Current Events > Well... Ratney developed respiratory distress and died

(+) Yeah! (+)

Looks like this is the conclusion of the saga that started with the baby rat bringing the respiratory disease to Ratney, Gray and himself. Ratney survived initially, while Gray and Smokey (the baby rat) passed away. Then a few days ago, Ratney developed major balance issues and started acting strange. I eventually figured out he had developed a middle ear infection (likely from the same organism that caused the respiratory disease) and got him on antibiotics - but yesterday, he suddenly started breathing through his mouth, which is usually a sign that they're about to die from respiratory collapse (rats actually can't sustain breathing through their mouthes).

As the day progressed, it kept getting worse despite me giving him breathing treatments with albuterol and suctioning his nose. I couldn't bear to watch him suffer and die like Smokey (who literally went into respiratory/cardiac arrest in my arms) so I took him to the vet to put him down.

The fact that rats are such wonderful, loving animals but have such short, fragile lives is awful. It's brutal. Ratney was my buddy for the past year during this COVID crisis, where I was overworked and over-stressed. I'm going to miss him terribly.

I will never forget - one month after getting Ratney, I took him outside to my back yard and let him play. He escaped the area he was in and I figured he had run off and would never be found, but then I realized every time I called his name, he was trying to come back to me from the other side of the fence, but didn't fit through the hole he went in. He kept peeking his head through, trying to get me to help him. When I finally pulled him through, he was overjoyed and sat on my shoulder, licking my ear.

And that's Ratney. A wonderful pet; as loving and attentive as any dog.

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RIP in Reese's Pieces

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I really can't say enough about how great and criminally underrated rats are as pets, though.

They are so much smarter, more entertaining and loving than any other small rodent or non-dog/cat.


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I remember your last time. RIP to your rats.

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Im sorry, TC. :( I had a friend with a pet rat once so I know what you mean.

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I read all of the previous topics... my condolences that you've had to face so much loss this year.

It's OK; this was surprisingly easy to handle simply because I experienced it twice before and I kind-of expected this would eventually happen, as respiratory disease in rats is almost never fully curable.

But boy do I miss him. What a great rat.



RIP, my cuddle bud

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he was a cutie-pie, RIP Ratney

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