How do you hold rats?

Stupid question I know, but I figured I'm going to have to learn how to hold these rats when I have a bigger collection that are live eaters. I mostly feed f/t but if I get into breeding, live is always going to be an alternative option.

pick them up and just hold them in your hand. I usually grab them by the base of the tail, but never pickup by the tip or in the middle of the tail, really nasty things can happen. You can also grab them by the skin between the shoulders, like you would a cat.

I just pick them up by the body and hold in my hand like a hamster. To me, the tail is the nastiest part of a rat, assuming they are fed properly and kept clean. And some rats respond very unhappily to being swung around by the tail. :O

The safest thing is to keep your rats socialized enough to pick them up without difficulty. just scoop it up like a kitten. if a rat is determined, while you hold it by the tail it will climb up the tail to latch onto your hand, so..yeah.:cool:

All mine get picked up from under the arm pits with one hand. This gives me a chance to feel their body condition and their general temperament as I want pet quality rats. Mine all stand up in the bin so I can grab them. They know the routine.

With latex gloves by the base of the tail not long enough for them to flip and bite (obviously on cleaning day I hold several hundreds of them and I don't have the time and not do I wish to grab them any other way)

I have done that for years NEVER had a problem, just need to know how to do it.

I handle mice by the tail and rat's like kittens :gj:
My rats won't bite though unless you hurt them, so they are tame as a kitten :P

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I handle mice by the tail and rat's like kittens :gj:
My rats won't bite though unless you hurt them, so they are tame as a kitten :P

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Lol, I was thinking, "I wuv them, and snuggle them"......then I feed them off... :p. The little ratties are so cute and sweet, we handle them, so they are friendly. Except for one evil momma. But she's gone as soon as her replacement grows up.

But yeah, I just reach in and grab them.

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For the friendly ones i just scoop em up from under the belly. if i'm in a hurry or for the not so nice ones i just grab by the tail. i heard alot of horror stories but over the years i have handled thousands of rats and never one time had anything bad happen to the rat by grabbing it by the tail. i have however been bit doing it more then once.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

With latex gloves by the base of the tail not long enough for them to flip and bite (obviously on cleaning day I hold several hundreds of them and I don't have the time and not do I wish to grab them any other way)

I have done that for years NEVER had a problem, just need to know how to do it.

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^ This! When we are feeding we typically pick them up by the scruff of the neck or by the base of the tail like Deborah mentions above.