>> *Rats, ratbites are about the worst. The teeth are curved enough
>> that to pull away makes the wound worse. And a rat doesn't
>> always want to let go. I have had problems with these...having
>> to do with having them professionally flushed and dressed.
>> Frightened and cornered is usually when they chomp. A female
>> will also defend her babies until eyes open pretty strongly.
>>
>> *Gerbils...bite with more purpose than a hamster, but usually
>> let go after a chomp. They are more painful than a hamster
>> bite in general and less so than a rat bite. My single chomp
>> so far, was I was holding a 10 week old female and trying to
>> douse her with mite spray. She took serious offense to this
>> and chomped.
>
>I beg to differ. My rat chomped down, and though it hurt more than gerbils,
he
>quickly let go. He was an aggressive rat and did this to me twice, as well
as
>to my brothers. Each time he would never hang on.
I worked in a research lab as workstudy in college (the first time
around). I got ratbit a lot and there were those that would hang
on...the prof caught me once trying to force a rat's jaw so I could
push back in and get the finger off...and he gave me permission
to kill any rat that did that to me again (bit on and would not let
go, even when sprayed in the face).
>Both gerbils that bit me hung on for a while. This peticular one hung on
while
>I sat there and clenched my teeth. It just hurt more if I tried to pull him
>off, and I didn't want to hurt him by shaking, so I sat there for 3 minutes
>until he felt he had a nice good chomp :P
>
>Paige
I have never found an animal that would hang on if you blow in it's
face. Except a few rats from that lab.
The rats, btw, were there for nutritional analysis...they were fed
things and blood samples taken. No icky stuff. Just put the
food in the bowl, and after so many days of weighing and photos,
catch the blighter and take a blood sample. [to be exact, they
were checking on what was the better edible oil for cooking
and human consumption....health wise]
