Rats?

[ArcticMoss]

Who all keeps them and has for a while? My boyfriend and I have reptiles. And that does include snakes.

He got a trio of breeder sized rats about 4-5 months ago from another local reptile keeper, and since then the two females have been breed and had babies ect. I just recently moved in with him and since then, we've acquired another two males and 5 females - two of which had already had babies. The people we got them from hadn't taken that great of care of them (or couldn't tell they had two males? I'm not sure) and had one male in with some smaller rats (big enough to be separate from mom) and as result one of those had its eyes chewed out. I've already laid claim to her with the hopes of working on getting her to trust me and keep her as a pet, mostly because not only is she pretty but I feel horrid the male hurt her like that. I've also laid claim (lol) on another smaller baby who has had his/her eyes open for about a week or two now since its just SO CUTE. I'm sure more will become keeps for me too as I'm finding I adore rats...

I've been messing with one new momma since shes the friendliest and her babies are bigger, in hopes of getting them used to being messed with. I've picked up some of the others too, but not many. I want to work with them all so they can all get loves and be used to me messing with them so it'll be easier to clean their tubs, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Anyone here have any advice? Sites you can recommend for research? I'm filling waterbottles daily, cleaning tubs once a week, gave them all chew blocks and empty toilet paper rolls to chew/play in, and making sure everyone has plenty of good, healthy food to eat. My main thing is the handling them and getting them to trust me. With so many I don't know where to start or even if what I've read online is reliable?? Help appreciated!

[Shanna66]

Back when i had rats goosemoose was one of the best forums. Idk how they are now

[[Kat.On.A.Stick]]

Question: Are you breeding these new rats? If do, ditch the males, you don't want males that will attack other rats. Every male I've had with poor temperament has been culled. That's the first thing you need to work on before color. My males can be put in with any rat without issue. Even if you are just breeding feeders, having rats with bad temperament is your worst nightmare.


A good way to socialize rats is to create an area where they can play near you, I find a large table where it's high enough so they won't jump works well. Have them be used to your presence before you begin picking them up, as that scares them. Put some kind of mush(like baby food) on your finger so they can lick it off. Anyone who bites you hard is probably food aggressive and needs to be culled from breeding.
Once they are used to your presence, you can pick them up and hold them. It's a lot of work to get unsocialized rats to be friendly around people.

There's some great forums, and there's also some great facebook groups.
I'm part of a group on facebook called California Rat Breeders. It's centered in california, but there are members from all over the US and so far, it's the best group I've found. Everyone is knowledgeable and down to earth. You won't get turned down for breeding feeders.
The rat breeding forum on Ball-Pythons.net is also a great place to go.

I tend to avoid pet only places as they go nuts if they find out you're breeding for feeders, using wood bedding that isn't aspen, housing in tubs and not cages, etc.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

[ArcticMoss]

[Kat.On.A.Stick]

Question: Are you breeding these new rats? If do, ditch the males, you don't want males that will attack other rats. Every male I've had with poor temperament has been culled. That's the first thing you need to work on before color. My males can be put in with any rat without issue. Even if you are just breeding feeders, having rats with bad temperament is your worst nightmare.


A good way to socialize rats is to create an area where they can play near you, I find a large table where it's high enough so they won't jump works well. Have them be used to your presence before you begin picking them up, as that scares them. Put some kind of mush(like baby food) on your finger so they can lick it off. Anyone who bites you hard is probably food aggressive and needs to be culled from breeding.
Once they are used to your presence, you can pick them up and hold them. It's a lot of work to get unsocialized rats to be friendly around people.

There's some great forums, and there's also some great facebook groups.
I'm part of a group on facebook called California Rat Breeders. It's centered in california, but there are members from all over the US and so far, it's the best group I've found. Everyone is knowledgeable and down to earth. You won't get turned down for breeding feeders.
The rat breeding forum on Ball-Pythons.net is also a great place to go.

I tend to avoid pet only places as they go nuts if they find out you're breeding for feeders, using wood bedding that isn't aspen, housing in tubs and not cages, etc.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

Thanks for the reply and all the info!

Yes, they are breeding. I'm not sure which male it is and maybe if its something the last owners were doing, to be honest. Trying to figure that out first. We already culled most the smalls we got from the person, the only ones left are the babies with the two mommas, the other three females, two males, and my little blind small I refuse to kill. I can see the need for culling them though, I think we're going to try a supervised put in with a female to see how he acts and if he seems aggressive he's gonna go to our rattler. I'm not worried about color at all at the moment, it's just we get what we get. I can already see that being my worst nightmare, I actually got my first bite cleaning cages out tonight. Guessing one of the three females in with a male is pregnant, if not all of them (I read that the males get more defensive?) because I went to get him out first so I could get their birdcage cleaned - everyone was all piled up - let him smell my hand first and then tried to get him and he bit the everliving s**t out of me. Then one of the females tried to bite me when I was pulling one of the others out.

