Very lonely rattie - advice needed.

ShaShaBear

One of my pair of girls passed away suddenly last night (judging by her positioning she died quickly and possibly while asleep at the ripe old age of 3.3yrs).
Her cage mate and sister was very distressed when I removed the body (and obviously cleaned the cage). I left their bedding blanket there and made sure the cage was very clean and used my spare base. Poor thing has been quite stressed all night looking for her sister and calling out to her - I'm absolutely heartbroken! She herself has an inoperable tumour so rehoming her is not an option, but despite the physical restraint it puts on her, she is very healthy, mobile and retains her good nature and appetite (so I feel like I can't justify having her put to sleep either). Getting more rats also is not an option for me due to personal reasons at home (namely our dog and my impending labour) so I guess I was hoping someone could give me some tips to destress her, mayhaps make the cage a bit more comforting for her. She doesn't really have long left herself so I'm hoping to make her as comfortable as possible until then

ThePhatMomma

Condolences on your rats passing..What a great age she was.
I lost my last rat about a year ago. He was on his own after his brother died and just like yours he was missing his brother terribly.. The only thing that I found to help him was more 1-1 time with me and extra special treats when he was out. I have dogs too but they were kept away when Harry was out roaming and had to give me my personal space when he was on the couch with me.
I bought him new toys to hide treats in and smear yogurt onto.
I hope you find a solution for your girl.

Not many options left. It really depends on how you have trained her. If she is used to alot of carrying, maybe handle her more, walk around with her on your shoulders or when you sit down and watch TV.

If not just make sure her home is comfortable with plenty of hiding spaces.