>mom owned pet rats
>hate the little shits
>grow to love them because it's inevitable with pet rats
>mom dies
>pet rats are the only living part of her I have left
>1st rat dies a month later
>learn that rats have a 2-3 year lifespan
>spend over 2 grand over in total trying to keep the last one alive
>get him golden milk
>feed him extremely healthy food
>let him out for large periods of the day, is always allowed free roam time when I'm home
>give him extra vitamins just in case oxbow wasn't enough
>take him to the vet constantly, pay for rare rat oriented medicine from the UK
>get him 3 friends so he's never alone and has constant stimulation
>fast forward to yesterday, not even a year later
>didn't come out of his hammock when I brought him his treats
>mfw
I have never felt this shattered since my mother died, how do I prevent this from happening to the remaining 3 for as long as possible?
my condolences, OP
Sorry about your mom OP.
Caloric restriction and breeding them later in life. Caloric restriction can drastically increase their lives, and breeding later will increase the average lifespan over multiple generations.
Breed him
You are alive and the son of your mother anon...do the math
>learn that rats have a 2-3 year lifespan
They can live a lot longer with a non-shitty diet.
wrap the rope around your neck and kick the bucket so the rats will live longer than you
Anon, everything has its end. I know that's kind of sad, but that's why we have to make the best of the time we have. Be happy you gave him a good life and had a lot of fun. nature has to take its course, and the reaper always gets his due.
It'll be alright.
F. You keep that rat colony going anon
selectively breed rats for dozens of generations
OP I know you love your rats and giving them a good home is important but please don't get attached to the life span of critters that don't live long. If you want a large rat that loves long try a possum next time. They live much longer in captivity when taken care of someone like you. Your rat will come back to you spiritually anon. Pets always do.
Possums only live for 2 or 3 years too, anon.
Some have made it to 8 in captivity.
>spend over 2 grand over in total trying to keep the last one alive
Retard moment
You shouldn't be allowed to own a pet if you can't afford to keep it alive, OP did the right thing if he was spending within his means
Breed long life rats.
>Breed 2 rats, save the whole litter (say 6) and breed the litter
>Wait and see how long the 6 original parents live for and stop breeding the lines with the earlier dying parents.
>Breed the line with the longest living parent
>Repeat until you have a line of rats that live for 20+ years
Please do this.
You have to cope fag. there's always positives and negatives with owning a pet. owning rat is like renting a really good game from blockbuster. You won't be able to enjoy it for long.