Help, rat dying.

[BitPan]

DS has two pet rats. They were a gift.

Had them about two years now. DS loves them, plays with them everyday.

I have got up this morning and one of them is laying dead still, won't get up and keeps making this loud cough noise?

I think he is dying, I don't know what to do? I'm panicking because I don't like seeing anything suffering. What can I do? Vets are not open until 8am.

DS is 8, I don't want him to see his rat like this it will upset him. How do I keep DS away tho? He will want to go to the rats right away. I don't want to move the rat, because I don't know if he is in pain? Will moving him hurt?

I can't believe how upset I am. I never liked having the bloody rats.

Ring your vet. They will either have their own emergency service, or they'll direct you to another.

Rars only live about two years i'm afraid; there isn't much you can do without a vet. If its a cuddly rat that enjoyed handling, some gentle quiet time together, or if it didnt enjoy being handled, leave it calm and quiet until the vets open.

Ah I do feel for you. We had the same with our loved hamster last week... we had a lovely day of cuddling with her until she passed. I'm not sure about the coughing though, is he choking on something?

2 is pretty old for a rat. We had a couple 'looked after' by our then DS, 8. He was remarkably sanguine when they died, and when it was obvious the first one was on the way out talked to him about it so it wasn't a shock.
I suspect a vet will just use euthanasia.

A pet dying while very upsetting is part of owning a pet. You can take it to the vet when they open and have it euthased and you don't have to be present.

Your DS will be upset but that's normal not something to shield him from. Death is part of life and it sounds like your DS gave his pet rat a lovely life, so focus on that.

Cuddle it and take it to the vets to be put down.
One of mine had a stroke, she was just laid on her side. Try and get a little bit of fabric and wet it and drip feed water, he'll be very dehydrated if he hasn't moved all night.

I'm sorry about your little guy. It's horrible when pets are dying. 2 years is a good innings but in the end it's very common for rats to need to be put to sleep. They are prone to so many health issues as you'll know. Remember the kindest thing you can do is to help them pass peacefully in the end.

This may sound insensitive but I hope you understand where I'm coming from - we have 7 rats so we've been through it too. Rats are social animals and they do best with a group size of 3+. If you and your son want to continue keeping rats you might need to consider if your remaining rat would benefit from company now, or whether it would be best to re-home - or possibly neither, given that both are stressful for the rat and he is pretty old.

Can I suggest Rat Care UK on Facebook? Their advice is fab.

Thanks everyone for your support.

The rat has passed away

DS does not know yet, I'm shitting it. I know he is going to be heartbroken. DH has taken him and the other DC out to walk the dog. I'm going to put the rat in a box with bedding. I don't want DS to see him dead. We will have a grave for him in the garden.

Yes the rats were very cuddly. DS is always walking around with them on his shoulders. They have a big cage with loads of stuff in. They also like to run around the room they are in, but of course are always watched when out the cage.

We will not be having anymore. I don't really want to take the other one away from DS to re-home. I did not even think about the effect this will have on the other rat. Will he (the rat) be unable to live on his own then?

Oh and to the pp who asked. It did not sound like choking. More breathe, breathe, cough, breathe, breathe, cough. Maybe bad wording from me. I can't think of another way to explain the sound. Wheezing might be better a word but it was not continuous.

Please let your dc have the option to see and say goodbye to ratty, don't just get rid.

😢

I have a DS about the same age as yours, and I would consider letting him see the dead rat.
He’s not too young that he needs to be shielded from this, and he will obviously be upset but needs to process his feelings around grief and loss.

Sorry for your DS loss but glad poor ratty didn’t hang on for ages suffering.x

Oh OP I'm so sorry, my childhood friend had rats and they were the cutest, funniest things. There are some lovely books about animals passing if that might help him get his head around it, my niece liked goodbye mog when our long term family/my parents' dog died. She was only five at the time though

I'm really sorry, it's very tough. We unexpectedly lost a rat a while ago and she's sorely missed.

I used to have a pair when I was younger and one predeceased the other. She did pretty well but you have to make sure a lone rat has lots of attention.

I appreciate you said you're not going to get any more, but another good option might be rescuing a lonely, elderly rat as a companion.

It's tough in your son though. Wonderful pets but the lifespans are a curse.

It can be okay to keep older rats alone, because overall the stress of being rehomed away from your son who is bonded to him is likely greater than the stress of being a lone rat. They are very complicated creatures considering how small they are!!! I'm so sorry about your rat who has passed but it sounds like your son has some lovely memories with his little pal.

I'm sorry about your rat. I encourage you to give your DS the opportunity to see him though.

Hi all,

I followed your advice and offered to let DS see the rat dead but he said he did not want to. Which I'm glad of tbh. When I put the rat in the box with bedding, his eyes were white. They have always been a very rich red. It was upsetting to see them.

DS has been very upset all day, as to be expected. He kept bursting into tears and has not ate much at all. He has gone to bed early tonight. I lay with him in bed until he fell to sleep. Seeing my son so heartbroken has killed me, I just wanted to take all the upset away.

The other rat is also looking sad, just laying about in the cage. He is normally so playful.

The whole thing is shit.

It is sad and its so hard to see your child being sad. I dont know how much loss your family has had 'in general' but fwiw, my DC had quite a lot of deaths to deal with when they were primary school age. Even so when DD was 10 her small pet died and it took her a while to process with the extra aspect that it was someone she was responsible for. Just let him know it is sad, and you understand his feelings, and you will miss that lovely rat too.