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ScavengerType


Registered: 01/24/08
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can rats commit suicide?
#10161652 - 04/13/09 11:49 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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I had a rat that died today. Upon examination of it's cage I found that it began bleeding in a small dome nesting area off the main part of the cage. The bleeding was clearly arterial in nature by the fact that it was spirted with great pressure all over the cage in obviously periodic spirts. When I say spirted I mean there was blood all over the dome and a few spirts going as high as 2 feet from the body on the wall behind it. When I examined the wound I found a puncture below it's ear where it's main artery that leads to it's head is this is the reason the blood was so pressurized the area around the wound looked swollen like the area may have been infected.
Leading up to it's death the rat was loosing it's enjoyment of it's quality of life over time. I never knew what the cause was, I know it wasn't dietary. But it was loosing it's eyesight and coordination as well as getting scabs on it's body that took a while to heal and came and went over the past half a year as the rat's health degenerated.
The puncture wound looked real deep and it is unquestionable that had the rat done this with it's claw it would have been a relatively deep puncture not just a scratch.
So I can't know if it was intentional or not but it looks like my rat may have committed suicide. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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makaveli8x8
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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ScavengerType


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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#10161752 - 04/14/09 12:07 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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The rat was allowed on my shoulder on a at least weekly basis I think I would notice those parasites.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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makaveli8x8
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you'd think you would have noticed signs of depression as well as a suicide weapon too. and if you had why didn't you make him seek help?
its one thing to say an animal stepped infront of a car on purpose, but to kill themselves inside of a holding cell?
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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makaveli8x8
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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#10161790 - 04/14/09 12:15 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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and if you had read your own post you would have seen you already posted signs of a parasite
Quote:
as well as getting scabs on it's body that took a while to heal
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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Rahz
Alive Again



Registered: 11/10/05
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Quote:
Leading up to it's death the rat was loosing it's enjoyment of it's quality of life over time. I never knew what the cause was, I know it wasn't dietary. But it was loosing it's eyesight and coordination as well as getting scabs on it's body that took a while to heal and came and went over the past half a year as the rat's health degenerated.
Obviously, your rat was not healthy. Do you have other rats, and are they experiencing any problems?
-------------------- rahz comfort pleasure power love truth awareness peace "You’re not looking close enough if you can only see yourself in people who look like you." —Ayishat Akanbi
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makaveli8x8
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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: Rahz]
#10161809 - 04/14/09 12:18 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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Cubie
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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: Rahz]
#10161815 - 04/14/09 12:20 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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I had a rat once, im sorry that happened to yours. How old was he?
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ScavengerType


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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: Cubie]
#10161978 - 04/14/09 01:00 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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she was 3 years old with no children. I and my GF had checked her for parasites when she was experiencing scabbing there were none. Additional symptoms were weight loss and severe loss of coordination in the last few weeks. I would suspect a possible internal parasite or some sort of disease though. We got another rat recently but they couldn't spend any time together on account of the fact that they fought the three times we put them in together. The other rat has shown none of the symptoms of this rat.
I kinda expected the rat to die, as it had been experiencing intermittent and worsening symptoms for a half a year but I was kinda surprised by the manner of it's death, particularly the fact that it had obviously punctured it's own carotid artery.
Is it possible that a spider could do that? The hole was about 2-3mil.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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Cubie
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man i think it was just because it was old. Average life span of 2-3 years
mine also died at round year 3. He was really cool, he'd even chill with my cat!
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ScavengerType


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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: Cubie]
#10162127 - 04/14/09 02:04 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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ya know what's weird. Me and my gf were discussing it, and she said there was no notable amount of blood on her claws that she may get if it were her claw that made the hole in her neck. As long as she didn't get the blood off by moving around in the bedding this means the wound opened itself. I wish I had dissected her now to find out what had killed her, when I saw the hole I figured it was an explanation but now I'm left wondering.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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zouden
Neuroscientist



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I'll ask the staff at my animal house at work. They might have seen something similar.
I think, if rats can commit suicide, they'd do it by starving themselves, or by not drinking. I think that's more likely than a rat somehow knowing the best place to cut itself to bleed quickly.
-------------------- I know... that just the smallest part of the world belongs to me You know... I'm not a blind man but truth is the hardest thing to see
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Lakefingers

Registered: 08/26/05
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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: zouden]
#10162651 - 04/14/09 06:33 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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That's the unlikely part, that it went for its own jugular. Could've been a sore that disloged or an arterial rupture that broke through a thin layer of skin that had been parasitized or weakened due to disease. Hails to the rat.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



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Quote:
ScavengerType said: I had a rat that died today. Upon examination of it's cage I found that it began bleeding in a small dome nesting area off the main part of the cage. The bleeding was clearly arterial in nature by the fact that it was spirted with great pressure all over the cage in obviously periodic spirts. When I say spirted I mean there was blood all over the dome and a few spirts going as high as 2 feet from the body on the wall behind it. When I examined the wound I found a puncture below it's ear where it's main artery that leads to it's head is this is the reason the blood was so pressurized the area around the wound looked swollen like the area may have been infected.
Leading up to it's death the rat was loosing it's enjoyment of it's quality of life over time. I never knew what the cause was, I know it wasn't dietary. But it was loosing it's eyesight and coordination as well as getting scabs on it's body that took a while to heal and came and went over the past half a year as the rat's health degenerated.
The puncture wound looked real deep and it is unquestionable that had the rat done this with it's claw it would have been a relatively deep puncture not just a scratch.
So I can't know if it was intentional or not but it looks like my rat may have committed suicide. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Seems especially cruel to me to leave a lone aging rat in a small prison cell. If they can't commit suicide under these conditions it's a damn shame.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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deCypher



Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 56,232
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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#10163455 - 04/14/09 11:16 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
makaveli8x8 said: you'd think you would have noticed signs of depression as well as a suicide weapon too. and if you had why didn't you make him seek help?

But seriously, I'm sorry for your loss.
-------------------- We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
 
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ScavengerType


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Re: can rats commit suicide? [Re: deCypher]
#10163918 - 04/14/09 12:49 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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I realize now that my rat likely didn't know where it's main artery is, I suspect it was likely a rupture or something. Swelling around the ear and around the wound shows that it could have been the result of an ear infection or something.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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