Would getting them out and letting them kinda crawl around on my lap and the couch next to me be ok too? Don't really have like a tabletop area I can put them currently, and don't trust them or myself enough to put them on the floor itself...worried one would get away from me lol. I can pick most of them up - or at least so I thought- only one I haven't attempted to pick up at this point is the new male that supposedly is so aggressive. I'll have to try the baby food trick, thanks for that (: I've mostly been messing with the new babies, the smalls we have from our original trio, one super friendly new momma we got, and I was messing with our original three but since they've been paired again for breeding and especially now that the other male bit me I'm a bit hesitant to mess with them at the moment.

I'll look into those, thanks! That is one concern that I'll get into one that will be mad about them being feeders lol.
I really appreciate your reply and all the info you gave me! Thanks!

[[Kat.On.A.Stick]]

I don't keep moms that have maternal aggression.
I've only had one rat that ever did that. I bred her twice and hated every moment of it. She never drew blood, but I was very careful.

I let my boys run the couch with me, but do know that when they have something they can chew, they will chew it. Part of my cushions got ripped up(thanks Atem >.> )

Good luck with them smile

[ArcticMoss]

And here are the two new babies I already know I'm keeping!

The female who had her eyes chewed out but now will be loved on and spoiled rotten for the rest of her life, provided she's healthy and thriving:

And the little male skunky looking baby in with one of the new mommas:

[ArcticMoss]

[Kat.On.A.Stick]

I don't keep moms that have maternal aggression.
I've only had one rat that ever did that. I bred her twice and hated every moment of it. She never drew blood, but I was very careful.

I let my boys run the couch with me, but do know that when they have something they can chew, they will chew it. Part of my cushions got ripped up(thanks Atem >.> )

Good luck with them smile

Is that what that is, even if she hasn't had babies recently? I'm not even 100% if any of those three are pregnant yet, just was an assumption that maybe that was the issue. That bit you or? The male that got me tonight got me good. you can see the bite marks on both sides of my finger, and it was like pouring blood. It was horrible lmao.

That is very true and not something I would have thought of lmao. Should be but. Oh goodness, lol. Yeah we don't need the rats tearing the furniture up the dogs are bad enough...

I read that working on getting them used to you, you should work with them in like 20 min increments, any idea on the truth behind that?

Thank you! (:

[V0kinN0ed]

Um wow. Okay here is a serious question. Are these Feeder Rats or are these going to be pet rats? Because if these are going to be feeders I wouldn't worry if you can handle them or anything because they will be culled and used for reptile food. If these are going to be pet rats, I would still cull out the ones that are hard to handle and just breed the ones you can handle with ease.

I have rats, and a female I didn't want to breed accidentally bred, and her babies are not what I wanted at all. Some I can handle, but most of them are almost impossible to hold, much less catch if they get loose.

Do not cull for maternal aggression!!! Protecting the babies is one of the many jobs a mother rat has. And this behavior goes away at around 3 weeks of age.

[ArcticMoss]

ApolloRouge

Um wow. Okay here is a serious question. Are these Feeder Rats or are these going to be pet rats? Because if these are going to be feeders I wouldn't worry if you can handle them or anything because they will be culled and used for reptile food. If these are going to be pet rats, I would still cull out the ones that are hard to handle and just breed the ones you can handle with ease.

I have rats, and a female I didn't want to breed accidentally bred, and her babies are not what I wanted at all. Some I can handle, but most of them are almost impossible to hold, much less catch if they get loose.

Do not cull for maternal aggression!!! Protecting the babies is one of the many jobs a mother rat has. And this behavior goes away at around 3 weeks of age.

Yes some are being used as feeders. But we're also going to be growing the colony some, getting rid of the adult breeders we have now that are aggressive. I would like robe able to handle most the breeders because I don't like being but every time I try and get them out to clean tubs. I get the maternal aggression and why the mommas can be like that. Not that concerned with that bit tbh

[[Kat.On.A.Stick]]

ApolloRouge

Um wow. Okay here is a serious question. Are these Feeder Rats or are these going to be pet rats? Because if these are going to be feeders I wouldn't worry if you can handle them or anything because they will be culled and used for reptile food. If these are going to be pet rats, I would still cull out the ones that are hard to handle and just breed the ones you can handle with ease.

I have rats, and a female I didn't want to breed accidentally bred, and her babies are not what I wanted at all. Some I can handle, but most of them are almost impossible to hold, much less catch if they get loose.

