Ok, so I did the humane thing, went and got those sticky mouse/rat traps, caught the rat the first time took him/her/it outside, dumped a bit of vegetable oil on him/her/it and let it go.

That night it is back in the dog's food bowl helping itself, dancing and looking at me with a big smile on its face.

Two weeks later, a lot of dog food showing up here, there and everywhere and the sheer aggravation of trying to catch the beastie humanely I had success about 30 minutes ago. This time it is looking at me through the thick glass of an Italian ice tea jug (holds 5 gallons of iced tea - never use it for that though) it shivering from the oil bath (to loosen it from the trap) or from sheer anger that this time its not going outside.

Mice and rats. I know why I'm suddenly seeing them all over - yet more construction of suburbia hemming in the rural folk and chasing all the rodents, opossum, skunk, etc onto our property. I read up and it is suggested to take it at least a mile away - well I can now go 10 miles in any given direction and still be in this $@%# suburbia that has grown up around me. So I am thinking of just keeping it in the jug (until we get a bigger cage thinggy).

Dog food: This rat loves dog food - well at least loves putting under the refrigerator, the stove, the couch, behind the TV, under the bed... I assume it/him/her has been eating dog food.

So to my questions"

1. Is dog food good enough for a rat to eat?

2. If I took the rat to the vet will he be able to tell me its gender, and tell me if it is healthy or carrying some dreadful thing like the plague? Maybe it is female and pregnant? Do vets even look at rats or do they laugh at folk bringing in rodents?

3. Can I keep a wild rat (If I promise to feed it, water it, take if for walks) with success or is that dooming the little fellow to an early death?

I have a question for you. Many people have pet rats.. so when does a "wild" rat become a "pet"? Just curious.

I have several raccoons eating cat food at my home, so maybe dog food is fine for your visitors.

I had a pet rat.. but it was a 2000th (or something ) generation white lab rat that had fewer germs than I did.

I suspect street rats would be a lot more dangerous, but you could talk to the vet and discuss it. I would figure there is no real way to innoculate against some illness and disease.

But I definitely recommend rats for pets.. I have had a total of 4 of them in our family. I had a delicate little lady named "Brisby". She was intelligent, loving, would sit on my shoulder and ride around. You can get one for about $3 at a local pet store and we just used a fish aquarium with cedar chips, water bottle, etc.

Really, the same as how a gerbil would be housed is how we housed Brisby.

I am sorry, you might just have to put that wild fellow down if the vet doesn't give a go ahead. Personally, I think it is just a bit too dangerous.

Don't know about rats and all dog food, but I once made the mistake of leaving 25 kilogram (c 50 pound) sacks of Eukanuba in the garage. When I returned a week or so later all I had was the empty sacks (and the healthiest, glossiest coated, rats in Britain !)

That's hilarious, FredPuli!

quote:

Originally posted by Tree:
I have a question for you. Many people have pet rats.. so when does a "wild" rat become a "pet"? Just curious.

I have several raccoons eating cat food at my home, so maybe dog food is fine for your visitors.

People have dogs as pets, but then there are wild dogs which do not nice pets make.

Or cats and feral cats (perhaps a better example?)

I've never had a rodent for a pet thus I'm completely in uncharted waters here.

quote:

Originally posted by Sherasi:
I had a pet rat.. but it was a 2000th (or something ) generation white lab rat that had fewer germs than I did.

I suspect street rats would be a lot more dangerous, but you could talk to the vet and discuss it. I would figure there is no real way to innoculate against some illness and disease.

But I definitely recommend rats for pets.. I have had a total of 4 of them in our family. I had a delicate little lady named "Brisby". She was intelligent, loving, would sit on my shoulder and ride around. You can get one for about $3 at a local pet store and we just used a fish aquarium with cedar chips, water bottle, etc.

Really, the same as how a gerbil would be housed is how we housed Brisby.

I am sorry, you might just have to put that wild fellow down if the vet doesn't give a go ahead. Personally, I think it is just a bit too dangerous.

I don't actually want this as a pet, however I cannot stand rat droppings in places where no rats should be (Just found rat droppings on top of the ice box, behind the stuff up there!).

If I let it loose in what is left of the countryside around here (less than a mile radius) I just know that it will return.

As for killing it... Well that's just not a thing I do - can't eat it so no sense killing it.

David, can't you hire someone to catch the rat and remove it if you don't have the heart to kill it? I am sure that it would be a fairly rapid process with a little bait.

It is mental cruelty to imprison a wild animal in a cage. Catch it and drive a few miles - or more - before releasing it. Hopefully it won't find its way home!