i'm going to have to get my rat put to sleep =(

[xBurntBytheSunx]

first she had one tiny tumor than 3 within the next week. i feel really bad for her, i've had non-stop health battles with her for nearly a year. she's had a skin problem that will just not clear up, plus i was fighting lice for a while, and mites have been an ongoing problem. if i don't give her a bath in flea/tick shampoo every single week she gets another break out of mites. plus i've been fighting a respiratory infection with her for 6 months at least, giving her anti-biotics every day that aren't working very well :wall:

i'm getting extremely frustrated. i absolutely love rats but they just don't live long and i get too attatched to them. this rat has been by far the worst with health problems.

i don't know if i'll be getting any others for a while after this one, but i know i will really miss them b/c they always cheer me up when i'm having a bad day. i dunno if there is another pocket pet i could get that won't die on me within two years or not. i've done a lot of reading and haven't really found anything.

 

[Ritzman]

Man that sucks. I had a feeder rat that I bought as a pet. One of the coolest rodents ever IMO. Never pooped on me once. I had her for about 2 years and she started coming down with all kinds of stuff. I ended up having her take the "rat nap" in "content land". It sucked man.
My condolences to you.

 

[Alex080]

I would say a chinchilla i had a pure white female and they were nice and you can house train them people say but they are the only thing i can think of that will not die in a few years hope this helps also rats usually have several health problems towards the end i have some and they usually die of tumors being cancer they only live a 6months more after at the most

 

[smartie]

Sorry to hear about your ratty, i also send my little ratty girl to happier lands earlier this year. I know many people may not agree with me, but i say get a guinea pig. I have a little male that i raised since he was hamster-size, and he is the most affectionate and entertaining little guy i have ever seen. More personality than a dog in my opinion. Plus their cheap, plus they live 8years+, PLUS they come in a lot of different varieties (not really a pocket pet per se, but near enough)

I have also heard that sugar gliders are nice, albeit on the expensive side

 

[OldHag]

aww sorry to hear that! I just had my poor double rex put to sleep about 2 weeks ago.
I agree with Smartie, Guinea pigs are a riot!! Funny wee piggies.
Sugar Gliders are high mantenance. Research a lot before you get one of those.

 

[J.huff23]

Sorry to hear about this. My rat is a store bought feeder. I have her in a palace of a cage. She loves to try to bite me through the cage (because I slip her some treats through the wires) and poop on me.

Love these rats. Its going to suck when mine gets tumors.

 

[arachyd]

Tumors are not a given and every lump is not cancer. Not all rats get them. I've raised a lot of rats and only one had even so much as a lump which turned out to be a plugged mammary duct. xBurntBytheSunx what kind of bedding are you using? Sometimes a switch to simple newspaper will work wonders. Bathing every week will only add to the skin irritation. If the rat is getting covered with mites but getting such frequent baths I'd think something in the rat's environment is harboring them rather than the rat itself. They normally are very serious about keeping themselves clean. Mine only got baths rarely as more of an adventure than a grooming regimen and they were clean and healthy. Try giving the rat one last bath and putting it in a clean, warm 10-gallon tank with only newspaper for bedding and well-scrubbed food/water dishes. Don't put any of its old toys in with it. Keep it in there for at least 2 weeks (no baths during that time) and see if the skin clears up any. It may turn dingy from the newspaper ink but at least you'll be able to rule out some possible causes. If it gets better you'll have to strip down its regular home and change from your usual bedding because something there is causing the problem. If it doesn't get better chances are there is a problem with the rat itself. Mites makes me think the problem isn't the rat. A lot of the things that cause skin problems also can cause respiratory problems.

 

[mouse]

rat's are the best, my daughter loved the hooded rat we had and i thought my dumbo was the cutest.
gerbils are nice, degus are cute also (don't know much about them tho)
i had chinchillas, they are great, it was hillarious to watch them take a dust bath, they kicked each other out of the bath so they could get in
my male even started the habit of sitting at the door in the morning for the morning "bark-off". he started that with a room mate of mine.
oh, by the way, don't make a chinchilla mad! they will stand up and give a "threat display" . yeah they threaten to pee on you
guinea pigs are good also, we had one that started squeaking every time somebody opened the fridge.
and rabbits, the have lion heads and who knows what (i personally would go for a lop eared one)
hamsters are neat, all of mine bit tho when you reached into the cage, but were fine after they were out (cup them like you would a T ), exept the female hamster i have now, she likes to be held.

edit: oh i forgot to mention ferrets, they are adorable, but not legal in all states

 

[Neuroticax]

