Rat questions

Wizwise2000 · 03-07-04, 07:10 PM

I have a few questions concerning my rats.

I have small gauge wire that I've been building my cages with,
and the rats I have are a tad aggressive. The question here is, does anyone have any ideas how to build a larger door on these small gauged wire cages that're secure? What I mean by aggressive is that the rats don't like to be held, I can't get a hold of them to pull them out, besides their tails. Tailing them won't help them become tame I'm sure, and when they get large, tails won't help when they don't want to come out of the enclosure.
So it's more like their scared, but this could cause them to bite when their older.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to tame a large quantity of rats? At least tame them enough to allow me to take them out? If it's possible. My concern is when they get quite large I don't wish to be attacked by these big rats.

I'm also looking for a way to kill my rats and mice to be
vac-packed. How does everyone "whack" them? I don't wish to blow myself up with CO2

, or wish to use dry ice. So it only leaves me with whacking them. How's this done? Does it cause a lot of blood to be seen from nose, mouth (wife will hate them being in freezer if there's lots of blood) etc?

Here's a link to some photos of the cages.
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...threadid=38320

My apologies for the multiple questions and the length of this post.

My thanks and appreciation to everyone.

Shane

Linds · 03-07-04, 09:34 PM

I wouldn't worry about taming them unless they are intended as pets, which I gather from the "large quantity" that they are not.
I've only ever once seen a vicious rat. I don't know how many thousands of rats I've dealt with over the years, and I've only encountered one that was like this, and ironically enough it was one of the few that was a hand-tamed, pet that was given to me. Little a$$ gave me a bite right down to the bone. All of my 200 rats (excluding my two pet rats) are wildly terrified of me... they see me kill rats right before their own eyes, they see me steal their babies, and I never handle them except for cleaning. None of them bite me, however most are not comfortable with me grabbing them around their mid-sections and may squeal and panic. For anything larger than 3 weeks of age or so, I usually just transfer them by the base of their tails from point A to B. If I need to move them a distance (from room to room), I put them in a small container. Even adults I have retired to pet status, were still able to be accustomed to handling after years of the above lifestyle as well. I can pet all my untame rats, nudge them in corners with my hands to fumble around for tails without getting bit, and I never hesitate to stick my hand blindly in to a pile of them either. Again, rats are not aggressive by nature. If you are hoping to tame a large amount of rats I hope you have your days free to sit there with them, because it will take up all your time. Accustoming any animal to handling takes time and patience, if you have a large amount it just becomes overwhelming.

I wack my rats in either pillowcases or plastic bags, depending on the size; babies get their brains pinched back in to their bodies

Very important you do it hard enough with the larger ones. It may cause them to bleed. If your wife has problems with it, just put them in a paper bag, or some other opaque bag

As for your cage question I can't help. I refrain from using anything that has a trap-door tpye setup with rats because it is jsut too difficult to maneuver with IMHO.

sapphire_moon · 03-07-04, 09:50 PM

I whack only when nessecary (sp?). I am getting a remote and a co2 bottle next week, you shouldn't blow yourself up with it. It should be fine. I did whack a rat once that bleed severly from the nose/mouth, took freezing to stop it, then when I thawed it, holy crap it started bleeding agin, it's entire head was covered with blood.

I just take the rat by the tail, and aim the head for the railing, no pillow case, no baggie.

You want an easy way to get them out of those cages you made, make the cages shorter (less than 12") and make the top the door, so you can take the top off and reach in from above, and have a larger area to work with instead of reaching in from the side and having a small square to work in.

Linds you stick your hands "blindly" into a rat pile your brave! if I were to do that with my rats I would pull my hand back with rats attached! lol

Linds · 03-07-04, 10:01 PM

Yup... when I transfer from one rubbermaid to another, they all fly in to the back under the enclosure I have sitting ont he closed portion so I cannot see what I'm grabbing at, I jsut know there are 30 rats I gotta get out....lol

Never been bit by any of them though. Same thing when I put them all in to their holding tubs for cleaning, its very tight quaraters and I just stick my hands in no questions or hesitations... never been bitten *knock on wood *

mykee · 03-07-04, 11:47 PM

Linds; I would think that you not being bitten by a rat is more the rule, than the exception. I also have never been bit by a rat, and 'free grab' them all the time.
Wiz; You may be confusing agression with just a rat being a rat. What creature wants to be taken out of it's environment by a big hand? Unless you are being bitten, I would jsut continue going about your business and stop worrying. Rats are not aggressive if their requirements are met.

mykee · 03-07-04, 11:47 PM

Oops....double post....uh.....ummmm....anyone watch the Sopranos?..

sapphire_moon · 03-08-04, 11:50 AM

sure they can be agressive if they are pet shop rats, have been abused, or left to themselves most of their lives.

Jayson · 03-08-04, 05:27 PM

I am with mykee and Linds on this one. Out of the litterally thousands of rats i have raised, I Have never taken a serious bite

My Wife will actually let them come right up and nibble on her fingers, and to this day has not had a real bite, And she only goes to rat house a few times a year. The rest of the time they are tailed by me.

sapphire_moon · 03-08-04, 08:51 PM

lucky you! my bunch must be out right mean! lol. I can pick up the babies, but if I just let my females just sniff me or "nibble" on me, I would end up with one heck of a bite!

Thats ok though, it makes it easier for me to kill them.......

Linds · 03-08-04, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sapphire_moon
sure they can be agressive if they are pet shop rats, have been abused, or left to themselves most of their lives.

I'm not sure why the above reasons (excluding abuse) would cause any aggression? Most of my stock has come from pet shops, none of which were biters. Most rats do not last a very long time in a store, as well as they are around people more than feeders typically are. Feeders are pretty much left alone in most situations and don't become aggressive as a result either. Even with abuse I be inclined to think this would produce more of a flighty, scared rat than an outwardly aggressive rat in most cases.

sapphire_moon · 03-08-04, 10:35 PM

abuse can make a rat (any animal) become outwardly aggressive. A rat is normally a VERY social animal, and forcing one to live by itself after living with other rats, and without contact of any kind (besides picking up to take out and clean cage) can result in a scared, aggressive rat...

Lisa · 03-08-04, 10:56 PM

I've only taken bites from moms with nursing babies.

When working with them in the cages I tend to use leather work gloves.

Jayson · 03-09-04, 06:24 PM

I have taken many nibbles from nursing mothers But none have yet drawn blood or even really hurt for that matter, however it does make you jump it your not expecting it. I use to wear latex gloves when cleaning and i found that the rats were more aggresive towards that then just using bare hands.

mykee · 03-09-04, 06:43 PM

Sapphire, I don't think anyone here has one rat living alone, usually they are either in colonies for breeding, or in overflow bins until dinner-time. I'll echo Linds' sentiments and say that there is no reason that a feeder or breeder in any of our care should be aggressive. Our snakes' food should be treated as well as our snakes.

Lisa · 03-09-04, 09:55 PM

some times we quarintine our breeders for mite treatments. the reason for this is we don't want any particular rat getting more then their share of treatment. treatment lasts about 3 weeks. so far we've only had to treat only our blue male.