# What do you do with the remains of rats who pass on?



## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

Sorry for the morbid topic. And do not fear; my rats are 7 and 8 months old, so I likely won't have to address this issue any time soon.

But as a first-time rat owner, I wouldn't know what to do with a rat when she does pass. How do others deal with it? If a vet puts her to sleep, then I'm sure that the vet has a procedure in place to handle it. What do you do when a rat dies in her cage?


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

Three of my rats are buried at my mother's house. I planted a flowering shrub over each one, which helps to keep them "alive" for me. 

One rat was donated to science for dissection and study. She had some strange-looking tumors and I thought the medical practitioners could learn something from a necropsy. Your vet can tell you if they participate in these donation programs. 

Our local humane society has a crematorium and they will dispose of pet remains for no charge. I've done that before, but looking back it felt a bit impersonal so I'm not sure if I'd do that again.


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## theRatGirl (Feb 25, 2015)

My darling Algernon is buried in a beautiful flower pot on my front porch. That way, if I move, I can take him with me.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

All of my rats have been cremated. I could have gotten their ashes, but I liked the idea of them just being gone instead of thinking of pieces of them being buried or sitting on a shelf. After all, it's just a body. Their spirit is no longer there, so I have never felt a need to keep it by burying it or keeping the ashes. 

That's not to say I don't treat it with respect or anything before it's cremated. For the rats that died at home, I had a shoebox made up like a tiny coffin with comfy fleece and then I cover all but their head to make it look like they're sleeping. That was especially good when Eevee died because her body looked awful and uncomfortable, but her face was peaceful. That reminds me... I really need another shoebox. I'm out. =/ Thankfully, my oldest rat is only a year... but one of my rats did die at the young age of a year and a half, so I want to be prepared.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

I had my first 2 boys privately cremated together. They are in a wooden urn


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I've always just buried my pets.

I found this online recently and really love it.
https://www.thegrommet.com/paw-pods-smaller-pet-burial-pods


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## 2ratshack (Sep 13, 2014)

I have buried almost all of my ratties.


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Never been in this situation before but I'd most likely bury. But maybe I'd keep their whiskers, or is that weird?


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

Fu-Inle said:


> But maybe I'd keep their whiskers, or is that weird?


Well, that thought never occurred to me, but I understand how people want to keep a memento of their pets. I'd be tempted to attempt to stuff the rat who won my wife's heart and who got us started on our path to rat ownership. I know we shouldn't choose favorites, but she's totally the favorite, and like I said, she's the one that started it all. But I dunno. Having her sit motionless on a desk or shelf would probably be too sad. 

I haven't had a yard in 16 years, so I forget how most people have yards and have the luxury of burying pets. I suppose vets have a method of dealing with dead pets. I suppose pet stores might too. I have pet stores closer to me than my vet, including the one where I got all three of my rats. 

I'll keep reading this thread for ideas, but this hopefully won't be an issue for a couple of years.


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

Mocha is cremated and in an urn on my shelf. I plan to cremate the rest of them as they pass and keep the ashes in a large urn together.


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

I like taxidermy and the idea of bringing a dead animal that would otherwise rot in the ground and turning it into a peice of art but I'm not so sure about pets, it just feels weird to me. Besides, when was last time you saw a good taxidermized rat? Most have shrivelled up paws, tails and ears and ferret bodies. I've only seen about one good looking rat.


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

Fu-Inle said:


> I like taxidermy and the idea of bringing a dead animal that would otherwise rot in the ground and turning it into a peice of art but I'm not so sure about pets, it just feels weird to me. Besides, when was last time you saw a good taxidermized rat? Most have shrivelled up paws, tails and ears and ferret bodies. I've only seen about one good looking rat.


To be honest, I've not really seen rats like that, but I'm sure you're right. They have such tiny hands and feet that I guess that would be hard to work with. 

And aside from a constant reminder that she's no longer alive, it would be worse if she didn't even good.


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