How do you pick up ASF?

Just wondering for those of you with ASF's, how do you pick them up?

I've been messing around with my weaner girls this weekend, and I found that besides grabbing the tail (where they pretty often fling around and try to bite, or twist and hurt their tail) they become quite subdued when you pick them up by their body.

Maybe it's just my group of girls, but the majority of them just stop all movement when I picked them up this way. Just behind their heads, sort of holding their rib cage and forearms. I did it gently, and was pretty happy when I figured this out.

They either don't move or can't. Either way, they don't even try to bite. Some of them squirm away when I attempt to touch them... but I find this is a lot less hazardous.

Any thoughts on the subject? I could just be talking to myself here.

With hands... Duh Connie...

Gloves! Your very bold! I'm not picking them little beast up barehanded!

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

With hands... Duh Connie...

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Not that you would know anything about them...*cough*

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

With hands... Duh Connie...

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Ohhhh, thanks Ms. Obvious your just swell! I knew I could count on you :love: *ducks from incoming flying shoe*

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Originally Posted by cassandra

Not that you would know anything about them...*cough*

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Nothing what so ever...

I use my hands to pick up lots of stuff....

:gj:

Depends on the ASFs... the ones I have handled I try and scootch (is that a word?) them into my hand, but for the ones that I have not handled... I swoop in and get them by the tail.

I used to do the same with mice. They do not struggle and if you are quick it seems to be OK.

But there may be a risk of degloving the tail(?), but they seem OK with it.

If you have ever handled baby gerbils, it is much the same... cup your hand and just let them dart in. Then once they are in hand cup it so they cannot jump out, or hold their tails so they cannot bolt.

They are funny buggars... they will dart out, or if there is enough space they will do their popcorn imatation and pop straight up in the air if startled.

Much like the road runner they seem to be able to get enough traction on air that they can indeed move forward in mid jump...

Bruce

Who now has 3 litters of ASFs that he can handle... they are not as bad as I had thought.

i freehand them until hopper size either by the tail or by the loose skin on the neck,then after that i use hemos with rubber tips.

i find that they are like mice in that they panic easy and become hard to handle.slow movement and gentle picking up seems to work best.have fun !

LOL

me= zero mice experience

Holy crap I had no idea they jumped like that until one flew out of my hand the other day. Unfortunately he smacked the floor from something like 5 feet up. He was dazed, passed out for a minute, but continued to live.

I use a 10 inch pair of metal snake feeding tongs... with duct taped ends. I find this is way easier then trying to catch by hand because they are so quick. as long as you pick them up by the base of the tail, this does not hurt them. The duct tape is to pad the part that grabs the tale.


This method also ensures that I don't get attacked!

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.