Not a happy Andy.
Well, I was happy up until yesterday. First thing in the morning, it's a day off, and the weather's not too bad outside. I slowly get ready and check on my rats, only to find one of them not moving (they were all asleep in a ball as they usually are, but one didn't seem to be breathing). Sure enough, I checked more closely and it looks like she'd died overnight - which is upsetting, obviously, but also very confusing as she was just fine the night before, running around with the other two.
Skip forward to later in the day - early evening - and I checked in on the other two, and they're not moving much. I noticed they were out of food, so reached in and put some food in the bowl for them. This normally has then darting across to get to the food in a big scramble (and usually going for my finger in the process). They moved for the food, but they were almost shaking as they went for it, almost as if they could barely move :( One of them got up the ramp to the top to get some food I'd placed up there, and almost fell down it again on the way down; the other could barely make it 10cm or so to the large food bowl next to it. I was worried, but not knowing much about rat health I left them to it, hoping they'd eat some food and feel better. I checked back 30 minutes later, and they were both dead too :( One had crawled OVER the food and into the corner and just collapsed there, and the other had done the same in the opposite corner.
Needless to say this hasn't improved my day at all. I'll admit I didn't spend much time with them but I loved having them around, each of them had their own little personality, traits, things they'd do ... and the room kinda feels empty without them now :(
Skip forward to later in the day - early evening - and I checked in on the other two, and they're not moving much. I noticed they were out of food, so reached in and put some food in the bowl for them. This normally has then darting across to get to the food in a big scramble (and usually going for my finger in the process). They moved for the food, but they were almost shaking as they went for it, almost as if they could barely move :( One of them got up the ramp to the top to get some food I'd placed up there, and almost fell down it again on the way down; the other could barely make it 10cm or so to the large food bowl next to it. I was worried, but not knowing much about rat health I left them to it, hoping they'd eat some food and feel better. I checked back 30 minutes later, and they were both dead too :( One had crawled OVER the food and into the corner and just collapsed there, and the other had done the same in the opposite corner.
Needless to say this hasn't improved my day at all. I'll admit I didn't spend much time with them but I loved having them around, each of them had their own little personality, traits, things they'd do ... and the room kinda feels empty without them now :(