my day has turned horrible...

[ratcreature]

I got my two new little rats today, and I proceeded how the breeder suggested, set them together in a neutral location (my bathroom), and all was calm. Ben wasn't aggressive, actually not much interested at all in the two little ones. Since all seemed to go so well, and Ben was his usual laid-back self I set them in my new cage, and all three seemed nervous at the new surroundings and just hid for a bit in different locations. Ben went into the direction of Gonzo a couple of times, but they didn't fight. Then all of a sudden Ben went into the hiding place where Gonzo was and I just heard a squeak and Gonzo was dead. It was just a few seconds, and I couldn't get there fast enough to do anything since both where in a hollow branch. Obviously I immediately took Krümel (who was sleeping nearby) out of that segment and put in a barrier. But god, I feel guilty and completely crushed, and now have two single rats and one dead one. He was just five weeks, I don't even have a photo of him. And now I'm off to bury a tiny rat.

Comments

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, hon...I'm so sorry!

{{hugs you}}

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's pretty much the worst turn the day could have taken, except if Ben had killed both of them. {{{hugs back}}}

[maygra.livejournal.com]

Aw, honey. I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks, it was just horrible. I mean, I haven't even gotten to know Gonzo yet, but I had cuddled with him for a bit, and he was such a beautiful tiny rat, all that soft dark grey fur with a white belly, and now he only lived to be five weeks old.

And I keep thinking that I maybe should have been more cautious, but the breeder said that serious problems were unusual, and tend to show right away but, they seemed fine in the bathroom, not cuddling or anything, but ignoring each other and Ben wasn't aggressive at all with the tiny ones, though not very interested in them either. I mean, Krümel even looked at his side/belly as if to check for sure that this wasn't an adult rat with tits one might get milk from and Ben just went away, still spooked about the bathroom. Perhaps I should have kept them longer in the bathroom with no hiding places, but I thought since they weren't seriously fighting and all hated the shower tub and tried to get back to me or in to the transport box that I could try the new cage, and they weren't aggressive when I scooped them all up in the small transport box to carry them from the bathroom to my bedroom. And later in their new cage Ben was okay with Gonzo and Krümel taking fruit pieces from the food dish, and all were reluctant to venture out into the different modules and unsure about it, so it seemed to go okay to me.

Maybe it was a bad sign that Ben didn't piss on them to assert his dominance like the breeder said was likely he would, I don't know, it's the first time I tried to integrate rats. Or perhaps I could have recognized the squeak Gonzo made when Ben first came to his hiding place as a bad kind of squeak, but afterwards Ben always went away and Gonzo was okay after those times, so I thought it was just a submission squeak and they'd be fine, and then the next time Ben went to him he just suddenly killed him. I mean, I stood in front of the cage still watching them, and when the squeaking increased compared to very brief squeaks before I opened the cage and picked up the branch to interrupt and separate them, but then Gonzo was already dead, as Ben had bitten him in the neck and shook him until it was broke.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, how awful! It really does sound as though there's absolutely nothing you could have done, although I'm sure that doesn't make it feel any better.

*hugs*

[ratcreature]

Yeah. I mean, they didn't fight before at all, when I carried them back through my bathroom I just scooped them all up in the same tiny carrier, and Ben didn't seem all that interested and just ignored them. I don't know, maybe that he didn't even piss on them to show dominance was a sign that he didn't want to acquire new pack, or maybe I should have recoognized the few squeaks Gonzo made before when Ben came into his direction as something and took him out, but I looked after Ben first ventured forward into the branch and Gonzo had squeaked, but after that Gonzo was fine and I assumed it was one of those submission squeaks and it's not like Ben had bitten him then, so I assumed it would be fine, but then the next time Ben just killed him.

At least it was quick, judging from the wound he just grabbed his neck and shook him until it broke, but still.

[popfantastic.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[cereta.livejournal.com]

Oh, hon I'm so sorry!

[ratcreature]

Thanks, it's just-- a few hours ago I was so happy to have two new tiny roommates and now one is dead. I mean, I obviously I can't really be angry at Ben, since he did it for whatever reasons rats have to do these things, or maybe the months he was alone were already too long, but-- I mean, I'm cuddling with him right now, because he's really stressed about the new, though now divided, cage, and likes to sleep on me, but it's hard to think that he just broke Gonzo's neck like that.

