UhHuhHer
Well-Known Member
Some of you know that my precious General is in her last days. I have done all I can for her. All that is left is to keep her comfortable and feeling loved until she passes or the decision must be made to put her down. It is heartbreaking to lose my little buddy, but that's not my biggest concern now. My current biggest worry is how to take care of my youngest.
Gumdrop is very social and energetic and the stress of losing her only playmate and companion is concerning me. I was hoping I'd have some time to mourn before I introduced new friends to Gumdrop, but I don't think I can waste time. Gumdrop isn't the same and I'm afraid for her health if she doesn't have some companionship during this tough time. I spend a lot more extra time with her, but it's just not the same as she was when she could play and snuggle with General all the time. She can't even sleep well without a cuddle buddy.
I've been researching around me all week and I finally found a woman trying to find homes for her rescued rats who I feel like I can trust. I don't live in an area where pets like mine are common and the process was much more frustrating than I thought it would be. She has two girls, just a little younger than Gumdrop, who I feel could be a good match for Gumdrop's energetic personality. I meant to find one, but these two are a bonded pair and cannot be healthily separated. I meet them either tomorrow or the next day. I feel very good about this. Like I said, I've been looking at options for a while now, and this just feels very right to me. I won't know until I meet her and them and see the conditions they're living in and their medical information, but I feel more sure than I have in a while.
There is a slight problem though. It's been a few weeks since the ad was placed and, in that time, the girls have become very attached to another young female. She has had more problems being placed, as she has had a tendency to bite when she doesn't feel like she's getting the attention she wants, but she seems to be on her best behavior with the two I'm looking at and they would hate to split them up. The first thing I asked was about the biting and she's never bitten a cagemate. It's just people, and it's a fairly rare occurrence. If she wouldn't be a risk to Gumdrop, I could deal with a slightly more temperamental baby.
Once again, I can't know until I get to meet the woman and the rats face-to-face, but I'm seriously considering trying to introduce the third. The whole point of this is to try to heal the stress and pain from the loss of a member of our little family, and I would hate to break another one up in the process. I think that I have the time and energy for four rats. I certainly have the room and resources. I also think it would be good for Gumdrop. She is so full of energy and affection and it's been hard for General to keep up with her. With multiple companions, I think it would be easier for all of them to keep each other occupied.
Obviously, this all depends on A) what I think after the face-to-face and, B) what Gumdrop thinks of them. I think that I would like to give it a shot. There is a 14-day period in which I could return them and get my adoption fee back, so it would be possible to try it out, but I'd feel awful bouncing them around. I'm not concerned about the refund. I'm just concerned about all of the uncertainty.
I'm having a lot of conflicting feelings right now and I was hoping for some outside opinions.
Gumdrop is very social and energetic and the stress of losing her only playmate and companion is concerning me. I was hoping I'd have some time to mourn before I introduced new friends to Gumdrop, but I don't think I can waste time. Gumdrop isn't the same and I'm afraid for her health if she doesn't have some companionship during this tough time. I spend a lot more extra time with her, but it's just not the same as she was when she could play and snuggle with General all the time. She can't even sleep well without a cuddle buddy.
I've been researching around me all week and I finally found a woman trying to find homes for her rescued rats who I feel like I can trust. I don't live in an area where pets like mine are common and the process was much more frustrating than I thought it would be. She has two girls, just a little younger than Gumdrop, who I feel could be a good match for Gumdrop's energetic personality. I meant to find one, but these two are a bonded pair and cannot be healthily separated. I meet them either tomorrow or the next day. I feel very good about this. Like I said, I've been looking at options for a while now, and this just feels very right to me. I won't know until I meet her and them and see the conditions they're living in and their medical information, but I feel more sure than I have in a while.
There is a slight problem though. It's been a few weeks since the ad was placed and, in that time, the girls have become very attached to another young female. She has had more problems being placed, as she has had a tendency to bite when she doesn't feel like she's getting the attention she wants, but she seems to be on her best behavior with the two I'm looking at and they would hate to split them up. The first thing I asked was about the biting and she's never bitten a cagemate. It's just people, and it's a fairly rare occurrence. If she wouldn't be a risk to Gumdrop, I could deal with a slightly more temperamental baby.
Once again, I can't know until I get to meet the woman and the rats face-to-face, but I'm seriously considering trying to introduce the third. The whole point of this is to try to heal the stress and pain from the loss of a member of our little family, and I would hate to break another one up in the process. I think that I have the time and energy for four rats. I certainly have the room and resources. I also think it would be good for Gumdrop. She is so full of energy and affection and it's been hard for General to keep up with her. With multiple companions, I think it would be easier for all of them to keep each other occupied.
Obviously, this all depends on A) what I think after the face-to-face and, B) what Gumdrop thinks of them. I think that I would like to give it a shot. There is a 14-day period in which I could return them and get my adoption fee back, so it would be possible to try it out, but I'd feel awful bouncing them around. I'm not concerned about the refund. I'm just concerned about all of the uncertainty.
I'm having a lot of conflicting feelings right now and I was hoping for some outside opinions.
