Rats get frighten more than Mice>>

[reptilesalonica]

I think that it is strange...
I keep my feeders in one room in the appartment.
I breed mice 2 years ago. All my mice (except the hoppers) are quite tame and i can hold them in my hands. I have close to 200 feeder mice and none of them ever bite me, plus the thing that i don't use forceps, just my hands.
One month ago i've got the 1st rat breeders (1.4 hoppers).
Until now i observe that whenever i get in the feeder room they get very frightened. I always treat my feeder rodents with care and with ease moves when i am cleaning their cages or when i feed and watering them.
I treat them just like they were pet rodents.
This fact, plus that i enter the feeder room daily and i spent 3 hours in it, every 2 days, contradicts with the frightened behaviour pf the rats.
One more is that it is known that rats don't get frightened that easy as mice...:confused:
Any suggestions?
~Greg~

[mark129er]

My only thought may be that you smell like a snake or some other predator. I always wash my hands when travelling between animals. Just a thought.

[reptilesalonica]

I don't handle my snakes often...once or two times a week and i always wash my hands...don't know what else to think...:confused:
If the rats keep that behaviour, definently they will eat their babies when they will produce litters...
~Greg~

[jwsporty]

I don't think you have much to worry about. Most of my rats are the hooded variety from different blood lines. Although they are the same TYPE of rat, some just seem to be a little more skittish then others. I can not handle ANY of my males. Some of the females want to be held while others just want to take a chunk out of your fingers. Also I have found that same sort of reaction when entering the rat room in the evenings. Night time is their normal active time so it stands to reason that their would be more alertness on their part. When I go in first thing in the morning or early to mid day, everybody is curled up in a corner having a snooze.

Don't sweat it Greg. If the mom eats her kids it will be for different reasons, likely a weak litter, or a first time mom, or high temps in the room..this is what I have found. Just give them food and water and they will do the rest. ;)


Cheers

Jim

[Frithrah82]

If you dont want your rats to run, REALLY treat them like pet rodents and get them used to you, being handled and played with so that they accept you as a part of their social group. Give them treats etc when you come over to show them that they don't have to run. Otherwise, if you have no intention in being involved with your rats other than to have cheap snake food I suggest you stop worrying about if they're skittish or not.

[Jayson]

I find that the females tend to be a little skitish until they start breeding, then they calm down.
all of my males are the friendliest rats i have.
The handling time is very limited because there are usually about 300-500 rats in the rat house at any one time, so i dont have alot of time to make pets out of them. LOL
But they do get daily feeding and cleaned at least 2x per week and my 2 kids often help and they like to play with them a little.

[reptilesalonica]

Right now i have a hopper-adult sitting on my left hand. I don't handle the rodents as pets ever, but they are very friendly with me :) This is the 1st time that i took a mouse and let it interact with me. I found that it is a very sweet little guy. :D
Feeling so strange right now...the same animals that i kill for my snakes, i let them play with me...ain't that weird or not? :confused: :D
~Greg~

[Syst3m]

Originally posted by reptilesalonica
I think that it is strange...
I keep my feeders in one room in the appartment.
I breed mice 2 years ago. All my mice (except the hoppers) are quite tame and i can hold them in my hands. I have close to 200 feeder mice and none of them ever bite me, plus the thing that i don't use forceps, just my hands.
One month ago i've got the 1st rat breeders (1.4 hoppers).
Until now i observe that whenever i get in the feeder room they get very frightened. I always treat my feeder rodents with care and with ease moves when i am cleaning their cages or when i feed and watering them.
I treat them just like they were pet rodents.
This fact, plus that i enter the feeder room daily and i spent 3 hours in it, every 2 days, contradicts with the frightened behaviour pf the rats.
One more is that it is known that rats don't get frightened that easy as mice...:confused:
Any suggestions?
~Greg~

Well then you have to start treating them like pets. It is not that they are frightened easily they are just smarter then mice. You have to raise them from babys by hand to get friendly rats that don't run away from you.

[reptilesalonica]

Yeap i will agree with you syst3m. But i said all that, because i thought i've heard that rats do not get stresed easy like mice do.
~Greg~

[Syst3m]

Originally posted by reptilesalonica
Yeap i will agree with you syst3m. But i said all that, because i thought i've heard that rats do not get stresed easy like mice do.
~Greg~

Thats correct. Rats do not get stressed like mice. Its almost unheard of for a rat to eat her first litter like a mouse. But just because they instictivly scurry away from you doesn't mean its stress. I used to feed my feeders treats all of the time. They little buggers used to run to the front of the cage when I came in and not away. It is all in how they are raised. The more often you pay attention to them the less likely they will be frightened by you. Also if you raised them from pups they are less likely to be afraid too. But don't count on it.

[reptilesalonica]

Mine do that too. When i enter the feeder room, they jump in the mesh on the front of their cage but then suddenly one runs away and it's like a sign of danger to the rest. Maybe they try me or maybe they are playing with me.
When i open the door (on the front) to feed them, they come furiously to check what's going on. So you can't say they are realy frightened...strange behaviour :)
Btw, i took them when they were hoppers
~Greg~

[Lisa]

one draw back of paying attention to them is you can get attached to the cute little buggers.