quick rat question

[Bartman]

I am going out to get a rat for my bp. Long story short he wont eat rats, only mice, and I am going to see if he'll even take rats.

Questions

1) Am I supposed to get the same size rat that I would get if it was frozen?

2) incase my ball decides hes scarred and moves away and its time to take the rat out..will it be aggressive (the rat) and would it be safer to wear gloves incase?

3) I cant let my rents know theirs vermin in the house lol, so if i kept it in a closet (in a tank) would it make noise? Like it will squeek but to the point where they will hear it from downstairs or something?

thanks!

[thunder]

it wont squeak unless you pick it up. it will make little rodent noises, like chewing and digging and scratching and such. be warned that rats can chew thru many materials, keep it very secure. if you are worried about the rat biting you, wearing gloves would be a good idea. if you have the rat in a separate enclosure for a prolonged period of time, give it something to eat and something to chew on (like a piece of cardboard).

[Bartman]

Damn..I bought a rat. And being the type of person I am, im beginning to get attached :( He's to big as it is, so im thinking of going back to get a smaller one. I didnt realize that my bp was smaller then I was thinking at first lol.

Anyways thanks for the reply. He doesnt seem to be loud at all, and doesnt bite. I was wearing these thick crazy gloves thinking he would go wild. But hes quite calm and their very inquisitive. This is my first rodent encounter :p

[Tim_Cranwill]

Get a SMALL rat.... like 30% smaller than what you would offer f/t.

And keep a close eye on it while it's in your bp's cage. It shouldn't show any aggression towards the snake but be ready just in case. You may want to slightly stun the rat before putting it in with your snake... :)

[annieb_mice]

Rats are usually fairly friendly and inquisitive and generally won't bite unless they feel threatened or are protecting their babies. There ARE some rats that will bite without provocation though, but it sounds like the one you've got has a good temperament.
For feeding your ball.... do as Tim recommended and get a small rat to start with. And if your ball normally eats frozen thawed, try stunning the rat first. If he won't accept the rat, try rubbing dirty mouse shavings over it or rub a dead mouse over it.
Good luck!
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Bartman]

okay so i went back and go a smaller mouse for my guy to eat. And he did his thing and killed it after a couple mintues of figureing out if its food or not. Now lets see if he takes it down

so whats the next step...stunned and then f/t?

[thunder]

you can skip the stunned step, i think. if he took it with no hesitation, unscented, than chances are he will eat fresh killed. if he eats that no prob, then on to frozen.

[Bartman]

So how would I go about doing that as humane as possible. Is the pillow bag method the only way. And about how hard...I dont want to blow up the mouse or only severly injure it. Just swing away?

Here he is

The first pic was of the first rat that i decided was way to large
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/DSC00080.jpg
So I went to the store and got one that seemed much better. He constricted, killed, and took it down with no problems! I was very happy.

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/DSC00081.jpg
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/DSC00082.jpg

[thunder]

with a subadult rat, i just pick him up by the tail and whack him on the edge of my desk. a larger rat i would kill by breaking its neck, which i know how to do properly b/c i work at a lab. but you probably shouldnt try this without learning how. i guess the pillow case thing sounds fine, i personally have never used one and the rats rarely bleed when i whack them. dont worry, the rat wont explode if you swing the pillow case too hard. if it did bleed, it would only be a little from the nose/mouth. maybe use a plastic bag instead of a pillowcase if u dont want blood on ur pillowcase.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Nicely done. That's a HUGE headache out of the way! From here on, it should be smooth sailing... :)

[Phrasty]

If you dont feel up to whacking the rat you can always gas it (u can use dry ice and warm water), there are a couple ways to do it. here's what i do...

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/5627Co2-Gasser2.jpg

[Bartman]

how do i get a pressure realease valve...and where the heck do i get dry ice lol

thanks for the pics though!

[CDN-Cresties]

Congrats dude. I just whack my rats when they are in a shopping bag. I give it one good whack of the ground to make sure its dead. So far my success rate is 100% but I try not to look at the rat when I dump it from the box to the bag because I'll get attachted :)

[thunder]

sometimes ice cream places will let you have some dry ice.

[Phrasty]

you can get a one way valve ( for pressure release) at any hardware store prob in the plumbing section, you dont REALLY need on, you can just drill a hole i guess lol. I hear some petstores up there sell dry ice..if not, check around, cant be too hard to get a hold of.

Phrasty

[Bartman]

thanks!

[JonD]

At feeding time, I defrost everything together in a ziploc bag(mice and rats in warm water). This gets everything kinda smelling the same, I'd imagine. I havn't had problems crossing em over from mice to rats.. Good luck!

[elevation24]

Dunno about Canada but I can get dry ice at my local grocery store :) You might want to call around and see if any of your grocery stores carry it. I think Walmart carries it, too.

[annieb_mice]

I don't know about back east.... but here on the West Coast, I don't know of any stores, like Walmart, that sells dry ice. Though you could try Praxair or another medical gas supplier. You could also mix vinegar and baking soda and get CO2 gas. :)
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Bartman]

hmm..so could i place the viniger and baking soda into where the dry ice is supposed to go in this chamber? and also..how much should i put of each and how long will it last..enough to kill one rat right?