Extreme Aggressiveness in Female Breeder Rat

Yep I agree with you Jeanne and the female rat was euthanized this afternoon. Her remaining litter is fostered with another rat whose happily accepted them and I'm sure they'll be much safer now (as will I be when I go to do my daily feeding....hard rat bites are not fun!)

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Originally Posted by Pork Chops N' Corn Bread

I wish you luck Joanna. If I were closer I could pick up your huge retired breeders for boa food!!!
I hope this doesn't happen to you again
Good luck

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Too bad you weren't closer, I'm always looking for bigger snakes to use up my oversized feeders though I've got a deal now with a local private pet store to trade them for other stuff I want.

Actually our retired breeders don't normally get fed off. They just hang out and enjoy the good rat life after their breeding careers are over. Just our way of saying thank you for their contribution to our snake's wellbeing. We can do this of course as we don't have hundreds of rats. Our colony usually runs about 40-60 rats of various ages so a few retirees isn't a major deal. They hang out with breeders between litters or supervise the feeder tanks so they have company and something to do with themselves.

We've only had a few female breeders we've had to feed off for poor mothering or low production issues, never one like this one that became so highly aggressive.

If I ever head out your way and I'm in need of some rats I'll get in contact with you. An XL rat a week isn't that bad for me....

Wow, I would wonder if maybe she even contracted some sort of diseaes, maybe? Or perhaps she was in pain for some reason; maybe was bitten or injured during giving birth, or while a baby was nursing; I know that two things that can cause an animal to be vicious are being in pain, and disease.. IMO you definately did the right thing putting her down.

All women are moody ... regardless of species ::grins::.


Actually you answered your own question ... by allowing her to be nippy on her previous litters you have reinforced that behavior. Just like with dogs ... nip the biting in the bud or you got a biter on your hands.

Aggression is thought to be genetic so you would probably want to make sure not to keep her pups (whats left), and please dont trade the pups to a pet store.

Bryan

Exactly right Bryan. When she was nippy as a youngster (more so than most young rats) we should have fed her off immediately. She was unfortunately my daughter's rat so we didn't. We've now learned that lesson. Her pups will all go directly as feeders so they won't pass on her genetics or go as pets in case they harbor her bad attitude.