Autopsy: NEED OPINION!

[fantasticp]

One month ago, I bought a friend for my other rat Lola. They were about two months apart in age. They were both female, and although they did get into a scuffle or two now and again, it didn't seem that serious. The new rat did seem to have a sneeze, so I tried to keep them a little warmer. Today I find Lola's "friend" who never even got a name, dead on the floor when I woke up. I didn't hear anything, but I sleep like a rock. She felt a bit moist when I picked her up, and then turned from kinda warm to icy cold in my hands. My question is, how much blood loss will kill a rat? Both of her wrists are slashed, but there is no other apparent damage. I really need an opinion here. Did Lola kill my other rat, or was it more likely her sniffles?

http://img118.exs.cx/img118/8042/rat13qt.jpg

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/6849/rat25af.jpg

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/1324/rat30kp.jpg

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/1665/rat42kj.jpg

 

[Heartfang]

It's possible they got into a fight, and the other rat bit into a couple veins. The only other thing I can think of is maybe your rat was deathly ill... maybe it was a combination of both.

 

[fantasticp]

Do the wounds seem like they could have been serious enough?

 

[Heartfang]

Honestly, it doesn't seem like it. They just look like little cuts... perhaps it was the sickness...

 

[MyNameHere]

Do the wounds seem like they could have been serious enough?

if the only blood you found is what we can see in the pic, then I *doubt* it was the blood loss, but it's hard to say.

If she was sick already I guess it's possible that the fighting stressed her enough that she died. I've seen mysterious deaths in small animals like that and they seem to have no other explanation.

 

[Atalanta]

I agree that it does matter how much blood, if any, was found in her area. Could be a combination of stress and illness. Could also be due to internal trauma that is not readily visible, depending on the seriousness of the scuffle with Lola.

 

[fantasticp]

I really wished I had looked for more blood before cleaning the cage. I didn't even notice the wounds until after I had thrown away the bedding. There may very well have been a smallpuddle of blood, like I said, I felt moisture when I picked her up, but until I looked closer I had assumed it either water from the water bottle (right above her) or some kind of death-oozing defecation or something, and didn't want to know really what I was touching until I got Lola out of there and sanitized. Had I noticed the wounds right off, I would have done a full on investigation of the crime scene. I think Lola will be living by herself for a very long time though after this one.