OMG!! No one told me about De-Gloving!!!

I would only ever pick up by the base of the tail and not very much further, especially for a big girl, but I also never hold them like that for more than 1 second.

I'm a big girl and can handle a psycho or nervous rat. I always put a hand underneath their belly even if they scratch my hand to smithereens. I'm talking about some very crazy rats too. My hands are all scarred up every week from dealing with these girls.


I suggest you buy a small sterilite tub that you can quickly put her into and transport her around.

http://sterilite.com/Products/Catalog/1892_LG.jpg

I had that happen once with a feeder rat and it was horrifying. I second what people say about picking up only by the base of the tail and only when absolutely necessary and then only for a second or two. Mice it's not as big a deal since they weigh a whole lot less, the only way you're going to de-glove a mouse is if you hold by the very end of the tail and the grab something and hold on or spin uncontrollably.

I love my rats and it kills me to see them hurt so I will probably be euthanizing the one psycho female that I have but I need to have a breeder female to replace her with. It sucks too cuz she's a great breeder, 14-18 babies per litter.

I don't have time to respond to everyone individually, but thanks for all the info. I really would like to euthanize her. She's so evil and I always where leather gloves when I hold her because she'll bite anything she can get a hold of. She bit me the other day and almost got through the gloves and bruised my finger nail!!!

I do feel bad and I will assure you that I will stop picking them up by the tail! All the other ones I have raised myself so they are pretty friendly and I can pick them up and haven't ever been bit by any of them.

I pick mine up by the tail for short distances, and they have become accostomed to this because I have been doing it since their birth; I have had only one rat behave like this, it happened when I first started breeding rats. I promptly fed her off. I breed for temperament and looks so I don't keep the "crazy" ones. Rats are smart and once one learns that he/she can get his/her way by behaving a certain way, they continue to do it, and worse..imo, they teach the other rats.:colbert:

I pick up all my rats by the base of the tail, because like snakes, I never know when one of them is going to decide that he/she doesn't want to be bothered. My rats are friendly..but they aren't pets and I get no joy in getting bit, so would rather not risk it.

I don't feed off the ones that try to bite but I do give them a little flick to the head with my finger and they seem to learn from that.

What kind of leather gloves are you guys talking about that can protect from rat bits?

My first time being bitten by a rat was when I was wearing the type of leather gloves welders use when welding. I thought for sure it would protect my hand so I didn't even try to move away. But its teeth went right through the glove and gave me a nasty bite.:(

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

Do you have the rat being treated? If not, you may want to euthanize it. The tail now is a open wound, with exposed bones, prone to terribly infections.
Sorry it happened, there was a vet show that showed them treating a pet rat where that happened. A little boy who was told not to, did exactly what you describe. They amputated the tail, since you can't cure it without skin.

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This is incorrect. This happened to one of my female Spiny Mice when I had them 6 years ago. I used a bit of gauze on the tail and a bit of ointment. Kept the cage clean and watched it for infection. It healed over and the gauze was removed to have a stubby skinned over tail. It wasn't scaly like normal tails, but it had skin on it.

You can cure it, the skin will in fact regrow.

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Originally Posted by Somed00d

I don't feed off the ones that try to bite but I do give them a little flick to the head with my finger and they seem to learn from that.

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Good luck!

Personally, I don't risk my fingers, hands, or any other extremities near rats that are prone to biting and...I also don't keep them in the gene pool.

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Originally Posted by broadude

Good luck!

Personally, I don't risk my fingers, hands, or any other extremities near rats that are prone to biting and...I also don't keep them in the gene pool.

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I'm trying to avoid it, but sometimes it's understandable. Like, my females will bite at me when I try to get to their babies, but they won't really attack me if I pick them up to move them.

Holding ASFs just doesn't work for me though.. they jump too much..

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

This is incorrect. This happened to one of my female Spiny Mice when I had them 6 years ago. I used a bit of gauze on the tail and a bit of ointment. Kept the cage clean and watched it for infection. It healed over and the gauze was removed to have a stubby skinned over tail. It wasn't scaly like normal tails, but it had skin on it.

You can cure it, the skin will in fact regrow.

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NOTE: I said "being treated". Keeping the tail clean and putting ointment and gause on it is treating it. I never said it couldn't be healed, I said it needed treatment, and that on the vet show, they amputated the tail.
Thanks for the info.