Our cuddly, sweet girl, Pearl has passed away

My sweet girl Pearl

I’m really sad to say that our beautiful girl Pearl has died. She slipped away peacefully over the space of a few hours and we are absolutely heart broken.

A few weeks ago we had found a lump underneath Pearl’s armpit. At first we weren’t sure whether to do anything about it or not, as Pearl was obviously a mature rat and she was starting to slow down. Unfortunately the lump was growing quite quickly and Pearl’s energy levels were also dropping, and we did not know if this was related to the lump. So we decided to have the lump removed.

Pearl actually came through her operation very well and was back to her old self the next day. Rats have an amazing ability to just get over operations once the anaesthetic is out of their systems and Pearl was out and about the next day and eating and drinking normally.

We were so relieved and happy that she had come though okay. Sadly though it did not last and by Saturday night she was looking a bit down. When we went to check on her Sunday morning she was obviously not very well. I took her out of the cage she shares with her sisters and made her a nice warm bed in a shoe box with lots of soft towels to keep her warm. She did eat a bit of baby food that morning, but her responsiveness to us gradually dwindled over the next few hours until she passed away.

We are heartbroken; Pearl was the sweetest and most affectionate of her sisters. She loved to be cuddled and fuss us back in return. I think she was very happy in her home with us and I hope that we made up a little bit for her first family letting her down and giving her and her sisters away. I do love my rattie girls very much, but playtime just won’t be the same without Pearl and her cuddles.

Sugar and Pearl, partners in crime