Handling rats

I have built a rack system to breed rats,my question is how do you remove rats from the tubs. With out them jumping out. Also how do you pick them up with out getting bit. Do you use tongs or some type of thick gloves eg welding gloves. Thanks for your help.

Good question! I've had some of my more skittish ones make a dash for freedom come cleaning day. I like to keep an empty slot in my rack so I can just pop em in and shut it. But I've just filled empty slot, so this upcoming cleaning day I'll just put them in my 'holding cell' ( just a small contianer with a locking lid) while I dump their tub. Then repeat for each level.

As for handling, my sweet ones come running up and I just pick them up. My skittish ones I have to grab the base of their tail, support their body with my other hand then transfer wherever they need to go. I'd recommend replacing skittish/mean ones with their offspring once they're ready. Handle them a bit when they're young, it'll make life MUCH easier lol.

I have a ton of rats.
To many lol
Just grab em by the tail

Be sure to grab at the BASE of the tail, or a degloving injury can resule


here's what one looks like in a degu

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.48354...92564&pid=15.1

The skin is pulled right off, and leaves the bone exposed...usually has to be amputated or the animal euthanized

My rats haven't been difficult. I just pick them up, no problems. I don't handle them too much as babies, so i don't get too attached, but any skittish ones are culled.

Another tail grabber here. Have had some flip and mess up their tails, but I just drop them back in the holding container till they calm down. I can grab most by gently picking them up under the belly though. The runners get fed quick.

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Originally Posted by sorraia

I don't handle them too much as babies, so i don't get too attached, but any skittish ones are culled.

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I pity the fool that gains fright from a giant hand they ain't used to.

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Originally Posted by Tigerhawk

I have built a rack system to breed rats,my question is how do you remove rats from the tubs. With out them jumping out. Also how do you pick them up with out getting bit. Do you use tongs or some type of thick gloves eg welding gloves. Thanks for your help.

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Tails make good handles for quick transport. Know where you're taking the rat and get it there within a few seconds of pick up and you shouldn't encounter many problems. You can also try to hold babies you plan on growing out as future breeders a bit more than just changing day. I grab my breeders by the body and they have no problem with this type of handling - they just chill. Feeders get the tail treatment but are never held like this more than a few seconds at a time.

I keep an extra bin for cleaning. so I fill the extra bin with wood chips and lay it on the floor. then I pull out a bin from the rack turn it sideways and lay it on the bin on the floor. but I put it to one side so there is the opening up front and no escape out the back. then just lift by the tail and drop em in the hole. slide the dirty bin off the top and lift the clean full bin and put it back in the rack.

I can understand rats being skittish, but biters? Aw heck naw. Those bad boys get fed off IMMEDIATELY (and never make a biter a breeder, all those nasty habits can be bred out ;) ). I don't deal with bitey ratties :P My breeders I pick up by the body and they're sweet as pie. Even the feeders don't bite and I only handle them on cleaning day. I usually pick the feeders up with my right hand by the tail, then close the tub and let them rest on my left hand (standing/sitting) on it until I walk over to the snake tub and put them in. I don't like carrying them the whole way by the tail (not that it's far, only about 10 feet) as I don't want to drop a semi freaked out rat into the bin with my scaley babies.

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Originally Posted by John1982

I pity the fool that gains fright from a giant hand they ain't used to.

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Babies can be a bit like that... but most of them go as food any way. That's why they are there!

Though I maybe told a little fib... if there's a baby I especially like and plan to keep, they do get handled a little bit. My breeders get used to handling and aren't skittish. Some don't necessarily like being held, but they aren't afraid (and definitely don't bite! biting is a done deal for that rat). Just the way it works for me. :)

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Originally Posted by Tigerhawk

I have built a rack system to breed rats,my question is how do you remove rats from the tubs. With out them jumping out. Also how do you pick them up with out getting bit. Do you use tongs or some type of thick gloves eg welding gloves. Thanks for your help.

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Grab them by the tail! That's what I do.

I don't have any bitey rats. All aggressive rats are fed off as aggression in rodents is heritable.

And be sure to understand that there is a difference between biting and nibbling. All rats will nibble finger tips. It's their way to feel the world. It doesn't hurt. It's kind of like how gold fish suck on finger tips...

If I'm in no rush, I will grab a rat by the tail to keep them from running, and then scoop them up under the belly into my other palm. If I'm in a rush, I will grab the rats by the base of their tail and hold them up like that.
And depending on the rat, I may scruff them. But that doesn't happen too often.

All of my hold backs are handled regularly as babies to make my job easier when they're adults.

I usually use a tall bucket(looks like a extra tall five gallon bucket) and put a bit of shavings into the bottom(just so they don't have pee to walk in). The rats rarely try to jump out in the couple minutes it takes to clean their bin.

You can also do a round-robin style of cleaning bins, where you remove the first bin of rats into a holding container(I have a large rubbermaid style bin with a partly wire top for ventilation) and then clean that bin(#1). Now instead of putting bin#1 rats back in, open bin#2 and put those rats into bin#1, and then clean bin#2. Now open bin#3 and put those rats into bin#2, and clean bin#3.... so on and so forth. This way you only have to pick up each bin of rats once(except for the first bin of rats that are waiting in the holding container to be put into the last bin you clean).

I pick up most of the rats by scooping them up in my hand like you would any small animal(cat or dog). If they are skittish, I grab them by the base of the tail and then try to support them under the belly. If they really are skittish, just the base of the tail. I don't ever carry them very far like that, because the rat can begin to panic.

You shouldn't need gloves or tongs to pick up rats. If your rats bite, get rid of those and get better rats. Breed only nice rats and don't mistreat them and they shouldn't bite you.

IMO, as soon as we start saying " they're only feeders, so it doesn't matter", we are no better than those who say "oh, it's only a snake, so it doesn't matter"

base of the tail and other hand under they tummy/chest. we swap thousands upon thousands weekly using this handling procedure. We do use thick latex type medical gloves though as this allows us to keep them clean and sterilized and lower the risk of a pathogen making its way into the colony

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

So then, grabbing them by the ears and seeing how many somersaults you can make them do before they hit the bucket isn't the way you guys do it?

LOL

Somersaults? You set your goals too low, my friend. My rats do back flips!!!

I prefer the triple Lindy! Lol. Honestly though, I grab by the base of the tail and use the other hand to support their bodies. Biters are fed off. My kids handle all of the pups so they get used to it fast :thumbup:

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Rats are actually pretty easy to handle, I pick up the ones I have with my bare hands. They rarely ever bite, I've handled mine enough to the point they never bite me, or even try. Don't be afraid to handle some rats, they aren't so bad. Now mice on the other hand can nip, completely different worlds. :P

I've noticed over the years that many times the runts that have to struggle to get fed turn into biters when left to groq out into maturity.

I've had tons of rats in the past couple of years, and usually I can pick the up from above. If they run and hide or freak out when I pick them up like that, I go by the tail, but I've never had to do that with breeders.