seperating rats

[Chewy]

For some reason I can't touch an adult rat... I just hate the little things. I don't mind touching babies(well, I won't touch pinkies).. I'm a little germaphobe lol. What would be the best way to seperate my mother rats when they are pregnant without touching them? There's gotta be a humane catcher I can use or something and leave in the home depot tubs, come back later to them seperated? Any suggestions?

I love snakes and I'm getting into breeding so I started a rat colony for my snakes to feed off of to save money as I cant sustain feeding my snakes unless I did this(lost my job, but want to continue breeding).

Thanks fellow herpers! :]

[youbeyouibei]

Pick and chuck, lol! No, really, unless you're willing to work with them and work through things, you really can't do much with them. I'm not aware of any device that would keep you from having to touch them, other than a rat trap and that would largely defeat the purpose since you asked about pregnant females. Gloves, maybe, although they can be hard to hold at times.

Some of mine are "meaner" than others, including the one that bit the snot out of my finger which is still bearing a Band-Aid as I type this, lol! They're like anything, they all have personalities and some are "nicer" than others. I've worked with most of mine, either prior to them being pregnant or while they're young, getting them used to being handled and some are to the point they actually seem to enjoy it. Best advice I could offer is jump in with both hands, expect to be nipped if you have a mom with a litter and most of all, don't be afraid of them! Wash your hands before you handle them so you don't smell like food, be mindful of the moms with litters and as to the males, well...they generally could care less about much of anything besides a female in heat and/or food/sleeping, usually in about that order when it comes to mine!

Is your issue with them carrying germs/disease or something else? The disease/germ factor by and large comes back to you: keep them in sanitary conditions and you won't have any issues. If you can smell the bin (urine, feces), other than the "warm animal smell", it's way past time to clean. Practice good husbandry for them and for yourself: wash your hands before and after you handle them and don't touch your face, eat, etc. prior to cleaning up. I don't know if that answers your question(s) or not; hope so and I hope it helps. Good luck and take care!

[LotusCorvus]

Do you drink soda? I usually take those long rectangular "refrigerator" soda boxes, rip them in half, and give them to my rats for hidey boxes. You could always use one of those for moving rats (as long as you're quick about it), though if you leave it in the cage it'll get chewed up. I'm lucky that my boyfriend goes through a lot of soda, so I always have those boxes on hand. Honestly as long as you keep the cages clean anyways, grabbing them by the tail isn't too bad. Maybe just wear a latex glove?

[Chewy]

It's more than touch, I have kevlar gloves I KNOW they cannot bite through even if they tried their hardest, i just cant get over the fact of touching the damn things. Maybe it's a natural disgust of long tailed rodents.

[wolfy-hound]

Put on your gloves, and shoo them into a water pitcher. Any plastic container of a decent size, put some bedding in so it's not slick for them, and some treats too. The rat shouldn't mind getting in the container, then gently "dump" her out in the new bin.

I cull biters. I did just get nipped by a mom, but I was rummaging to grab babies for a few minutes, not just picking up a baby and leaving. Usually even moms don't bite me, lest they too become snake food.

[EvergladesExotics]

Rats are actually very clean creatures. If you do your part and keep their bins clean, theres no reason for them to be "germy." You can even give them a bath every few months with a small animal shampoo and have them smelling lovely! However, I know that for most people who do not like rats, it's not the rats themselves, but their tail. For some reason, a naked tail gives us humans the creeps. If this seems to be a problem for you, why don't you look into getting some manx rats? They're completely tailless, so they look kind of like guinea pigs, but rat sized lol. If you really just dont like them at all then I would suggest using a 1 or 2 quart feed scoop (theyre used for like feeding horses and cows). Theyre about $5 at any feed store and pretty durable. Theyve got a nice handle and are plenty big enough to scoop a momma rat up in. Man, I can't imagine how hard cleaning day is if you can't touch them! Anyways, that's all I can really think of. Good Luck!

[Chewy]

cleaning is easy, kinda. Open the bin 1 way and the rush to 1 side, block it off and take all the bedding out with a scooper. I rather use my shopvac but I think that would scare the little pests. Replace bedding on that side close, open other end, replace. :]

[PghBall]

They are rather easy to grab by the tail and can be transferred easily to another bin that way. As others have mentioned, they all have personalities, some inquisitive, some shy and skiddish. If you're never planning on making them "pets" the tail method is the way to go. Just reach in and grab them. If they turn toward you just shoo them away. When they turn their back get the tail. Oh, don't lift by the tip of the tail, grab it around the middle. If you grab the tip and lift them, you may pull the tip of the tail off.

[crazyj83]

Ok, big issues and not just with the op.. Are you guys seriously telling someone to gra a momma rat by the tail?? You can cause serious damage to them by grabbing by the tail. Plus if the rats are not used to being handled thats asking for a bite.. Now my other issue is how are you going to breed or own something you seem to have issues in caring for? I run numberous 1.4 colonies and even a single 1.4 with proper rat block feed and bedding materials, your still gonna be spending as much as just buying feeders from someone or a petstore. Sorry to come off harsh but its a simple fact, you own animals that eat rats.. Kinda gotta step up and roll with the punches...

[JohnNJ]

Are you guys seriously telling someone to gra a momma rat by the tail?? You can cause serious damage to them by grabbing by the tail. Plus if the rats are not used to being handled thats asking for a bite..

I pick up all of my rats by the tail. They are used to it and they don't make a fuss. They come to me and wait to be picked up and moved when I'm cleaning.

I always try to grab the tail as close to the base as possible and it's never more than the time it takes to go from one tub to another. My rats never bite. They never even try. I only had one rat when I first started that was a biting fool, God rest her soul.