Question about putting down sick rat with very attached cage mates.?

Question

My oldest female alpha rat Kahlua has a brain tumor and is now unable to do anything so she is to cross the rainbow bridge on Monday.

I am worried about her two daughters that are her cage mates. They are very attached and I was wondering if I should bring them to the vet with me or bring Kahlua's body back home to them so they can say goodbye?

I just don't want my other girls freaking out about the vet if we have to go for check ups or more vet care...they may associate the smell of the vet with death. What would you do?

Answer 1

i suggest that they aren't taken to the vet with mom. since they are very smart, they will see the vet as a bad person who killed there mom. talk to them about it, they will get something from it. maybe to like someone above me said and put a picture of her outside the cage. maybe if you get another rat so they don't think about it as much.  

Answer 2

Dont bring them to the vet they will get frightend becoz they will understand what is happening to their mom you need to tell them in a normal and slow voice that theu mom is sick and is going to die  (since rats over hear our conversation they start to know what somne words mean) just keep going on as you were before and maybe put a picture of the mmo in the cage i hope i helped and i feel sorry for Kahlua may she rest in peace when the time comes :(

-syddles

Answer 3

i would bring the body back to let them see that there mum has gone this is what we did when my mouse's cage friend had to be put down and it seemed to work she got on with life but sadly died a month later due to old age

Answer 4

I would take them so they know what happened to Mommy. Poor thing. Im so sorry.  

Answer 5

... ok .. seriously ...

they will get over it without seeing their mothers body ..

i would just take mum to the vet, have her put down, then bury her ..

I don't really think talking to your rats to say  ''its bad news mrs rats, im so sorry .. but we lost your mother'' is going to make any difference (except maybe make anyone overhearing think your CRAZY)

And as for showing them her body .. ?? wtf .. they will think shes asleep or start to eat her or something LOL, .. ok maybe not but still .. no ..

I would just make an extra fuss of them this week, extra tasty treats or something .. they've still got each other afterall, so within a few days they will have forgotten all about her

Answer 6

I think you should leave them at home, it causes an extra stress on you worrying about making sure they don't get loose. I know rats are smart, but I am pretty sure they aren't going to know what the vet is doing, or associate him with death afterwards. Leave them in the cage at home when you go to put Kahlua to sleep.

Give her lots of love and let the girls spend a lot of time with her before hand...

I'm sorry about your loss.