okay, a strange rat behaviour question

[butters]

with outside cats, feeding the dog outdoors and the chicken with his feed bowl, it's not unusual for us to spot a rat or three. when their numbers grow above that it's trap time.

i hate killing them. they're pretty cute and have such sweet feet, all pink and perfect. anyway, the traps seem brutal but are instantaneous and i understand if we didn't keep on top of these few we'd have a problem before long.

so, i'd set some traps earlier and when i went to lock the old rooster up for the evening there was a persistent peeping/squeaking sound of an animal in distress. i checked all the traps right away in case a rat had been caught by a leg instead of being killed directly. nothing.

then, looking down near the doorway i saw an adult rat sitting out in the open on a piece of timber, hunched over in an odd position with its tail held straight out behind it. still squeaking. no, no babies underneath, feeding, either.

i touched its tail but it didn't budge a millimetre! it was acting like it was really in pain and i ended up having to use a hammer on it to dispose of it. i hated having to do that. really hated it. apart from my dispatching wound, it appeared to have no injuries nor did it look pregnant.

but, this is the thing: i want to try and understand what on earth caused its behaviour. anyone know what this could be?

i've heard of a brain parasite that makes rats behave oddly till they get eaten by a cat or dog so the parasite can move on in its life-cycle, but have no idea if this is anything related to that.

 

[InsightRiot]

idk, maybe you should go abort a human baby to help you think.

 

[thør]

The .22 or pellet rifle is the way to dispose of rats.

 

[colddiesel]

Whack the rat with a shovel - hammer is too messy.

 

[sircumvent]

This is the year of the rat and if you are born this year it is not necessarily a good thing. If I was you I would lock all the doors and windows and if you know someone with the name of Willard then I would get the hell out of Dodge.

 

[SusanHaack]

Sounds like poison. Antifreeze, maybe?

 

[Biggs_Darklighter]

Man, fuck rats. They gotta go.

 

[butters]

Sounds like poison. Antifreeze, maybe?

don't think we have any laying about but i'll check, thanks

thor: i didn't have a gun to hand and i was hoping one swift whack across its neck would work


c.d: yeah, probably would have been better but i just grabbed what was to hand. its apparent distress was freaking me out

 

[butters]

Man, fuck rats. They gotta go.

never known a farm without the odd rat. having kept mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters as a kid, though, i can't help but like these rats. so sleek and glossy-furred and their cute paws. aw.

 

[Saint_Ann]

The Black Death.

 

[thør]

Fucking rats.

 

[butters]

no one else got any ideas as to what caused the rat to behave this way? completely abnormal

 

[rae121452]

if one of your cats or dog had gotten it, there's a good chance it had internal injuries from the encounter. i once watched a rat have a trap spring and grip it by the snout. it managed to pull itself free and was laying on its back, seemingly dead. i tried to scoop it up with a shovel, it sprang up and ran into a crevice where i couldn't reach it but then it sat and made the most ungodly sound, sort of like a high pitched keening, until i had to leave because i couldn't stand the sound of its pain. i assume the trap broke its jaw or something like that. the next day it had disappeared.

i hate rats. mice, however, are adorable.

 

[Rightguide]

The rat that roared in daring defiance at the wanton slaying of his brethren before his sacrificial Rexit from the oppression of his rural environment. *sniff*:

 

[Kantarii]

You know, I’m pretty sure there is a difference between mice and rats - and rats are in no way “cute”.

 

[bigsly]

You know, I’m pretty sure there is a difference between mice and rats - and rats are in no way “cute”.

Easy for you to say, not having to look at Harry every day.

 

[HisArpy]

no one else got any ideas as to what caused the rat to behave this way? completely abnormal

Fact of life:

DO NOT touch or interact with a wild animal that is not acting "normal". Rabies is invisible to the naked eye and our human instincts to help animals who are hurt can cause you to become infected.

You live in the woods. Someone should have told you this if you didn't know, or forgot.

 

[sygn]

new alt.

 

[doowdniw]

Maybe it was rat raised by a possum. With regrets.

 

[butters]

Maybe it was rat raised by a possum. With regrets.

ha

rae121452 if one of your cats or dog had gotten it, there's a good chance it had internal injuries from the encounter. i once watched a rat have a trap spring and grip it by the snout. it managed to pull itself free and was laying on its back, seemingly dead. i tried to scoop it up with a shovel, it sprang up and ran into a crevice where i couldn't reach it but then it sat and made the most ungodly sound, sort of like a high pitched keening, until i had to leave because i couldn't stand the sound of its pain. i assume the trap broke its jaw or something like that. the next day it had disappeared.

i hate rats. mice, however, are adorable.

yeah, the outdoor cats aren't much interested in the rats though they'll nibble on a dead one in a trap. the dog will take rabbits and squirrels but seems not in the least attracted to rats--for whatever her reasons. plus, if one of those had got the rat first, i think it may have shown signs of dirty fur/clumps or matted from saliva and the wet dirt around right now. i mean, i suppose it's possible but there was just nothing suggesting it had been attacked by anything first.

i was looking up about toxoplasmosis gondii in rats, specifically; it tends to make them unafraid of cats (since they need to be eaten for the life cycle of the parasite to complete) and even sexually attracted to them, but it also makes them very mobile...the hunting instincts of cats being triggered by prey movement. now this rat was definitely advertising itself by remaining out in the open and broadcasting distress noise but wasn't moving at all. rabies isn't really a concern as wild rat populations in the us seem clear of rabies infections though it's not clear why; maybe the little fuckers get eaten before they can pass it on. dunno.

 

[bigsly]

butters, the rat whisperer.

 

[juttjaw]

Maybe the rat was going for a human assisted suicide. Yes, the little fuckers are creepy, but there is a reason we do so many experiments on them. Cause they're wicked smart!

 

[rae121452]

could it be..........................................................................coronavirus?

 

[Klinkster]

butters, the rat whisperer.

Be careful.
I think she is more akin to Willard.

 

[FL30]

with outside cats, feeding the dog outdoors and the chicken with his feed bowl, it's not unusual for us to spot a rat or three. when their numbers grow above that it's trap time.

i hate killing them. they're pretty cute and have such sweet feet, all pink and perfect. anyway, the traps seem brutal but are instantaneous and i understand if we didn't keep on top of these few we'd have a problem before long.

so, i'd set some traps earlier and when i went to lock the old rooster up for the evening there was a persistent peeping/squeaking sound of an animal in distress. i checked all the traps right away in case a rat had been caught by a leg instead of being killed directly. nothing.

then, looking down near the doorway i saw an adult rat sitting out in the open on a piece of timber, hunched over in an odd position with its tail held straight out behind it. still squeaking. no, no babies underneath, feeding, either.

i touched its tail but it didn't budge a millimetre! it was acting like it was really in pain and i ended up having to use a hammer on it to dispose of it. i hated having to do that. really hated it. apart from my dispatching wound, it appeared to have no injuries nor did it look pregnant.

but, this is the thing: i want to try and understand what on earth caused its behaviour. anyone know what this could be?

i've heard of a brain parasite that makes rats behave oddly till they get eaten by a cat or dog so the parasite can move on in its life-cycle, but have no idea if this is anything related to that.

Maybe check with your county health department or environmental services. Or even contact a college that studies animals like Texas A&M. Or you cold even contact an exterminator for possible answers, or possibly even a veterinarian.

Anti-freeze usually doesn't make them act weird.