for 2 days and then got back more into a "normal" mood.

If your boy looses his cagemate, make sure he gets lots of extra attention and love until you are able to get more and start the quarantine and intro periods.

 

[jorats]

It's hard to watch our little ones go through a grieving period.
Do you have any plans for more rats? I have noticed that with some rats, bringing in new buddies seem to help with the grieving process.

 

[M0onkist]

I had to go through this in August and September. Chance had a stroke, and Mr. Honeycomb became inseparable from him (they always loved each other before, but this was deep, utter devotion to Chance's needs). He'd groom him, help prop him up, sleep with him, let him have first dibs on very tasty ensure (Mr. Honeycomb was normally the glutton).

When Chance passed, Tim found Mr. Honeycomb hovering protectively on top of him to keep him warm. It took Mr. H. a couple of days to realize that Chance really wasn't coming back, and he started to wilt emotionally. I'd take him out for at least an hour several times a day, to try to simulate being a playmate, but nothing beats a rat to give a rat company. So about a week after Chance passed, purely by chance (no pun intended), we were looking at photos of adoptable ratties and found the 3 girl Pips, two with Chance's colors and markings. Love at first sight. Got them about 9 days after Chance passed (which is fast, relatively speaking, but everything just fell into place so easily).

Mr. Honeycomb had been incredibly sedentary, depressed, and emotionally wilting. Not as much interest in the outside, fatter than he should be, not always interested in his favorite things to eat (carrots, yogurt treats). When the Pips came along, he was VERY interested (also very neutered, of course).

By the time they were all integrated in the cage, he was active, following the Pips around (or being followed by the Pips), able to jump again, even popcorning. I cried when I saw him popcorn the first time, because he hadn't gotten excited about anything since Chance had his first stroke at the beginning of August.

Broken hearts and grieving can definitely take all the will to live out of a rat, so I hope you'll consider getting a new one once you're feeling a bit better when your beloved rattie passes, so his brother will have someone new to love.

Here's a photo of all of them together and happy:

 

[whoknew]

Thank you everyone so much or your replies!
At least now I know what to watch for/expect should his brother pass.
I'm still very on the fence about getting more ratties. Don't get me wrong, I still love the little guys.. but it's tough at University.
I have to hide them in a small carrier in a bag on the train home, which I know is stressful but I gotta do what I gotta do.
So if by chance the new ratties and my old guy didn't get along I don't know how in the world I would transport them home. It's hard enough hiding one travel cage.. I couldn't do two, haha!
But I so so so want Dewy to live a happy rest of his life too! And.. of course looking at baby rat pictures makes it so incredibly hard to resist!

 

[MomRat]

I would recommend getting a pair of new rats, especially if they're babies, so that they have each other to entertain themselves with when he needs space to grieve, and not just one little one constantly harassing him for attention. =/

 

[M0onkist]

Another advantage to getting a pair of babies is that when the older boy passes, the remaining rats will have each other.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, whoknew.

 

[henry's_mum]

((hugs)) it is REALLY sad to have to watch them go through this...
My Murdoch grieved HARD for his Henry. and he even had other cagemates. Like with ppl all you can do is be there for them.