pet rat died

Lrptls · 01-14-05, 10:57 PM

Back in october when i use to work at another pet store, a lady came in with 2 rats she no longer wanted so i took them. they were both very sweet, especialy the rex rat. he is still very loving- he comes when i call him, loves being held and loves when i scratch him really hard. the other rat liked me but was never very happy about being held, he was fine being on my sholder and sometimes liked being pet. the rex was the older, bigger, dominent rat. they got in alot of fights, always about food. i would hear them running around and squealing, i'd run over and see the rex pinning down the other rat. when i gave them treats they always had to have one each which kept them from fighting.

but last night when i got home the regular fancy rat was dead and half of his head was eaten, he wasn't very old at all while the rex is very old and i know he will be leaving me soon. they had food and water and they lived in a 20 gallon long aquarium so i'm pretty sure they had plenty of space. i just can't figure out why he would kill his friend rat. they were almost always together, sleeping and cuddling so i'm not sure what happened for him to do that. if any one has any idea why rats would kill each other in this situation please tell me so i can make sure this never happens again.

BoidKeeper · 01-14-05, 11:48 PM

They fought all the time you said. Sounds like rex finally took it all the way. You never said what sex they were but I'm willing to bet they weren't male and female. Rats are teritorial and 20g is not enough space for two rats of the same sex. I've been breeding my own for over two years and I've had them kill each other but never a male kill a female or vice versa.
Trevor

Youkai · 01-15-05, 12:10 AM

My rats squabble a lot, and it's rarely life threatening.

I recently lost a pet fancy rat to what I believe was a heart attack. She was very young, a couple months at best.

Also, rats will eat their dead. I would assume this is the case.

Rats can be territorial, but that is not usually the case. They are perfectly fine in same sex groups. The case may be different in extremely crowded breeding conditions, but it would be the exception rather than the rule.

In any case, I would bet that that your younger rat probably died of causes not involving the older one. Many pet rat keepers are horrified to find that a rat who died was partially consumed by it's cage mates. It's quite common.

sidewinder · 01-16-05, 07:01 PM

Sounds like they were arguing about religion or politics.

Tango-n-Toads · 01-16-05, 08:29 PM

I have kept pet rats for 7 years now. They are my life.

A 20g tank is not really a suitable environment for them to live in. There isn't enough air circulation or space. They really should be in a bigger, more airy cage.

You can make one for really cheap with a rubbermaid tote container. Cut most of the lid open, and cut one of the long sides off then attach hardware cloth (wire mesh) to the container. They are great. The bigger the better. You can easily make one for less than $30.

I highly doubt that your rex killed the other rat... that rarely happens. I'm sure the rat died in the cage and the other one was just disposing of the body. Its a natural thing for them to do so please don't be upset with the rat.

I have done years of research so if you have any other questions about rats you can ask me any time.

Rikki · 01-17-05, 12:32 AM

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Tango-n-Toads · 01-17-05, 10:26 AM

I also want to add that they may not have been fighting. Rats like to "power-groom" each other. This is when they wrestle, groom really quickly on each other, and pin each other down on the bottom of the cage. Normally they aren't hurting each other when they do this even though they do squeak. This is part of the entertainment that having more than 1 rat can show.

It's normal for rats to steal food away from each other also. They will tackle each other for it.

Unless your rats were drawing blood, ripping out fur, and actually leaving marks on each other, I doubt they were fighting. They were most likely just being rats. There's a difference in squeaking and letting out blood-curdling screeches.

Like I said, the rex was most likely just disposing of the other rat's dead body, which is natural. It's rare for them to kill each other and it's also rare to have one that is truly vicious.

Lrptls · 01-17-05, 11:57 AM

thanks for posting every one. Lindsay you were alot of help. they never did physicaly hurt each other. and i'v watched them "power groom" each other before, it was pretty funny. i dont like admiting it but i know my rex will be passing soon, hes REALLY old, i dont know how old but hes geting really skinny, losing lots of fur, very lazy and so on. i'm sure hes very sad as well. once he passes i dont imagine i can keep pet rats again but who knows, i can't decide that right now.