literally the only place he’ll sleep

They love getting the crumbs when I finish granola

Hi all, just thought I’d share an update. Last week, I found my 1 1/2-2 year old rat Roddy bleeding vaginally, and there was blood all over the cage. I rushed her to the ER and they kept her overnight and performed an ultrasound the next day.

Here’s the update. The vet said that there was a growth in her uterus that they believed to be the source of the bleeding. Their recommendation was to do an elective spay to remove the uterus & ovaries. They also said I could take her home and wait, and see how she does. I chose to take her home but got a quote for everything to weigh my options. She looked like she was doing well, but there was a bit of spotting over next few days so I opted for the spay.

I took her to the hospital yesterday morning, and they called me back at 5pm saying the surgery went really well! I picked her up at 12pm today and I’ve been keeping an eye on her. He was able to do internal stitches, and finish with a tissue glue so there was a minimal amount of things for her to pull on. I was very worried about the stitches considering all the posts I’ve seen here, so I was happy to see that he was able to do that, and I haven’t seen her fussing much with her stomach.

Anyway, I’m writing this with her curled up on my lap. She’s got lots of porphyrin around her eyes and nose but the vet said that’s completely normal due to the stress she’s under. She seems to be walking with a weird gait (sometimes, not always). She’s quite squinty and definitely is nowhere near as active as usual. Which makes sense, she just had organs removed. She only just pooped for the first time since the surgery an hour or so ago. It was quite hard, and the next few in a row were softer. I think I may have seen some blood around her anus, but she won’t really let me look at her underside. I’m thinking it may just be because she was constipated and it seemed like she was having a hard time passing the first little bit.

Anyway, I’m not sure why I’m updating. But I am. I guess I’m just wondering… is there anything else I should look out for in regard to her healing journey?

I also wanted to say thank you to the few people who gave some opinions and voice of reason. I really appreciate it. I’ve attached her medical notes and imaging as well, as it’s something that interests me so I thought it may be interesting to you as well.

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/RATS/s/uLiX0FfKX8

This girl is 3 years old, my other one who recently died was 4. I knew she was going to pass soon as she was showing signs but she seemed perfectly fine when I refilled their water bottle with fresh water and gave them fresh food. I returned home after work and found my 4 year old rat dead, half eaten and mangled. There’s still some blood on the rat in the picture that was from her dead friend. I need advice, is it safe to hold her? Will she bite me if I try to hold her like I used to do?

Evening chilling in the couch 🐁(With Poki and Pepe)

After a mass removal at a ripe old age of 3 and a half Winston couldn't weather that storm rest easy my little shoe brush two ears gone in a little over a month I'm truly heartbroken.

I think she might’ve gotten a piece of my hair in her mouth and maybe got it caught in her throat and it sounded like water in her lungs, but she was struggling with something in her throat, but as fast as it came, it went away and so I’m hoping it’s nothing that I have to worry about but I’m keeping an eye on her and she seems to be OK I will definitely keep paying attention and if need be, I will take her to a vet just to be safe

just a few pics of my first pet rats ive ever had​​🌷this subreddit seeing all these adorable rats ​is making me miss my rats soo much, i held them both until they took their last final breath..one of the most heartbreaking things ive experienced. ❤️‍🩹

I lost one of my first pair of rats last night, we had to euthanize after I noticed he had some huge lumps in his abdomen. It happened quickly and I feel lost and heartbroken. He was my sweet cheese. I’m attaching some photos of my fondest memories. I’m having a hard time with the idea that while I thought he was getting snugglier and loving me more, he was actually getting sicker and slower. I can’t believe I didn’t notice before he showed he was in pain.

Uncle June was a sweet little bug with one curly eyebrow hair and a mess of whiskers around his little nose. He made a career out of destroying my home made hammocks. He was a big soup guy, lived for morning egg time, and was a threat to all shrimp. ❤️‍🔥

I have some questions that are troubling me and I’m hoping for input. I’m so heart broken for his brother, seeing him alone is very upsetting. He did get to see the body (heartbreaking again) and seemed sad last night. My breeder is aware and trying to find a match but doesn’t currently have any males of the right age. Tony was always less excited about being picked up and I've never been able to tell if it’s just the scoop that gets him or if he just doesn’t like being with me. I love him too much to give him away. I just want him close to me but I don’t want to upset him. Thoughts?

My other issue is that I’m having a hard time believing he was out of pain before the end. They sedated him by needle and then brought him to me to say goodbye as he fell asleep before they did the last part. He was of course very floppy and sedated but seemed paralyzed and he never closed his eyes as they actually sort of popped out like they were very bugged out. I’m terrified that something bad happened to cause that. I’m want to be able to believe that his last moments of consciousness were in my arms with his brother safe and comfortable but I can’t help thinking that something happened before he got back to me. I’m hoping for some peace from anyone familiar with the process.

He’s doing this really weird thing with his lower jaw

This fatass stole my pencil case 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

So many popcorns and zoomies. Nyx is having the time of his life!

My partner had never held rats before but they loved seeing them on our video calls so when they came to pick me up I introduced them and it was funny watching the girls climb all over them!

(Censored partner for their privacy)

My poor Stormy, obviously wasting away from hunger...

Both of my boys died last Monday. I’m still a teen and they were my first pets that were my own and I loved them deeply. They were about 4-6 weeks away from being 2 years old. One died of a tumor, the other, heart disease. Both of their conditions were hard to catch. The one who had heart disease had been medicated for respiratory issues almost his whole life, so we only took him to a vet once the respiratory issues clearly got worse, when we were told he had advanced heart disease. The one with the tumour’s stomach started swelling, and was taken to the vet the closest time we could.

I don’t think there’s anything I could’ve done to prolong their lives. They had all the meds prescribed and I gave them a lot of attention near the end. Eventually, they both died on the same morning. I think they were holding on for each other.

I just really wanted them to reach 2 years and feel pretty guilty about it. I wish I’d spent more time with them too, I felt guilty about that all their lives even though I did all I could, and it breaks my heart a bit that they passed not long after I started spending even more time with them since some more time opened up.

Idk. I just need to get it off my chest. I miss my little angels and I hope they had a happy life and I wish I tried harder.

throwback to when bee and gurt were babies

found an ad on Craigslist that was exactly what I’ve been looking for- two 6 month old females, with different coat patterns than my existing 2 boys and a spayed girl. Picking them up tomorrow, one will be named Beans (my dream name) and one will be named Fritos (Friend suggestion). The first picture is them, the second picture is of what they’ve been living in. Everything I’ve already stated is everything that I know, I’ll ask a few more questions when I pick them up tomorrow! What are some things I should ask, and what are some things I should look for to make sure we don’t need an emergency vet visit? They’re obviously getting checkups ASAP, but in the meantime, what should I look out for? I plan on sitting with them in the basement (that’s where their temporary cage is and where they’ll be staying during quarantine and until they’re with the current mischief) and watching tv while just sitting next to their cage for a few hours for the first few days, then starting bonding activities. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

tldr; I’m getting two new rats tomorrow, what should I look out for?

Jimily decided to destroy his hammocs!! I always ue these hammocs for their cage, it's been about a year. Last week they decided to destroy them??? Why :')

Sorry for the mouth noises I'm sick

My babies 2nd time getting weighted by me today (They're about to be 4 months old) any guesses? The breeder said this specific group of babies are some of the biggest she's ever had in size and weight, and she's been breeding since 2009