# Your longest lived rat.



## Frodowisebrandytook (Mar 26, 2011)

I was curious, How long did your longest lived rat live?

I am very scientific minded, and I would love to know what sex, type, ect. tend to live longest. I know the statistical info, about altered and breeder rats living longer and pet store and un-altered rats living shorter ect. ect., but I would like to hear from you all as well. It seems as though real life never seems to line up with the stats.

my longest lived was my sweet little Nymphadora, who died at 2 and a half years. She was an un-altered tan hooded fancy from Pet smart (I owned her before I started rescuing from my local shelter) She died from an ulcerating mammary tumor.

My shortest lived was sweet Andromada. She was a blue hooded dumbo (un-altered) who died at a mere 3 months due to a very aggressive Pituitary tumor. She was from Pet supplies plus.


----------



## Guest (Apr 4, 2011)

My dad had a large male who was about 3 years before he finally passed away. I'd state my oldest, but he died of unnatural causes, so I don't really see that it would help your scientific mind. He was about 2 years, though. Still kickin' like he was young.

All rats lined down from feeder bin rats.


----------



## BVR.rats (Sep 17, 2009)

Since 1994, I've had two rats that very nearly reached 4 years of age. Both were pet store rats, and I do not have exact dates on them, but both were intact females and I had gotten them both as very young rats so I have a general idea of their age, and I had them for 40 months.

In recent years, my oldest was 37 months. He was an intact buck. 

Then several who lived to 36 months, both bucks and does, all intact.


----------



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Well I wont be of help here, All my previous rats before I knew a lot about them died before the age of 18 months.

And all my current rats which are the first rats I have had since I was a young teen are less then 2, (almost 2! sewing birthday hammocks as we speak). So when they do pass away I will record their age, reason for passing, and details like if they were altered or not.

If you find this interesting, check out a thread on goosemoose that is just this. People recording the age their rats died, and why they died, and other details.
My OLDEST rat, has an unknown age but I am convinced he is older then 2.


----------



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/topic,4055792.0


----------



## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

Snippet is the only rat that I've owned that has died. She was a top eared, smooth coated cinnamon variegated. She was unaltered and of pet shop stock. She lived to the age of 26 months. She was PTS because she had a seizure, and it was the kindest thing to do for her.


----------



## ratfan06 (Dec 31, 2010)

Hunter, my first rat, was over 3 years, but I'm not sure how old as he came to me already over a year old. He died from kidney failure. Rane was 34 mos. and died of cancer. Rupert died at 32 mos. from respiratory distress. Wade was approximately 30 mos. when he passed from a PT. Breanna's my oldest still living at exactly 28 mos. (to the day). 

Thought I'd add, all my girls get spayed and all my boys have been intact.


----------



## Frodowisebrandytook (Mar 26, 2011)

wow, what great info! Please keep this thread going! I am going to compile the info into a spread sheet and after a while post the results. I will not include anyones screen name or other information beyond age, cause of death, origin, type and intact/not intact. I will not post the results anywhere else either, this is just for my own 'mad scientist' brain and I figured I could share it with the ones who contributed to this study-of-sorts!

Thank your for the link Kiko! I will browse through that tonight!


----------



## HuncaMunca (Dec 29, 2010)

My rats Reggie and Monkey both lived to be about 2 1/2, and seemed to have died of old age as far as I know. Reggie was a black hooded, and Monkey was a tan hooded. Both were intact.
But I did have a gerbil that lived to be almost 4!


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

my oldest rat ever was Vesta, adopted from a humane society at 6 weeks, and spayed at about 5 months of age. She lived until 41 months when I had her pts due to a malignant tumor on her face.










My oldest living rat is Hansel, an intact crochety boy, at 40 months. I small URI about 2 months ago has been his only ill.  He does have HED, but it sure isn't stopping him from getting around.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I've only had one rat pass on, from unnatural causes, and he was a year and a half.

