Fedding rats to ferrets

[Scuzy 1]

hello,

i have shot a few wild rats over the last few days and i was wondering if it was possible to feed them too my ferrets or are there health risks involved? has or would anyone do it ?

 

Regards, Luke.

[lurcherchavvy 3]

yes its fine done nothing to my ferrets there was a thread about this the other day

[danielt 1]

No neve, wouldnt risk it.

Edited November 12, 2007 by danielt

[Guest john2007oliver]

Mine ave had a few no problems

[gibby 0]

Not a problem, just make sure the rats aint been near any sewage or poison. If your confident that they are healthy and clean then go for it. Ive got "pet" rats in the shed as we speak when the babies get old enough they will get chapped on the head and fed to the ferrets. They do really good on them Ive heard

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

'Not a problem? Sewage and poison. Tame rats'? Pul Eeeease!

 

Gibby; Something like 60 - 75% or so of Wild rats carry Wiels Disease. That's not nice. Ye Can absolutely take my word on that.

 

Being around sewers or poison has no effect on that propensity. It's a fact that the Majority of wild Rattus norvegicous are walking parcels of potential horrible death.

 

Let's not even bother with trying to discuss how one may discern wether or not any given rat might have visited a sewer or a bait in it's time. That'd be a one way discussion.

 

Tame rats? I don't believe I've ever yet heard of a recorded case of Leptospirosal transmission from domesticated rats. That's probably because the people who originally started keeping wild rats as pets, and so started the 'pedigree' of what's now available, found out the hard way which of their charges were carriers. Not that I'd sample a pet rats piss for anything in the world, 'mind. Just in case, if for no other reason.

 

No. Plummer spoke of feeding rats to his ferrets. Plummer said a Lot of things. I've personally known at least one guy who did. I tried and found my Ratting ferrets turned their noses up anyway ~ That was just before I contracted Weils Disease myself, by the way

 

So, all things considered? If ye want to go feeding wild rats to ye ferrets? Fine by me. Want to play a little Russian Roullette too? Fine by me.

 

There Is that element of risk. That risk Is Your Life.

 

But, hey; Each to his own .....

[Malt 379]

Not a problem, just make sure the rats aint been near any sewage or poison. If your confident that they are healthy and clean then go for it. Ive got "pet" rats in the shed as we speak when the babies get old enough they will get chapped on the head and fed to the ferrets. They do really good on them Ive heard

 

When I EVENTUALLY get round to doing the garden shed, I'm thinking of doing that, but with mice.

[Guest flint]

more common sense from ditch .

[gibby 0]

'Not a problem? Sewage and poison. Tame rats'? Pul Eeeease!

 

Gibby; Something like 60 - 75% or so of Wild rats carry Wiels Disease. That's not nice. Ye Can absolutely take my word on that.

 

Well Ill take your point but can ferrets catch weils disease? Genuine question? And if you take plenty of precautions you shouldnt catch it. Look all Im saying is I know of rats being fed to ferrets with no ill effect. Thats why I said no problem. However the point you make about the danger to oneself is an interesting one that I suppose I hadnt considered.

Edited November 12, 2007 by gibby

[stubby 175]

quote;Well Ill take your point but can ferrets catch weils disease

 

no, only cows and rats

 

but if your gonna feed rats, your gonna handle them and could then catch any number of things through skin contact, then via mouth, if you say, but ill wear gloves, your then answering your own question; if your unsure and therefore wearing gloves, are you then gonna feed it to your ferts

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Gibby, I wrote this last night. Hit send and my modem screwed up. It's back on now, so here'smy own thoughts on it:

 

Can ferrets 'catch' Weils Disease? Good question, Gibby Here's what I Know: Hedgehogs have certainly been found to carry it. So too has one or two other british wild mammals. Don't quote me on these as I honestly don't remember now. But it might well have been either or and, I'm thinking, Grey Squirrel - Brown Hare. (Yeah! How f*ckin scary is That?! ) Of course, we then have to further weigh in the simple consideration that, in all likelyhood, no one's gone out of their way to Test every available species for the bacteria causative.

 

But, anyway, that's the core differance ~ both in what you're asking and what I'm trying to point out ~ being a Vector or a Victim. Rats carry it. Dogs die from it. We can too.