[secretrebel.livejournal.com]

Oh how horrible. I'm so sorry for you. It sounds as if you did all the things you were supposed to though, so don't beat up on yourself too much about it. I am so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I know that this is always a risk, but I still feel guilty. I mean, it is the first time I tried to integrate rats, I keep thinking that maybe I missed warning signs, or maybe I should have just progressed slower and waited longer in the bathroom where they couldn't have hidden even briefly or something. I don't know, maybe I couldn't have done better and it would have happened anyway. It's just I was so happy to have two tiny new rats and now one of them is dead.

[brownbetty]

Man, that's *awful*. I can't imagine how you must feel. I'm really sorry.

[ratcreature]

It really is awful. I mean, before today all my rats who died, died of illness or old age, so I was prepared to loose them. Now one moment I was really happy, and expected Gonzo to be with me for a long time and get to know him (instead now the only things I'll ever know about him will be that he was really a beautiful rat with his dark and soft gray coat, somewhat more timid than his brother, liked dried banana chips and seemed really nice too), and then my other rat kills him. And no matter how much I try to tell myself that all seemed fine and that sometimes these things just happen, I can't help but thinking that I just wasn't careful enough, that I totally failed him as a pet owner, and now he's dead before he ever had a chance to even grow up. And I feel awful about Krümel too who's alone now, the first day away from his mother without even a fellow rat, and I arranged to get another baby from the next litter of the same breeder (with a hopefully better integration, god I hope so), but that will be a few weeks.

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. ::hugs::

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *hugs back*

[zing_och.livejournal.com]

Damn. I'm so sorry. *hugs*

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *hugs back*

[catmoran.livejournal.com]

I am so, so sorry. *cries* *hugs*

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's just so awful. I didn't even know him yet, but I have been looking forward to these two for over two months, and I visited them before, and everything seemed to go well, only to turn into the anxiety nightmare I had about introducing Ben to the new ones.

And now I have a lonely baby rat, and it would be cruel to keep him alone his whole life, so now I'm going to get another baby from the breeder's next litter so at least he won't live alone, even if I need to keep Ben as a single rat (I don't dare to try with him a second time, at least not with any tiny one, though I will keep the integration barrier mesh so they can smell and see each other and maybe some more contact can develop later on, though I suspect Ben will stay a single rat), but obviously now I'm even more afraid of setting two new rats together, and okay, those two will probably only have eight weeks age dfference, but still, when I introduce them Krümel will be almost grown, and while intellectually I know that at least that is unlikely to turn horrible again, and that that time both will be young, and I'll be more cautious, maybe introduce them longer in area where they can't hide out of my reach (though since Ben didn't bother to fight before killing Gonzo I'm not sure I could have stopped him from breaking Gonzo's neck even if I hadn't the seconds delay of opening the door and getting to them), and really watch that Krümel will piss on the tiny one, like Ben didn't do but just ignored them, and I don't know, but I'm already afraid of having to do it again.

[smittywing.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* I'm so sorry. :(

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[caia-comica.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that sounds so awful. I'm so sorry. *hugs*

[ratcreature]

Yeah, this day moved into my list of "most awful days I had".

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

oh, how terrible. I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's just completely turned into my anxiety nightmare. I mean, the breeder kept saying that in her experience there usually weren't problems with introducing babies, and that if there were they would usually show right when they first met, but in the bathroom Ben was just indifferent, and all were mostly just very freaked out and unhappy about the shower stall. Krümel even seemed to check whether Ben might be a big rat that could be a milk source and Ben just sat placidly looking like he just really wished to be elsewhere as his belly was poked. And I practically piled them next to each other in the small box when I carried them to the cage from the bathroom, so they wouldn't flee in a non-ratsafe room, and then they all sat in the same segment, all wary of the new cage, and Ben was clearly stressed with the different cage, but he just retreated and then ate a bit, and he didn't care when Gonzo took some food, and it all seemed to go well at first.

But I keep thinking that I perhaps should have noticed something, or been more careful with some slower method, and I didn't completely replace all the hiding places and tubes and such, just washed as much as was washable, and bought a bunch of new things for the bigger cage, so maybe it was because the hollow branch Gonzo was hiding in still smelled like something of Ben's. I just feel so horrible about the whole thing. And now I'm really afraid of doing it again in a few weeks so Krümel won't have to lead an awful live as single rat through no fault of his. I just hope I will be calmer about it then.

[basingstoke.livejournal.com]

oh sweetie. that's awful. I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, it was pretty much my most horrible pet experience so far. It was the first time I ever tried introducing rats to each other, and now my anxiety about having to do this thing again in the near future so at least Krümel won't be alone is worse by several orders of magnitude than before.

[meret.livejournal.com]

How awful! I'm so, so sorry! *huge hug*