Should i euthenize a young but very sick rat with Vinegar and baking soda (Co2) here at home?

Question

I got this rat from a pet store, and it was very quiet and wasnt as bouncy as the others in the cage, and i was thinking, hey, this'll be a calm rat! After a couple of days of being with me, her condition went from being a calm rat, to being a rat with possible brain damage!

She cant really control her movements. If she tries to crawl around on me, she just falls down. And today, she cant control herself when it comes to going 'potty'.

Also, she seems to have seizures or something. Because she'll start having involuntary movements, and twitching, etc.

Plus she isnt eating as much as she used to, or drinking.

It seems like she cant. There is PLENTY of food and nice cool water readily available for her.

I really feel like it would be the best thing to put her out of her misery. Especially if she wont eat or drink, and will starve to death otherwise.

I would take her to the vet to be put to sleep, but they charge alot for it. Since she is a young and 'exotic' pet.

I've researched how to euthinize at home, and the 2 options that i got were break the neck (which i cant do, too 'hands on'.) or use baking soda and vinegar and let the rat breath in the Co2 that results from the reaction. (to be done in an air tight container.)

I just want to know what other people think.

Thanks so much.

And i will add that this isnt an easy task for me.

I love rats. I have 4 others that have grown up beatifully and are healthy.

Answer 1

It's a very sad day when you have to do this but I think the best option would be to put it down either with:

Break the neck,

Shoot it,

or the best answer would probably be doing the Co2 thing.

Sorry about the loss

Answer 2

DONT TAKE IT TO THE VET!!!!

They don't do it humanley trust me.

What I did for my mouse when he was sick was I put him in his favorite hidout in his cage, then I had a tube running from the exhaust pipe of a car to the part of his cage. He slowly got tired then sent to sleep.

Answer 3

Why not just take her to the vet and have them do it humanly? and also...i'd be giving that pet store a phone call and chew some @$$! selling sick is animals is wrong and they should be notified

Answer 4

well, most people would kill it in a much worse way

Answer 5

try taking her to the vet and see if the vet can help. if not have her put to sleep. but not at home. take her to a humane society or have the vet do it. and if you are going to have her put down there ask if you can hold her while she passes. she doesnt deserve to pass away alone without you.

Answer 6

GIVE THE RAT AN ADULT DOSE OF NYQUIL.

Answer 7

no it would go better if you take it to a vet, that sounds cruel

Answer 8

Take her back to the pet store, they will euthanize it humanely. They will NOT feed a sick animal to the snakes.

Answer 9

sure and y do u have a pet rat

Answer 10

I agree with some of the ppl here. Either method would be cruel to the rat. It either suffocates(Not fun) or gets its neck broken. It make be expensive at the vet, but it is the most humane option. Also, if the vet has not diagnosed the condition you could have him diagnose it so you know what it is.

Answer 11

if you bought her a couple of days ago, you should be able to just take her back to the pet store and you could get a different rat.But dont euthenize her yourself! if you do with those chemicals, it might not kill her but just put the poor thing in even more pain....poor baby! just take her back to the pet store and they will deal with her.

Answer 12

If she isn't eating much nature will probably take it's course. I would separate her from the others for now and see what happens. You could also take her back to the pet store and do the responsible thing. You SHOULD NOT try to euthanize this animal yourself. This could make her suffer even more. Pet stores usually work with veterinarians so it's possible they will have a sick animal put down at a better price. Either way DON'T do this yourself with some home made contraption, that's just CRUEL!  

Answer 13

I agree it certainly sounds like the rat needs to be put down... I would be too sad to do either method though; if I were you I would bring the rat back to the pet store, show them the kind of pet they sold you, demand your money back, and let them take care of the euthanizing.  

Answer 14

Take it to the Humane society since you are too cheap to pay the vet bill.   Killing it yourself is really disgusting.   Maybe you shouldn't have any pets if you don't want to pay for their care.

Answer 15

i personally have done this for my rat and just to tell you, follow it to the letter. i am assuming you are reading this from rat fan club. follow it to the letter and pay attention to your rat in case of stress. all the people who say they're suffocating don't know what they're talking about. it is an anesthetic that puts them to sleep and then when in their sleep gets stronger. honestly if a vet is outta the question, this is at least worth a shot rather than starvation. if it doesn't work, try hand feeding the rattie too. or giving pedialyte and ensure or baby formula. i know this kills you to have to put the rat down but do right by your little one, and good luck. hope all goes as it should.

Answer 16

She may have a tumor that impacting on her brain. I dont believe in euthanizing animals at home but I also do not believe in an animal suffering. I take all my girls if they need to be put down to the vet. They give them a shot to put them to sleep so they dont feel anything and then they euthanize them. But if you dont have the funds and no other way around this then even if you have to euthanize her yourself I would say its better than her living out her days in pain. Good luck and Im sorry you have to go through this. I have went through this time and time again and it never gets easy. If anything it gets harder.

Answer 17

i guss you could euthanize it but in terms of animal rights/ legality/ for the sake of not doing something unnecessary I would suggest taking it to the place where you got it or a vet. the reason being is that there could be a different reason for it's behavior.

Answer 18

I would take it back to the pet store and show them how bad she is, then get your money back and see if they'll take care of euthanizing her.  You shouldn't have to if you don't want to.

Answer 19

Take the rat back 2 the pet store!!!  Get your money back and let them know about the rat.  They may need to know for future purchasing..

Answer 20

That is sad. But you shouldn't always trust what you read on the internet. I would take it to the vet, but if you can't afford it I guess you do what you can. Sorry about that.