A Vet Visit and a New Plan for Lewis

The vet visit is over, thank god. It was honestly so stressful just getting him there, he was just a little frozen potato in his carrier the whole car ride. Didn't even try to chew on the box I put in there for him. And it's been a long, rainy evening and I am just bone-tired, but I'm so glad we went. At least now we have a path forward and a better idea of what might be causing my elderly rat sudden aggression. He was so good for the vet, just sat there while she checked him over, which made me feel both proud and sad. He's such a sweet boy at his core.

The vet was incredible, so gentle and kind. She was an exotics specialist, so she knew what she was doing. She checked his teeth and his breathing and felt his little belly for any lumps. The main thing she noted was exactly what I see every day: his very cloudy eyes and how easily he startles. She explained that with his vision and probably his hearing failing, the world is likely a very confusing and scary place for him now. The screaming from the other night could have been a panic attack, basically. He might not have even recognized Pip in that moment. It could still be related to pain, she said, but the sensory decline is a huge factor.

A Retirement Home for Lewis

Her main suggestion was to simplify his world. To create a space where he feels totally safe and can't be surprised by things. And it just made so much sense. I felt this huge wave of tired relief, it wasn't a death sentence, just a new chapter. So on the way home, I stopped and bought a big, single-level cage—it's technically for guinea pigs, I think, but it's perfect. No ramps to fall off of, no levels to get confused on. We've decided to call it his 'retirement cage'. It felt like the right thing to do, I just sat there staring at him in his carrier and knew he needed his own quiet place to decompress and I needed to stop being sad about it and just do it for him. He deserves to feel safe.

I spent the rest of the afternoon setting it up right next to the main multi-level cage. This way, he isn't totally lonely, he can still smell and hear his brothers and they can sniff at each other through the bars. But he has his own food, his own water bottle, his own soft fleece liners and his favorite hammock, hung up super low so he can just flop into it. It's his own little safe space. It was a lot of work and my back hurts from leaning over it all, but it's done. Finally. Some peace.

He actually seems calmer already, which is the biggest relief. I put him inside and he did a few slow, careful laps, sniffing everything. He found the water bottle almost immediately. And the best part? I offered him a tiny dab of malt paste on my finger, and he licked it all off, just like he used to. I almost cried, he finally ate. It's a small victory, but after the screaming incident a few nights ago, it feels huge. Now he's just resting in his low-hanging hammock, all curled up. It's a start. I feel like I can maybe breathe again. [Read more: {how-to-care-for-a-senior-rat}]