I’m mostly okay about Cola, but I do keep beating myself up because I did hear squeaking in the night. I can’t remember if it was the night Cola died or one of the nights before. I keep wondering if Cola did die in a fight.
Also, Cola had become very skinny at one point and we’d started adding extra meal worms to fatten her up. All was fine for a few months and then she became bloated with a slightly stiff leg. Since she was still very active we assumed it was just old age.
Popcorn was also getting thinner. We were concerned that if Cola had been ill that Popcorn might have injested the illness.
Now Popcorn is bloated and I’m not sure if she’s just also really old (being sisters coincidental timing isn’t impossible or if she’s ill). Unlike Cola I’ve realised that she’s become less able and now can’t get upstairs to her water or seemingly into her “tall” food bowl (both food bowls were fine for them for years).
I offered some water to her by hand but we can’t think of any way to get her water to her safely without her having to climb even a slight incline. So the water is now in a short dish and the food is on the cage floor.
She hadn’t been eating for a while, which was why I was checking into it before I realised she couldn’t go up the ramp. She began eating again once she could reach her food.
As we were away last night, I’m not sure that she had eaten or drunk in a while. I’m hopeful that she will improve with some substance in her but after Cola I’m not hopeful.
We’re not sure whether just to make her comfortable or to take her to be put down.