Delilah died in my hands two minutes ago.

All I can say is that I am so very sorry. She is a beautiful girl. And it was probably comforting to her to be in your hands as she went through the curtain.

Sorry to hear that GMS; I know she had a few more weeks with you then she otherwise would have because of your efforts.

The worst part is that it as my fault and it could have been avoided easily.

So you don't think I'm crazy here are some other rats that are loved.

Dude, no. That's not crazy. I feel your loss. Two weeks ago it was a year I committed my best friend of 13 years to the ground. She was a lovely tabby cat and is still sorely missed. And sometimes, out of the blue, I just talk about her anyways, no matter how many funny looks I might get. You keep on keepin' on and that's all there is to it.

I think one of the reasons we miss our animal friends so much when we lose them is that they love us unconditionally, they never insist that you live up to their expectations and they never lie to you. You can tell them anything and they always comfort you with a big wet slobbery lick, or a warm fuzzy snuggle.

I feel you brother, and I know that cute little "Precious" peaking out from under the covers in that photo will comfort you in the days to come as will they all. Hang in there

We all come here to have fun and relax, I must apologize for injecting doom and gloom. Any time one of my rats die it messes me up for weeks. This is the first time it was my fault and could have been avoided. They're such warm and gentle things. Nevertheless, this isn't the place for mourning a rodent and I won't post any of it in the future

gms9810: sad to hear about delilah! it's perfectly understandable that you want to share it with people. but what happened? last thing we heard here she had been sick but was getting better, if i'm not mistaken.

I took their stick out of the cage. They used it as stairs and to chew on, that helps keep their teeth from getting too long. I've never seen one's teeth get too long because there are other things that keep their teeth worn down. Hers for some reason grew too long and she couldn't eat properly. I'm absolutely heartbroken because all I had to do was trim her teeth and it all would have been fine. None of the others are like that, her teeth just grew much faster than others. Nevertheless, it was my fault and my responsibility.

gms9810: rats seem to be very complicated little creatures - i've never thought of the possibility of a rodent dying because their teeth grew too long. just don't beat yourself up about it, though - it's probably bad enough as it is without feeling guilty.

Easier said than done. In some ways I guess they are complex, they certainly have a complex body language and a complex anatomy.