Tumors are not a given and every lump is not cancer. Not all rats get them. I've raised a lot of rats and only one had even so much as a lump which turned out to be a plugged mammary duct. xBurntBytheSunx what kind of bedding are you using? Sometimes a switch to simple newspaper will work wonders. Bathing every week will only add to the skin irritation. If the rat is getting covered with mites but getting such frequent baths I'd think something in the rat's environment is harboring them rather than the rat itself. They normally are very serious about keeping themselves clean. Mine only got baths rarely as more of an adventure than a grooming regimen and they were clean and healthy. Try giving the rat one last bath and putting it in a clean, warm 10-gallon tank with only newspaper for bedding and well-scrubbed food/water dishes. Don't put any of its old toys in with it. Keep it in there for at least 2 weeks (no baths during that time) and see if the skin clears up any. It may turn dingy from the newspaper ink but at least you'll be able to rule out some possible causes. If it gets better you'll have to strip down its regular home and change from your usual bedding because something there is causing the problem. If it doesn't get better chances are there is a problem with the rat itself. Mites makes me think the problem isn't the rat. A lot of the things that cause skin problems also can cause respiratory problems.

My first thought was the environment and bedding also. I found that a lot of store bought bedding harbors those nasty mites and lice like no tomorrow. After my first encounter with lice I switched to fleece and old towels. Major difference. You need to either throw away everything in the cage (and possibly the cage itself, depending on what kind you're using.) or scrub scrub scrub.

Since you're giving her meds, I'm assuming she's seen a vet? Why hasn't he/she checked the so-called tumor? I second the idea of a blocked mammary duct. Yes, it could be cancer though.

I don't give my rats a bath unless they seriously stink. Which is once or twice a year, if that. If you keep the environment clean, you really won't have to worry about bathing them unless they enjoy it.

As arachyd said, lice and mites aren't the only source of resp. problems. Prolonged periods of lice and mite infestations can eventually cause death in rats. Resp. issues can be from numerous things. One mainly being the environment, the bedding used, air sprays you use, perfumes, incense, candles.. and the list goes on.

And as for the death within two years comment, have your rats died within under 2 years?

 

[arachyd]

Mine all lived around 3 to 4 years (except the ones we used as feeders of cours) which is about average.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

there is no need to take my rat to get checked for tumors b/c i'm sure she has at least 2, if not 3.

i've been using some grey fluffy bedding from wal-mart, i don't know what its called. i was just using timothy hay but i stopped after they got lice and mites the first time, even though i could have picked them up off a dog or cat i was playing with.

i would guess over the 6 or 7 rats i and my old room mate kept over the course of the last 6 years that the average age was two b/c they would develop tumors after about 1.5 to 2 years and then they would have to be put to sleep. one died of a respiratory infection. one was put to sleep b/c of an ear infection that caused it to walk at a tilt. IME they are not the hardiest animals. i don't know why that is, i would guess a combination of inbreeding, and high metabolism. their bodies are designed to grow fast and reproduce at a young age.

of all the rats we had, i think most of them we had tumors removed from surgically. even after the tumors were removed sucessfully the rat's health always deteriorated. they would become listless and more often than not soon developed other tumors or some other ailment. my vet told me if they have one tumor they will have more so you can have them removed but it is already a losing battle. i would just prefer to get them put to sleep sooner than later rather than seeing my pet put through countless operations that are ultimately pointless.

putting a pet to sleep is not the easiest decision but i would not do it if i did not feel it was best for the animal. and also on top of that my rat is obviously not a human so i am not able either justify or provide the money for countless operations in the hopes of extending her life a few months to a year. atm i literally do not have enough money to take care of my own needs, let alone the resources to justify driving my rat 60+ miles to another vet with a second opinion.

my problem now is whether or not to get more rats or get a guenia pig. although i do not have much money i considered my rats somewhat of a necessity b/c handling my rats is the simplest way i have to deal with anxiety so in that sense i need to have an affectionate pet i can handle and take care of.

my room is so small now whatever pet i have will be confined to its cage and my bed, and i do any longer have a lot of extended time to play with animals so another pair of rats may be ideal in the mean time. if i do choose to get more i may try male rats b/c they supposedly get fewer tumors. i don't know if i could get guneia pigs b/c i don't know if i could trust them to run around on my bed without pooping and peeing all over it or falling over the edge and hurting itself.

 

[Neuroticax]

I wouldn't suggest you get any more rats, period.

You can't do guesstimates about what rat will get tumors. Your only hope at attempting to determine this is to know the source you are getting your rats from & what the history is of the line several generations back.

Rats can be hardy animals if they are from good genes. If you can't afford to take care of them knowing they could possibly have medical issues (Due to store bought rats or bad genes.) then why did you keep buying them?

