They die eventually, right?..

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Fancy_Rat_42

New Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2020
Messages
2
Location
utah
YES!! Alarming topic! Got you to click on it didn't I?
It IS alarming! And that's why I am talking about it!
I have had rats for years, I know the whole get go!
I know what happens when they get sick, I know what happens when they get surgeries (DONT DO SURGERY! ITS UNNATURAL AND NOT GOOD FOR THE RAT! rats concept diseases... and then they die! They are not susceptible to surgeries!! my 2c...) , I know what happens when they get hurt, I know how it is adopting a rat at a year old and finding out it had a respiratory disease and having to medicate it for the next 3 years until it finds its time to rest! I know all about rats!
But do they die eventually? Yes! Their death comes very quickly! Quicker than we want it to! But the thing is having them die peacefully. Everyone wants a peaceful death, am I right?
But it is true rats die very quick! Did you know? All rats do die from a disease that they catch. Rats have a very healthy half life! And then they catch a disease. The popular one TUMORS! (Did you know feeding them apples every day lowers the chance of tumors?) I use ammoxocillin in my rats water because i'm still in the process of cleaning up my parents basement. The dust is getting to them! I know, because it gets to me too , but I did move my bed next to my rats so I know whats going on with them. and so we can nap together ...
watch anime, draw , you know.. whatever! They're smart little guys! They get it!
I have 15 + about 7 babies that are about a week old now!
I made a new nest opened up their old box, put on some gloves, so I could move the little guys into a cleaner nest and get a good luck at um! (1 black 5 black with white stripe across face 1 tan if I counted correctly) My dad told me to get rid of all of them but... my little heart thought oh they're black they'll blend in, he'll never notice! But then i realize how much food they eat... I MAY sell two with a solid cage and some rat items, you know a starter kit, and I'm going to shoot for $100. My rats are SPLENDED! Very respectable, good attitudes, they get along great, they don't eat their babies!! They know not to eat babies.. they know better!! That's our family... My rats are worth $$ they are FANCY. I don't want to chance selling any for food, so I might go about the keeping and hiding from my dad route, and clean the cage more often than I already do. (At least once every two days but more upkeep is needed)
In my attempts to educate you I reach out to this forum in hopes of some creative ideas or solved problems.
Lucifur The Father, or Grand Father of my rats now had a breathing problem at a year old when I brought him in. I had to keep the room filtered and give him medicine prescribed from the doctor everyday of his life to keep him surviving. Poor thing, I moved a LOT. and Everytime he went out side or moved his breathing acted up again. It was rough but I knew thats how the little guy was going to go and when he did I held him in my arms and I prayed to god and I watched him go and it was the most peaceful way out for him.
I had other rats that didn't go out so easy, one of them involving a veterinarian and some rushed surgeries me being at work and not realizing what was going on with my rats..
the surgeries resulted in my rats death and I wont go into detail.
The problem is that it happened, and I want to avoid any more chatostrophic deaths. Another one is you know, leaving the rats in their cage! If its roomy enough and you give them attention, they actually like their cage! Crowded or not. Give them something to do and they're entertained easy. Good happy peaceful 2-4 year life well spent!
So i know females develop Cysts!
I know boys get arthritis. I am giving them fish oil and a good vitamin for pets in their water to help with this.
I read that it is not good to feed snakes live rats, I don't know why! But the fear factor for the rat comes into mind! I'm not perfect, I had a snake over 10 years ago and mice that i bread and eventually I grew older and developed empathy and I knew that what I did was wrong. Now I'm not saying anybody else who does that is wrong, I'm just saying I'm not going into detail! I didn't know what I was doing.
I am 28 years old now, and I know Rats is the way for me. Rats are my babies, and I feel like i am apart of the rat pack. We bond, we talk, I love their cute little feetsys, and best of all they study me! They watch me, they love me! We connect, we understand eachother, and we each love unconditionally.
I am not married , Rats are my hobby!
So onto my question more so, assuming some of you have had more experience than i am with the passing part. Mama of the pack Jester a hairless rat patches but shes hairless cuz the babys like to eat her hair.. (i try everything... they think shes got milk in her still) is only about 14 months old, But she has well 10 months left maybe! She's looking great healthier than ever! (except the dust and sneezing but shes getting better)
But if I do start to see the health go down in a female rat, or she develops a tumor... is it OK for me to put them out peacefully with black ice? I know it's quick, I use to do it when I had a pet snake to mice. I would try to be there for her of course, coach her through it. And humanely she'll be out in one minute. Then, could I turn and sell it on the classifieds for snake food? I have had this idea for a while... but doing more research on it seems to make sense.
The other option! I could keep the Rat and try to make it comfortable, but will it be able to live a fulfilled life? Daddy Luci held on as long as he could because he wanted to be with his family, and make sure they would be well taken care of, as of myself, before he left. I also needed him to hang on until I was in a comfortable spot for him to leave because I had had him for a few years. I am not the Grim Reaper and it's not necessarily my decision when the animal is ready to pass on.
Should I let nature take its course and care for the animal until it passes? What if I can't afford vet visits? I'm sneaking food from my family right now to feed the crew while i'll procrastinate re applying for food stamps ( i should do that right now, huh? ). I don't know how sick they are going to get.
I'm not even really comfortable selling the two that I'm going to choose to sell. Hopefully two boys, and I'll set the medium size cage in a cool get up before I let them go. To make sure they go to a good soul who could use them in their life, as for I know they are my emotional support animals and do extremely well telling me how I feel. and telling me how to take care of them individually also.
My rats keep me on my toes and everything I do is for them. It's amazing what a mama will do for her kin , and I'm ready to reach out to others to see what they have to say pressuming they be in similar situations.
Blessed Be your Rats ,
Angel Told
 
Your post was long, a bit confusing, and only are your own experiences put out as truths.
The world of rat owning is a learn on the job training deal but some of us have had a LOT of training. 15 years rescuing. I have done a lot of medicating, treating and vet visits for a ton of things. I have also had my rats go through a lot of surgeries (almost all successful) so surgeries kill rats is too broad a statement. There's many different things that can influence the outcome of surgery. The experience of the vet, the method they use for their anesthetizing, or surgical technique, even the after care before they wake up from surgery. My vet is awesome and I have brought him many many surgical cases that other vets would refuse to do as the outcome was iffy, and we've brought these lovely deserving rats through to live longer happier lives.
Yes they can die, but you try to give rats every opportunity to live that longer life, with appropriate antibiotics for myco flareups (meds in water are old-school and not used anymore as they are ineffective and sometimes dangerous). Sadly most rats live (and die) by their genetic health. A rat with a less robust immune system might be sicker more often and die younger than a rat with a stronger immune system, or you could lose a 1 year old to a stroke...you honestly just don't know. Fresh water, clean cages with as dust-free an environment as possible, as good a staple food as you can and Out time for mental stimulation is what you can do to support their immune system.

I adore rats and have since I was a child . I started rescuing in 2005. My favourites are the oldies but since I more a hospice now I take in any that truly need me including the "nasty" ones that bite. Any rats that are suffering are taken to the vet to be put to sleep, if they cannot die relatively peacefully at home.

If you are having trouble feeding them I would rehome as many as you can to help yourself and them until you are in a better situation.
 
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