I just found one of my rats dead.
I HATE it when my pets die.
Not only is it sad, but it grosses me out.
I wish she had waited a day to die, so that Armondo could have dealt with the dead animal. I just don't handle it well. I couldn't just leave her there either, because there's still a LIVE rat in there, and I didn't want her to have to hang out with her dead sister all night.
And then there's all the questions:
How'd she die?
When did she die?
Did she die from a heart attack when Cherry was hitting the side of their home today?
Was Cherry hitting their home BECAUSE the rat wasn't moving?
Have I been feeding them enough?
I meant to clean the cage today, were the filthy conditions to blame?
I haven't bothered heating the house lately, were they too cold?
Rationally I think that the rats are over two years old and they've lived out their expected life span. The cage isn't THAT dirty, and I've left it longer in the past. It CAN'T be too cold, that's just silly.. But maybe I haven't been feeding them enough.. UGH! I hope my rat didn't starve to death!! Probably not though, both rats are pretty plump.
So anyway, I walked into the room where they are in order to check on their food, and water and to see if I could let the cage go one more day without cleaning it, when I saw her dead there. I do NOT deal well with dead animals. I can't touch them. It just gives me the heeby jeebies!
So, I grabbed three grocery bags. I put two over my hand and used the third to put the rat into. I couldn't help but shudder as I picked up the limp body.. (ok, there's a clue, the body was still limp, meaning she must have died in the last couple of hours... that's if I know my CSI well enough.) Then, I put the body and the bags in a big garbage bag and took it to the outside can.
Today was garbage day. Which means there will be a dead rat in my garbage for a full week.
My friend L.B. wants to be a funeral director/embalmer. She's crazy!
- CeCe
- West Coast, Canada
- This is my little corner of the world where I like to let my disaster of a mind let loose! I'm a SAHM, mother of two girls: Cherry born July 2005 and Peach born January 2007. Likes: My Husband and daughters, animals, food. Dislikes: Always getting in trouble for my big mouth, cleaning up poo.
Email&MSN: celenaszoo at hotmail
This is my husband and my kids' father. We'll call him "Armondo". Currently working as a cook at a trendy restaurant, and hoping to re-train to be an electritian. Likes: Walks with the family, cooking, cuddling, being a daddy. Dislikes: Bathroom renovations.
This is my older girl. We'll call her "Cherry". Likes: Anything "Princess", dressing up, getting her nails painted, playing with Barbies and Princess dolls. Dislikes: Potty training, sharing toys with her sister, eating a full meal.
This is my youngest. We'll call her "Peach". Likes: Learning and trying out new words, baby dolls, cuddling, anything soft, Disney movies. Dislikes: Slow delivery of food,staying up past her bed time, her sister snatching toys from her, her sister yelling at her.
This is our eldest cat, Sabre aka Fat Cat aka The Grumpy Cat. Likes: Scratching at the door as soon as we sit at the dining table, playing with Ozzy, Sleeping. Dislikes: Most cats (except for Ozzy).
This is our younger cat, Ozzy aka, The Ozzinator aka The Friendly One. Likes: Everyone, standing on people shoulders and heads, sitting in the exact chair that you're about to sit on, sleeping on CeCe. Dislikes: Being shooed away when she's trying to cuddle.
This is our dog, Annie Banannie aka The Whiner. Likes: Car rides, following me into the bathroom EVERY TIME I GO!, playing with other dogs and kids. Dislikes: Milk bones, kibble that's not mixed with something tasty.
10 comments:
Limp? If it wasn't dead then, it was seconds away. Glad you removed said animal. Rats are notorious cannibals.
And keep this in mind: rats are pretty low on the mammal food chain. They are essentially fodder for the higher ups. The fact your rat lived two years is pretty darn good. Trust me, it was rat's time.
That's how I had to view life when my bunny died. He caught a shiffle and croaked the next day. I was told by my vet that rabbits have a sinus passage as thin as a .9 mechanical pecil lead. One cold and it's bunny heaven.
Chin up. You did fine.
Awwwww, how sad!! :(
I hope she wasn't just sleeping really heavily or she's gonna wake up to a surprise. hehe!
Sorry about your rat. I think he died peacefully in his sleep, after a long, happy life. You are a good pet owner.
I get grossed out by dead pets too, even guppies (and especially guppies with ick), and I'm useless when it comes to the larger mammals. Travis had two fish a couple years ago, and when the first one died, he insisted that we take it to the local park and give it a funeral. I was grateful when he agreed to bury the second one in the back yard after a short graveside service.
Huh. And here I am EATING my pets. Too bad I didn't know yours was about to die, or I would have had a nice snack.
I wasn't grossed out until I read maidink's "rats are notorious cannibals." That did it for me! Eeew!
Sorry you lost a friend. It doesn't really matter what kind of pet - if you feed it and it lives in your house, you get attached. It wasn't your fault. They really don't live very long.
Yuck. Even taking dead fish out of the fish tank at work is a bit nasty. It has to be done though, and it sounds like you did what needed doing.
(Same as I do with spiders when Ryan isn't home - but if he is home, then I make HIM get rid of it!)
Maidink~It was dead. For sure! Thanks for the encouragement!
Chase~Definately dead!
Melora~Your kids are cute.
Sarah~I'm still not sure if you're joking or not, but you're a SICKO!
Erin~Actually, I thought about it more, and she was closer to three years old!
Mr.Fab~Aww.. you're a sweet man! You got sad when your bunny died?!? Cute!
Tricia~I think Armondo was glad he wasn't home! He doesn't like to deal with dead animals either, but I think he realizes it's his "manly duty"!
Laurie~Thanks.
Having lost my first horse this year, I can only say...AT LEAST IT WASN'T A FREAKIN' HORSE. Talk about body-disposal issues. And even though I knew it was coming...once a horse gets to be over 25 years old, it's pretty much on borrowed time...it wasn't any easier.
Sorry about pet rat, though.
Sorry about your rat :(
I hope Sarah was joking as well. Although looking at the pic on her site i`m not so sure. Urgh
Our little guy is getting on in (rat) years... :(
Debambam~Yikes! I can't believe you'd accidently do that! That must have been pretty creepy! I'm sure she was dead. Her eyes were open, she wasn't moving, and she wasn't breathing. And, since I stuck her in so much plastic, even if she WASN'T dead, she's sure to be now.
Belinda~Ugh, Yeah, disposing of a horse could pose a bit of a problem! Esp. in the winter. You can't exactly just throw a horse in the garbage!
Paddy~I think she just found a pic of cooked guinea pigs from somewhere else in the world and posted it as a joke... allthough, the DO look dead in the first pic too... I don't know... I'm hoping it was a joke!
Post a Comment