How do you pick up ASF?

LOL, Chris got bit for the first time this past weekend. Little girl gave him a tiny red dot on his finger. :rofl:

Still havent been "bitten" but have been teethed if that's the word. Nothing to really hurt or break the skin. I mess with my animals, if they bite, I have a feeling it's nothing like getting bit by a male rat twice in the space of an hour. ouchies...

I hold mine by the base of the tail with bare hands. They may not like it, but they get used to it quite quick since I have been doing it since they were pinks. The original batch that I started out with, HATED it, but most of them soon got used to it..(adjustment).

Only a few older ones will get picked up by the base of the neck...I am not trying to entertain any bites. Any that do not display a docile nature (squirming, struggling, attempting to bite) are dispatched.

I have been "teethed" before (she was put down). :colbert:

I've been trying to figure out what ASF stands for..

I just gave up. It doesn't have an M or R for mouse or rat but clearly your talking about rodents. No G for gerbil either.

D:

ASFR = african soft furred rat

I start picking them up by their tails and place them in my hand (however I still hold their tail so they do not jump out)

Should I add mine are fairly tame and non-biter (even when I mess around with the babies) which might be why I can handle them this way :confuzd:

I pick them up by the tail and quickly transfer them where they need to go. But if yours can be picked up by the body I think that's great.

I BREED THOSE! The petstore called them African Pygmy Rats though but they look exactly the same in the pictures on google.

I have always picked them up by their scruff (loose skin behind their neck) and they always calmed down instantly. I know with felines picking up by the scruff triggers a calming response because that usually meant shut up I need to move you safely in the wild. It seems they act the same. Of course I do it gently, I don't want to hurt them. :]

I've had problems with de-skinning or whatever it is with the tails. D: I worry about that a lot. Usually their pretty friendly.. but they jump like NO OTHER. My breeding female though has gotten real territorial over her babies. Haha.