I know the title seems pretty abhorrrant. My daughter had two rats, one recently developed breathing problems, a common problem in rats, and had to he put to sleep. The rat that is left was always more timid and not as friendly as the other one. We have tried to make him comfortable and happy but not having much luck. Won’t come out of his cage and barely moves. We’ve even brought the cage into the living room but he isn’t interested and is obviously not happy. Rats need other rats to live with and don’t like to live alone but we aren’t getting any more rats for definite and I don’t want to try and rehome him as he’s probably only got a year left at best and I couldn’t bare some idiot try and feed him to a snake.

Is it ethical in this situation?

So the choice is:

buy another rat to give your existing rat a happy life; or
kill the unhappy rat

🙂

Not getting anymore rats, plus we always be in this position when one dies.

I know quite a few people who’ve kept single rats with no problems. I think you’ll find no vet with scruples will put down an animal just because you think it’s unhappy.

Put it in the kitchen

What are you gonna do?

Put it in the kitchen

But what’s he gonna do then?

then what’s he gonna do?..
Edit.. Bugger!! Too slow..

Just to confirm, I’m not planning on doing this but just asking How unethical it would be…

very

I know people that……..know people..
Get what I’m saying?

No less ‘ethical’ than shampooing your kid’s hair when they get nits.
Or swatting a fly, taking antibiotics etc.
As long as you tell your daughter the truth, obviously.

Anyway, I’d keep it.
You know they say you’re never more than six feet away from a rat?
At least you’ll know the one near you is clean and well looked after.

No less ‘ethical’ than shampooing your kid’s hair when they get nits.
Or swatting a fly, taking antibiotics etc.

You could say that about killing people. We’re all just animals. What if I think you’re a bit miserable and I can’t be arsed looking after you?

Do you hold all life in the same regard?

Its not just he’s ‘bit down’, he’s stopped using his litter box and now just does it where he sleeps, which he never did. He won’t eat unless he is given something. Won’t go to his food bowl anymore. He is still healthy, but all is not well.

That doesn’t sound healthy, TBH. I’d find a new owner, it’s the least you owe it if you don’t want to get it a new friend.

‘You know what a turtle is, Leon?’

Then leave it a bit and you’ll not have to worry about the ethics.

Do you hold all life in the same regard?

I try to, there’s going to be a bit of a conundrum because I eat things but if I don’t want to eat it I treat it as well as I would a family member. I don’t think that’s particularly unreasonable.

I don’t kill insects, I don’t swat flies, I carefully put spiders out, I don’t kill mice if they get in – I just block up the holes and put them outside. If I have a pet I look after it like it’s a kid, I don’t see any excuse not to.

Two choices, get another one to keep it company, or offer it up for adoption (ideally not someone who keeps snakes).

You say option 1 isn’t going to happen, then option 2 is all you’ve got.

It would help to understand why option 1 isn’t possible.

How about ticks?
Flu virus?
Tapeworm?

Interesting ethical question.
Where do we draw the line?
Do we just follow societal convention?
Does not understanding convention indicate an underlying issue?

How about ticks?
Flu virus?
Tapeworm?

Flu? Whatever, it comes and goes. Tapeworm – never had it. Ticks – get pulled off, but TBH they’re trying to eat me so I’ve no problems putting up a fight. If I’d invited a tapeworm to be my buddy, given it a home and love, I certainly wouldn’t be trying to kill it off – I’d just go into that relationship with open eyes in the first place.

No less ‘ethical’ than shampooing your kid’s hair when they get nits.
Or swatting a fly, taking antibiotics etc.

I think you will find their is a difference between killing pets and killing pests

PS what’s a turtle ? 😉

Likes reference

I think you’ll find no vet with scruples will put down an animal just because you think it’s unhappy.

Damn, there goes my pension plan. I am holding out some hope though that I will find an unscrupulous Vet to befriend, so when I’m really fed up and loss of dignity is imminent, whoosh! Away I go. No cost or burden and we’re all in a much better place for me exercising the one essential human right, that the system denies.

Therapy? For the rat. I’m fine with my mortality 😀

Ticks – get pulled off

Lucky Ticks

Poor Ratty. Sounds like he needs to be re-homed to be honest.

😀
Interesting answer Junky.

The Voigt Kampff machine seems to use both elements of Turing’s test and the Hare psycopathy checklist.

Our attitude to animals and an understanding of the hypocrisy required to coexist with them is fascinating – hugely variable depending on geographical location & economic conditions.

Can’t get another rat as the wife insisted when we got them that two would be it. There’d be no more once they were gone. Plus as no two rats are ever likely to die of natural causes at the same time, this is a situation that would persist in perpetuity.

Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre, Liverpool, Ince Blundell. Tel: 0151-931-1604. Caters for all animals.

there you go a quick google on rat rescue liverpool- give it away is probably the best thing IMHO or just leave it to die slowly unhappily as your family watch with varying degrees of care and guilt [ not a dig and bit OTT but you get the point none of you really want it and someone must]

Indeed it is Rusty just like many folk would eat a lobster boiled alive in water but only a monster would do this to a kitten.

It’s a tough one, loddrik – sounds like you hate seeing an unhappy animal just as little as I do. I’d look at rehoming if at all feasible.

I once knew am Irish equine vet who told me that he chose the equine field largely because he hated putting down so many healthy greyhounds in Ireland simply because they weren’t winning races.

I’ll certainly look more closely at rehoming, need to be sure he’d live with other rats though.

There was a woman on the Wirral who took in rats and looked after them but she doesn’t list a phone number and I’ve tried every other method of getting in touch to no avail. She hasn’t updated her Facebook page for 6 months so I’m guessing she no longer does. Can’t leave him on his own though, just isn’t fair.

Thanks JY I’ll give them a try on Monday.

Just let it out down the road somewhere or feed it to a snake. I’d have no problem putting it down if it’s not happy. Then again, maybe it’s still in it’s warranty period? I’d send it through the post and get it checked. Royal Mail will carry rats, right?

Do you know anyone with a terrier? 😈

It’s a brave question to ask in public, that’s for sure.
I’m sure whatever you decide will be for the best.

Youngest stepdaughter worked in a research lab whilst doing her PhD.
They did a lot of experiments on rats.
She ended up getting two as pets, as she missed being around them so much.
People are very complicated.

Re Home him/her!
http://www.symphony-rats.co.uk/
My friends fanatical about rats and she’ll rescue any. She’s collected many from a variety of people. She’s lovely and will look after them all. Give her a call if your down South. She often travels and could probably collect. 😀

Happy ending. Managed to rehome him to a woman who keeps rats and just about every other furry small animal there is. He seemed well happy with his new home and to be around rats again.

Good.

A happy ending!

(wipes tear) 🙂

Not sure of the current reg’s but my friend tells of vet’s (20 odd years ago) being prosecuted for not putting animal down if asked to… apparent the practice where she worked, they would phone the vets wife to make him take the animals home instead of being put down. Friend got a cat from it that had been brought in to be “put down” because he had diarrhea. It was explained to the owner, this could be dealt with.. she wanted it dealt with permanently, ppl are fricken awful.

It would have been much better to donate the rat to animal research where it could join lots of other rats getting injected with stuff