TW: Depression Background: I adopted two boys around 8 months old just before Christmas as a Christmas present to myself. I got them from a local rescue and love them dearly. I have also been struggling with depression for quite a few years now.

I love my boys very much but lately I’ve been feeling myself slipping more into a depressive state and can barely get out of bed unless I’m working or going to school. I have had Hades and Hermes for almost 4 months and haven’t bonded with them at all, and that’s okay because I understand it can take a while. What’s wrong is that I can barely get myself out of bed and clean their cage - I clean out their bedding and make sure that there’s not too much poop or pee but I can’t get myself to do full cage swap arounds anymore by taking everything out and changing it up, it’s been 2-3 weeks since their last big swap. I feel so bad for not giving them the proper enrichment, but on top of that I work an hour away from where I live which wasn’t the case when I first adopted them. I spend days away as I often work multiple shifts in a row and they’re night shifts so I stay at my girlfriends instead of driving an hour home at 11 at night. So they haven’t been getting out as much as they used to and it makes me feel awful. They always have food and clean water as my roommate makes sure, but she doesn’t bring them out for free roam time so they’re stuck in their boring cage for days at a time.

I feel so bad and I think I should surrender them to the rescue I got them from, but they already have so many rats that need homes and Hades has scars on his back so I’m afraid he’s less likely to be adopted. My parents also told me that they told me so and I can’t just keep getting animals and giving them away again (we had to rehome our dogs last year as my mum was sick and the rest of us were never home) and they’re really mad and disappointed in me. For context I’m 19 and moved out in January

TLDR: I have major depression and can’t get myself to take care of my rats very much anymore and want to surrender them but I feel awful and my parents are mad and disappointed.

Please be gentle, I’m really trying my best, and I just want advice

UPDATE: I have decided to give them to my friend who has a few rats at the moment. She’s got girls, but the boys are desexed anyway. She’s great with them and she’s also getting their cage and everything I own for them so I know they’ll be happy there