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

you know i appreciate people's care and concern for animals on these forums. but one thing i never see discussed is how much money is too much to spend on an animal?

there has to be a practical limit for each person. i for one am not willing or able to spend multiple hundreds or a thousand dollars on surgeries on a $4 feeder rat. especially one who is likely to have more tumors within months and then die of old age or complications soon after.

and you know even if i had that kind of money to spend on a rat you know what, i wouldn't. i personally would find find it morally irresponsible to spend that type of money on a $4 feeder rat that is going to die soon regardless, considering there are starving human children who could use that money for food. IMO humans are more important than animals and if you have that kind of money to spend i personally think it would be better spent on easing human suffering.

obviously all animals require an adequate ammount of maintaince money for care, but there has to be some practical limit to it or you will bankrupt yourself spending money on something you can't fix.

i appreciate all your advice, but imo some people need to learn to respect a pet-owner's decision to put an animal to sleep, especially when that decision is supported by their veterinarian. i already know my vet thinks that is best for rats who get tumors b/c i have gone through this before.

i already know rats are prone to tumors and respiratory infections. imo if you're having rats that live between 3-4 years you're probably more lucky than you are good at doing some sort of magical animal husbandry that is getting them to live that extra year or so. and seriously, what is wrong with buying a pet rat that may die from poor breeding when it was bred to be fed to snakes?

 

[arachyd]

Who said you should spend a fortune on a rat? We're simply telling you that 3-4 years is the average lifespan for a rat and if yours are dying in 2 years from tumors and respiratory problems and have recurring lice something is wrong with either the rats or the environment they are kept in. Continuing to buy them as pets in that situation is not responsible of you.

 

[Neuroticax]

my problem now is whether or not to get more rats or get a guenia pig. although i do not have much money i considered my rats somewhat of a necessity b/c handling my rats is the simplest way i have to deal with anxiety so in that sense i need to have an affectionate pet i can handle and take care of.

Now is it that you care for them as pocket pets whom you use for your own anxiety tool, or to be fed by snakes? One second you care, the next they're just food..

As arachyd said, we're merely mentioning that this is not responsible.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

Now is it that you care for them as pocket pets whom you use for your own anxiety tool, or to be fed by snakes? One second you care, the next they're just food..

As arachyd said, we're merely mentioning that this is not responsible.

you're awfully self-righteous about the way i care for my pets. my whole point is there is a limit on how much anyone can and should spend on a pet. yes i care about my rat, but at the same time there is a limited value to them. yes the help me relieve anxiety and that is part of why i like to keep them, but they are just a rat and why should i justify limitless surgeries for something that can't be fixed?

yes my rat has had a mite problem, but other than my being unable to rid my rat from mites, even though i have spent quite a lot of energy an time to do. there is absolutely nothing wrong with the environment they are being kept in. maybe the rats i've bought are inbred, but that is not my doing.

i'm just posting my frustration with my problem with my rat now. you have absolutely no idea how upset it makes me to see her with tumors i can do nothing about. so you can take your self-righteous <edit> and shove it.

 

[arachnocat]

Sorry to hear about your rat. I raised hamsters when I was little and a lot of them seemed prone to getting tumors. I lost two of my favorites to tumors. I don't think it has too much to do with living conditions, it just seems to be one of the many illnesses rodents are susceptible to
Most likely it was cancer so it's not really something you could have caused.

 

[smartie]

I agree with burntbythesun about not being able to spend limitless amounts of money on an animal that is anyway going to die of old age within months. At least he has enough compassion to put it to sleep in stead of just leaving it to suffer! I had to euthanaze my rats myself as my parents wouldn't even pay for a vet trip to do that (i dont mind killing feeders, but its hard on the heart to kill your pet of 3 years...) Aaanyway, didnt mean to hijack the thread.

Do a bit of research, and im sure you will find a pocket pet suitable for you. I still say get a guinea pig, if you get a female, they wont urinate on everything and they dont stink (and they dont get tumours that often). I still have to find another rodent that is more lovable than my piggy

 

[Neuroticax]

My point is, (IMO) if you plan on putting it to sleep every time your rat gets sick don't bother getting them at all. I pointed out how in one breath you said you cared, then in the next you claimed them as just food. There is no need to get nasty, I'm stating my opinion, but apparently you need to go down the ladder instead of speaking. And who said tumors can't be fixed?

I agree with burntbythesun about not being able to spend limitless amounts of money on an animal that is anyway going to die of old age within months. At least he has enough compassion to put it to sleep in stead of just leaving it to suffer!

First of all, "within months" is just ridiculous. Second, as I stated in my first post, if you're getting them from crap pet stores then yes they're going to get sick and die. If you want them to live to their full potential and avoid a major percentage of sickness then go through a breeder. IMO if you can't afford to take care of the pet, don't get it.

 

[smartie]

@ neuroticax - okay i admit that i exaggerated a bit with the "within months". I agree with you, and understand your point. But i also understand the OPs point. It would be good to take an animal to the vet and paying a lot because you became responsible for that animal's wellbeing when you purchased it. I just say that one should be able to draw a line at one point or another where the expenses become just too much, and other people should respect that.