My daughter was living in Albuquerque when her roomie's dog killed her Guinea Pig, so she froze him, wrapped him in a towel for insulation and shipped him to us in Florida for internment at the family home! He was still pretty solid and had no odor when he got there...

One animal I can't let the rats near are small terrier dogs -- Their reaction is instinctive, unlike larger dogs (I have photo of three Rat-ladies on a friend's dog's back) -- Even cats don't react because the rats, being very tame and unschooled in behavior, don't act like prey -- If a rat placed on floor in front of cat advances, the cat doesn't know what to do and usually departs...

I am going to have some rats in my life again if I can get local pet store to keep me on their rat-baby list -- They are really fun when young.