I wish I could have what you guys have! I had to fight for a partner for my girlie, and my bf bought me the two babies, and I still don't have a partner for sammi! sigh. I'm now looking on CL and might be getting a year old female, but it's not set in stone.
I've been lucky, none of my ratties have had to go to the vet. My girls have always passed in Thier sleep, and Creature, my heart rat died in my hands.
I did have a ferret that one day started walking in circles and acting funny, brought him to our exotics ER vet, and it turns out when I rescued him, he had ear mites in his second ear canal, [i never knew/saw symptoms] and during his time with me, the ear mites somehow got into his brain. When they did surgery they found brain damage, but managed to save him. The bill was $764 and He wasn't able to eat, move, or go to the bathroom by himself, So I had to feed him via syringe, stimulate him using his faculties, and move and position him every half hour for about a month. When he was able to move and go to the bathroom, i praised him so much, everytine he saw me, hed run to the litter box and poop. He always expected lovins, which i gave him. Smelly greeting, but i guess it made him happy. Lol .I was more than willing to do all of this, but Ozzy was never the same. He was still a cuddlier, but right when you were comfortable, he would savagely attack the nearest part of you. He went vicious. My hands, wrists, knees, thighs even my breast were victims. It ended up that I couldn't trust him at all, and sadly he was like this for the next six months, till he passed away buried in his fabric pile. I still miss the old Ozzy...