# Woke up to find my coffee dead with head head eaten... don't know what to do...



## RatCrazyGirl (Feb 7, 2021)

Yesterday, it was my mom's birthday. We woke up at 5 am to go rafting. Before I left, I gave them food and hugged them all (including coffee). I was really sleepy when I came home, so my mom fed them but didn't check to see all of them. So then, when I woke up I shook the can of food. All the rats came running, but coffee. I felt her inside a hide, her body limb. I began sobbing (cause she died), but when I pulled her out, her head was eaten by the other rats. Her insides were coming out. I don't think I can keep them. They were my best friends, I can't stand to look at them, and that will be going on for a month at least, and my parents wont be able to give them much if any attention. I just can't believe it...


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## Vividdonut12 (Nov 26, 2020)

This makes me sick. I am very sorry for your loss.
I know how you feel, you saw something that you never wanted to see and now you are feeling differently towards your other rats.
It is disturbing, but sometimes, if a body is left in the cage for too long the other rats feel the need to "clean it up." It is very sad, and you must be so beaten up. But you need to understand, your rats are grieving just as much as you are. 
If you really need to you can re-home them to someone nearby. Try your hardest to stay away from shelters (because you don't know who their new owners will be).
In the meantime, you can try to spend time with them and comfort them if you can bear it. I know that what they did seems unforgivable, but it is only their natural instincts.

- I am sending good thoughts to you and your rats (esp. dear Coffee), Vividdonut12

💗🐭💗🐭💗🐭💗


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## RatCrazyGirl (Feb 7, 2021)

Vividdonut12 said:


> This makes me sick. I am very sorry for your loss.
> I know how you feel, you saw something that you never wanted to see and now you are feeling differently towards your other rats.
> It is disturbing, but sometimes, if a body is left in the cage for too long the other rats feel the need to "clean it up." It is very sad, and you must be so beaten up. But you need to understand, your rats are grieving just as much as you are.
> If you really need to you can re-home them to someone nearby. Try your hardest to stay away from shelters (because you don't know who their new owners will be).
> ...


Thank you... I forgot to include that, she didn't die of old age... she was almost 2 but still spunky and active. They must have killed her. We have a friend who loves rats (has 5 of her own) so we are hoping she would take them...


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always difficult but this kind of situation can make it even harder emotionally. 

Coffee likely died of natural causes. If your rats have been getting along their entire lives, it's basically not possible that they would just start killing each other now. 

While it's scary looking to us, what your rats did is natural and not entirely uncommon. They weren't being vicious or acting out of anger. They were scared. Your rats need you right now. As difficult as it will be for you, you need to find a way to get over it so you can care for your sweet and loving rats. They're the exact same pets as they were yesterday. They haven't changed.


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## ratsbian (Feb 4, 2021)

I am so, so sorry that you had to go through that. Like @CorbinDallasMyMan said, rats do not just suddenly kill each other so Coffee passed of natural causes. I hope that gives you some peace at least. I have heard that rats may do as you observed in order to avoid scavengers or predators being attracted to the homes— they are prey animals and they are likely scared and confused right now. I understand why you feel the way you feel but try to not be too harsh on them. That being said, if you feel that this has completely changed the way you see them then I understand and I hope they can find a good home, I would just give yourself a few days to process before deciding on anything.

Again, I am so sorry about your loss and we are all here for you in this difficult time.


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Oh, RatCrazyGirl. Not nice at all for you to experience that.
The only thing I would add is... If you really thought you wanted to rehome the others and your friend was open to having them, consider her just fostering them for awhile rather than adopting them. That would give you some time to think, and if you decide you really do want to keep your rats its not too late. 
I also feel that Coffee would have died naturally.


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## _dizzy_ (Mar 28, 2018)

I'm so sorry about this. When I owned my first rats I had this happen too and I thought it was entirely my fault because I'd forgot to feed them that night. But I learned that rats will sometimes eat their cage mates after their cagemates pass. Judging from the fact that she was inside a hide makes me think that this definitely wasn't a fight. Rats don't just go and kill each other for no reason unless they have horrible hormonal aggression, which none of your girls have. She must have already been sick, but was just really really good at hiding it. She went into the hide, feeling like it was a nice dark cave to pass away in and then the other girls found her after her passing. As the others have said, don't blame your other girls.


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## RatCrazyGirl (Feb 7, 2021)

Thank you, everyone... 
Thing is, she was still young...
she had a vet checkup a few days before who said she was healthy...
I think I will be selling them...


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## ratsbian (Feb 4, 2021)

The reality is that rats are very delicate creatures (especially around the 2 year mark) and a vet check up doesn’t prevent them from having a stroke or something not easily picked up on. That being said, please do what you feel most comfortable with & I am sorry again.


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## Lord liam (May 28, 2021)

I am sorry to hear that happened to your little coffee ,it is natural mice do the same thing I found one of my favorites had passed and they had done something similar. I was disgusted but I went to a vet and she explained it to me though I am still disgusted but the little guys have their own customs and things that are natural, I just lost my street rescue rat to poison and I know that horrible feeling of loss of your furry friend, I wish you the best going through this I really do because I know it's hard.


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## RatCrazyGirl (Feb 7, 2021)

Edit, we made up with the ratios!


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## lucetooth (Jun 3, 2021)

sometimes they just go.

one of my boys passed recently. He was happy and healthy in the morning. I went to get groceries, and when I came home he was gone. He was only a year old. My friend runs a rescue and she sees this happen all the time. I don’t think for a second that the others killed coffee, but finding that sounds traumatizing. I imagine you and te rats are all very stressed right now


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## Rat brain (Oct 13, 2020)

I really do feel for you, it is a traumatic experience. But it is true, if one rat dies, the others will eat it to stop the spread of disease. Don't hate the others because of it as from their perspective they have lost a close friend too. 

Plus it could be worse... I only have two and one had a fall and got really poorly recently. Today the other one has just ate her eyeballs and shes not even dead yet, still moving! THAT'S really scary! I don't suppose there's anyone with advice on that one? 

I hope it doesn't put you off cause they do make great pets. They just have a weird natural instinct. Humans would never really admit what they would do in an awful situation, like if two of your friends were going to die and you could only save one? What you think you would do an what you actually do would probably be very different


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## a1phanine (Mar 27, 2018)

Were there any other bite marks etc on the body or the other rats?
If the yreally did fight to the death like you think, the other rats will have damage too, no way they would get away scratch free


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## Mkd (Mar 24, 2021)

I feel terrible for you and Coffee. It seems to be unknown if she died in a fight but if she did no one knows who killed her. Don't take it out on all of them by getting rid of all of them. Some might be innocent in the fight and end up in bad homes if you get rid of all of them


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## Newtorats (Jun 28, 2021)

I’m really sorry this happened. It could have been a stroke or a heart attack (I lost a really young guina pig to a heart attack) As people have said before rats just have a natural instinct to clean their enclosure. Maybe it’s how a rat deals with grief, maybe it’s to stop diese, or maybe to keep the sent out of their home to hide from predators. Whatever the reason it is disgusting but I’m sure your rats did not kill coffe.


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