 

Going a level deeper ~ in an effort to tease out the best answer I have to ye question ~ it's transmitted, from vector to victim ~ via the mucus membranes or an open wound. If ingested, contact between the musus membrane and the bacteria is a foregone. I firmly believe the bacteria can also penetrate via the internal organs and thus enter the blood stream that way. That's how I reckon the majority of Dogs die. They have a crafty lap of infected water. Certainly nothing to do with rat bites, as far as I'm aware.

 

But will ingesting the urine of infected rats ~ the bacteria are carried and transmitted in the urine ~ 'give ferrets Weils Disease'? I don't Know. I very much doubt it. If it did, more ferrets would die of it, surely?

 

Will it cause them to themselves become vectors? Horribly possible. The bacteria concerned are what's known as " Spirrochette " type germs. That is, they have sharply pointed 'heads'. Like spears. Made to penetrate. I'm no micro biologist, but I can't help but wonder what Does become of those hardy, aggressive germs once they become introduced to a new host system which they don't seem to kill. With me now?

 

And that's where and why I go ..... . Because I can't help but wonder where those spikey headed little micro killers Do get to, once that rat's evicerated. Frankly? Scares me to f*cking death, mate!

 

They might A/ Enter the ferrets system and cause him to become a vector. Then ye ferrets enviroment becomes a death trap to You. They might B/ Pass straight through the ferrets system? But that means they're still there ~ and known to be capable of living some considerable time in the most simple conditions. Thus they still present a grave risk to human health. They may C/ know nothing of their own science and thus merrily by pass the ferrets mucus membrane and entire internal system, doing nothing? But then they might still present in the ferrets home enviroment.

 

And finally, let's remember the one incontravertable: As that ferret evicerates that rat, piss is going to spill from said rat. Ferret won't surgically remove the bladder and suck it dry. It'll become ruptured and urine Will enter that enviroment. Spirrochette bacteria 'n all. Some may harbour on the ferrets fur or even in his own saliva, if only transiently - but what if he then takes a drink? His water could itself become a reservoir. *Shudders!*

 

See? And all it takes is for one single, microscopic droplet of infected moisture to come into contact with Your mucus membrane - an unconcious finger to the corner of the eye. A hand covering ye mouth as ye cough. A simple reflex; And you're on the road to hell.

 

 

That's why I personally choose not to offer my ferrets dead rats

[danielt 1]

I'm with shitter with this one.

[gibby 0]

Good post. Brings up a few scary things I will agree. However I will still continue to feed my ferrets rats albeit reptile shop bought or ones bred by me from now on. Feckin expensive but the ferts love em.

[borderboy 80]

how quickly can weils be treated in humans... or detected...?

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

BorderBoy; I contracted it when I was fifteen years old. A long life time ago. I was a scruffy kid with a penchant for going after rats. My GP's attitude was that I was a scruffy kid with an over active imagination and delusions of grandeur ~ He was the qualified, experienced family practitioner. I couldn't even remember the word " Leptospirosis ". He scoffed that I had 'Flu and should f*ck off home to bed for a week. The rest is Medical History.

 

Bang up to date? With the rising tempratures and the prevelance of both the afore mentioned Spirrochette Bacteria and their preferred habitat ~ i.e. warm, still water bodys ....? Throw in an escalating number of idiots who see fit to Jet and Water Ski across such waters and ye have the catalyst. Weils Disease has thus now become an almost 'Yuppie' Disease. And when Those well heeled f*ckers present with symptoms? Their quacks don't take the piss.

 

Thus it's now come to the surface and GP's are more tuned into it. Today, a 'Water Sports' affectionado can expect the right proceedures to be taken there and then. Anti Biotics of the right sort will follow and things stopped before the damn disease has time (around a couple of weeks) to incubate and blossom.

 

I, as a professional Pest Controller, also now have a card which states my profession and warns any medic that I may well have become exposed to this disease.

 

But, as always; Prevention is better than cure. That's why it's simply better to leave the Trained, Aware Professionals to deal with wild rats. We know what we're doing. We know the risks. We take measures to protect against them. Rattus norvegicous is Not a creature to be taken casually.