Rats all dead........

[caradeller]

hi...
went to feed my rats about 10 mins ago and opened thier box and they where ALLLLLLLL dead???
4 breeding f/m one m and 13 weaners...dead..
did they have food water ..yes
did they have clean cage with warm sleeping boxs.. yes

unless its was freezeing last night i have know idea how this happened...anyone eses have this kinda thing?

 

[redbellybite]

wow pretty bizare that you lost all in one hit...bit of a head scratcher ...you sure they had plenty of fresh air ? and didnt suffocate ?...

 

[kupper]

i had five newborn die last night as well,

i am in sunbury and it was like 0 last night and 7 degress this morning

 

[caradeller]

yeah heaps of air...im think it was reallly cold...but they where all in the same nesting box...u thing they would of been warm..plus they have good bedding

 

[beeman]

the cold will kill them very easily as does excessive heat, If it gets to cold even a group
in a nesting box cant generate enough warmth to survive

 

[caradeller]

sould i bin them or freeze???would they be ok to feed to my snakes..
maybe i wont risk it just in case something else killed them??

 

[beeman]

The choice of wether to use them or not is up to you! Personally if we have any rodent die in the breeding system we discard it Not worth the risk ,imo

 

[Lewy]

sould i bin them or freeze???would they be ok to feed to my snakes..
maybe i wont risk it just in case something else killed them??

I never feed rats and mice that have died to any of my reptile's

Would hate to kill some of my collection

Lewy

 

[mystix81]

Say it's the cold....i have business breeding rodents for food and winter sux...last year i still had smal set up and i was bringin weaners up to the house and bringin them inside...which was ok with 50 or so weaners but now am in the hundreds so not happening anymore...maybe just next time cover cage with a towel so the warmth stays in (but make sure cage iss clean otherwise the ammon. build up will be too much for em) Chrissy

 

[OdessaStud]

I doubt very much if it was the cold especially as they were in a coloney its amazing how resistent to climate change they actually are given the correct housing conditions.It sounds more to me like they have either been poisioned ie fly spray,or a bait, eaten something they shouldnt have( unusual they arnt stupid) or something has been introduced into the coloney by a wild mouse maybe? I wouldnt risk using them as feeders just in case. Odie

 

[Jay84]

I very much doubt it was the cold. When i used to breed my rats they were kept outside in the shed all year round. It was made of cement sheeting which is very thin and had lots of holes under the eaves where the tin had gaps. I never lost animals on cold nights? That was at my parents down on the mornington peninsula too....... very windy and cold!

I wouldnt risk feeding them to your snakes.... just incase it is something more sinister than cold.

 

[caradeller]

bined them...cleaned cage cant find anything that could of caused it...food is same thya they always get...and mic3e eat same..their all fine :shock:

 

[leamos]

Had the same problem when i was in sydney, every winter the first frosts of the year sorted the men from the boys so to speak but never lost all like that does sound a bit suss loosing them all overnight. I found a sterofoam box that my breeding box fitted in snuggly (2-3cm gap to still allow air exchange) and used a light towel over 2/3 of the lid. Keeps them nice a warm overnight, but take them out during the day to provent overheating. Hope this helps

 

[Slytherin]

That's odd, possibly the cold but are the cages kept in a garage near where a car may have been or near a gas hot water heater and the pilot light may have gone out. Gas and carbon monoxide fumes kill quickly and silently. I know it may be reaching, but you never know.

 

[dodgie]

I Have lost rodents in the past from the cold.I now heat my rodents with heat mats at one end of there cage on a timer at night.

 

[dodgie]

I doubt very much if it was the cold especially as they were in a coloney its amazing how resistent to climate change they actually are given the correct housing conditions.It sounds more to me like they have either been poisioned ie fly spray,or a bait, eaten something they shouldnt have( unusual they arnt stupid) or something has been introduced into the coloney by a wild mouse maybe? I wouldnt risk using them as feeders just in case. Odie

:lol:

 

[liberty]

doubt it woudl be the cold, i mean think of real life for them the live through the cold in nature.
have u sprayed anything recently, neighbours sprayed?

 

[caustichumor]

How cold are we talking?

 

[kupper]

doubt it woudl be the cold, i mean think of real life for them the live through the cold in nature.
have u sprayed anything recently, neighbours sprayed?

pet rats are pretty far from there wild cousins , with the amount of in breeding we do it does make them weaker

i just checked the temps last night and it got down to 2 degrees in the west of vic and 7 degrees until 10 this morning

 

[dodgie]

doubt it woudl be the cold, i mean think of real life for them the live through the cold in nature.

And in the wild they can bask in the sun during the day and then wonder around and find some where nice and warm at night.Captive rodents are stuck in a cage in all temperatures and can't warm up even if they want to,