terrapin.station
Member
My rat Rhaegar just passed away last night. (before i continue, this does get a bit gruesome so just a warning.) I went to feed my rats, (there was originally 3 sisters, Rhaegar, Drogon, and Viserys) and only drogon and viserys came out of their sleeping spot for food. i immediately imagined something terrible had happened. i searched around the cage and ended up finding rhaegar curled up and nestled in their favorite sleeping spot where they always snuggle. her head was torn apart and it looked like she had died there sleeping and been torn up after by her sisters. i still don’t know why she died. she was only 1 year and 6 months old. the cage hadn’t been cleaned for about 3 weeks so they had been in there for that time. i hadn’t been keeping up with the cleaning due to mental health issues and being busy. i was still feeding them every night and making sure they were okay. i didn’t notice that rhaegar seemed sick, it’s as if she died suddenly. i can’t help but feel like it was my fault she died. can rats die from lack of entertainment or because of a dirty cage? i cleaned the cage thoroughly after i found her and played with the other two for a few hours. they didn’t seem too fazed and acted normal and healthy accepting lots of pets and snuggles. i was shocked that rhaegar died so suddenly. also, could it be that they got in a fight due to stress and killed rhaegar, or is it more likely that she died sleeping and then was torn up? previous to the three weeks without cleaning, i was keeping up with the cleaning and making sure it was staying pretty clean. i cleared everything out completely and washed everything each 1-2 weeks and took them out while the cage was being cleaned for a few hours, and they got to come out and play during the week sometimes when i had time. they all seemed healthy. thanks everyone for any answers you have. i hope that rhaegar is resting peacefully.