Do not cull for maternal aggression!!! Protecting the babies is one of the many jobs a mother rat has. And this behavior goes away at around 3 weeks of age.

Yes, do cull for maternal aggression. You don't want rats that will bite you trying to protect their babies.
Any rat that draws blood gets culled.
She may just be breeding feeders, but when you put your hand in there to grab a fuzzy because that's what your corn snake is eating, you don't want to be bitten.

Also, cull =/= kill, it simply means to cut from your breeding program.

Aggression is aggression and I have a zero tolerance policy.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

[V0kinN0ed]

[Kat.On.A.Stick]

ApolloRouge

Um wow. Okay here is a serious question. Are these Feeder Rats or are these going to be pet rats? Because if these are going to be feeders I wouldn't worry if you can handle them or anything because they will be culled and used for reptile food. If these are going to be pet rats, I would still cull out the ones that are hard to handle and just breed the ones you can handle with ease.

I have rats, and a female I didn't want to breed accidentally bred, and her babies are not what I wanted at all. Some I can handle, but most of them are almost impossible to hold, much less catch if they get loose.

Do not cull for maternal aggression!!! Protecting the babies is one of the many jobs a mother rat has. And this behavior goes away at around 3 weeks of age.

Yes, do cull for maternal aggression. You don't want rats that will bite you trying to protect their babies.
Any rat that draws blood gets culled.
She may just be breeding feeders, but when you put your hand in there to grab a fuzzy because that's what your corn snake is eating, you don't want to be bitten.

Also, cull =/= kill, it simply means to cut from your breeding program.

Aggression is aggression and I have a zero tolerance policy.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

um no. Material aggression is normal. And is different from a rat that trust you and a rat that doesn't. Both my females had maternal aggression but I was able to handle both litters.

Culling for maternal aggression is stupid and only shows how novice you are still to rats and breeding.

Hun breed for health up most first. Worry about temperament once you have a healthy stock.

[[Kat.On.A.Stick]]

ApolloRouge

[Kat.On.A.Stick]

ApolloRouge

Um wow. Okay here is a serious question. Are these Feeder Rats or are these going to be pet rats? Because if these are going to be feeders I wouldn't worry if you can handle them or anything because they will be culled and used for reptile food. If these are going to be pet rats, I would still cull out the ones that are hard to handle and just breed the ones you can handle with ease.

I have rats, and a female I didn't want to breed accidentally bred, and her babies are not what I wanted at all. Some I can handle, but most of them are almost impossible to hold, much less catch if they get loose.

Do not cull for maternal aggression!!! Protecting the babies is one of the many jobs a mother rat has. And this behavior goes away at around 3 weeks of age.

Yes, do cull for maternal aggression. You don't want rats that will bite you trying to protect their babies.
Any rat that draws blood gets culled.
She may just be breeding feeders, but when you put your hand in there to grab a fuzzy because that's what your corn snake is eating, you don't want to be bitten.

Also, cull =/= kill, it simply means to cut from your breeding program.

Aggression is aggression and I have a zero tolerance policy.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

um no. Material aggression is normal. And is different from a rat that trust you and a rat that doesn't. Both my females had maternal aggression but I was able to handle both litters.

Culling for maternal aggression is stupid and only shows how novice you are still to rats and breeding.

Hun breed for health up most first. Worry about temperament once you have a healthy stock.

I'm sorry, but most of the advice I've learned about breeding has come from Nicole of BWR.
I also got most of my rats from her.

I trust her judgement way more than someone on Gaia. None of the rats I got from her have an ounce of maternal aggression, I can take babies off their nipples and they don't budge.

While I agree that health is the most important part of breeding, there's no point in breeding healthy rats if they have poor temperament, and it's something you can judge within the rat's breeding time. Health issues often pop up after a rat has passed it's ability to breed, and if they pop up before that, then you don't breed that rat ever.

~ Fly over me Evil Angel ~

[ArcticMoss]

Ok, let me correct myself. I won't cull for slight maternal aggression. If she chooses to chew my a** up every time yeah she's gonna be culled.

[Shanna66]

If i ever breed mammal feeders i would cull for even an ounce of aggression. Not puting up with that crap.

[V0kinN0ed]

Intoxicated Brutality

Ok, let me correct myself. I won't cull for slight maternal aggression. If she chooses to chew my a** up every time yeah she's gonna be culled.

sweetie this is why you don't cull for material aggression. Because ALL female rats have it. A rat that trust you will allow you to remove babies from her and the nest. That doesn't mean she doesnt have maternal aggression. When you cull a mother rat for doing what come natural to them you have no business breeding. Regular fear and aggression is a reason for culling. Never for a mother protecting its young.