As of now, my eldest boy is just coming up on his 2nd birthday. He is an intact agouti hooded rex. A little bit of aging happening but he's a lovely rat<3


----------



## treblyk (Sep 24, 2010)

As of now I've only had two rats, and the one that passed away was an intact female , agouti hooded, at three months or so. 

I believe she died of heart failure or something similar as there were no respiratory or outside signs she was feeling anything less than perfect a few hours before she passed. 

Petsmart rat.


----------



## defuseability (Mar 15, 2011)

My only rat that passed of natural causes was my 2 year old unaltered, pink eyed white female ratatouille. She died of a URI at 2 years old.

Right now, Peanut and Velcro are my oldest living rats. Velcro is about 2 years and 2 months, he is an unaltered beige(?) berkshire boy. And Peanut is about 2 and a half, he is an unaltered pink eyed white.


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

miles at about 22 months. heh.


----------



## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

My oldest is still alive. I got Higgins as a baby in June of 2008, and he is still alive and well. He was purchased from a pet store.
He is a neutered, hairless male.
My second oldest is also still alive. I bought Anaitis as a baby, from a breeder. She was born 9/22/08.
She is a non-spayed, Seal Point Siamese Velveteen.


----------



## Butterfly_HyJynx (Mar 14, 2010)

My oldest was Noodle, an intact female black Berkie who lived to be 2 1/2 years and 6 days exactly, second oldest was her sister, Pixie, a black and white female capped who died at 2 years 5 months. All my rats are adopted, so I don't know their breeding origins.
My youngest ever was little miss Lacy, a black and white Hooded who died of a sudden-onset case of pneumonia at age 8 months. Seriously, I left for work and Lacy was her normal self, and I came home to find her curled in a corner gasping. The ER vet did what they could but... I still ask myself if there were signs I missed.


----------



## Frodowisebrandytook (Mar 26, 2011)

This is great, Keep the reports coming!

I am so sorry for all of yalls losses.  Rats need to LIVE LONGER!!!!


----------



## PackLife (Apr 7, 2011)

I was just wondering about this! Saskin, an agouti berk, lived to be nearly six years old. He was adopted as a pup from someone who had a wild rat break into his female cage. The whole litter was agouti and by five weeks, half of them were almost as big as momma rat. Saskin was huge, never quite tame, and could not live with other rats. He wasn't handleable much until he was a little over three and even then I was bit often. He was certainly the most difficult rat I ever owned, sort of like taking in a feral kitten, I guess. But, he was also the healthiest rat I've ever known. No tumors, no URIs, nothing. He kept a good weight until he was five, then he started to go downhill. He was certainly one of a kind and I wish I knew what happened to the rest of that litter.

Any other rat I've had only lived to a max of three and a half, but usually two and a half. They were all feeder breeders.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I just want to mention that having a half-wild rat or a rat mixed with wild blood is NOT a guarantee of good health and your 6 year old was lucky not genetic. Wild rats usually live less than a year which is before most health issues happen. I have had several half-wild groups here, and yes the most difficult rats I have ever had. 
The original group came to me at 5 weeks of age and not handleable...with a lot of work we got a bit better, but still.

Most died of CHF, 2 of horrible malignant tumours (1 on her hip that bled and ulcerated, the other had a tumor on her head!), and one died of unknown causes, most likely stroke or heart attack. 

A long time ago rats living to 4-5 years old wasn't uncommon. Nowadays, 3 is a miracle, and this is all because of the careless breeding from bad breeders, BYB's, and the ever present rat mills.


----------



## PackLife (Apr 7, 2011)

I was in no way trying to make a correlation between his "wild blood" and his good health. I was stating the good with the bad (and with him it was mostly bad). If anything, I would attribute his longevity to his good health. I'm sorry if my story was somehow misinterpreted.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

PackLife said:


> I was in no way trying to make a correlation between his "wild blood" and his good health. I was stating the good with the bad (and with him it was mostly bad). If anything, I would attribute his longevity to his good health. I'm sorry if my story was somehow misinterpreted.


No that's okay, but because its a public forum, people need things spelled out for the future readers as well. And people often jump to that conclusion, including breeders


----------

