domesticate a wild rat/mouse?

[Pheonix]

If you keep throwing cheesey puffs at a sewer rat will they become your friend?

any ideas on if it's possible to domesticate a wild rodent?

 

[hshh]

im sure after a little while it would atleast continue to return to you expecting food, as time goes on ,hours/ days/weeks, gradually place the food closley until it has to crawl on you to get the food, and continue from there.

i dont thinks its the best idea since they are so dirty and would it be worth the time? maybe if your some homebum that sits on the same corner all day everyday and drinks and does it out of boredom it would be entertaining,

 

[Ireen]

Might be possible if they are very young but I wouldn't count on it. Once the treats are gone they will more than likely be gone too.

 

[Gudj]

It won't ever be domesticated.
It might hang out with you to get junk food, but it's never going to be reliable, it is wild.

 

[foxx]

i successfully domesticated a feeder rat from a pet store that was absolutely not used to human handling. i know it's not the same situation, but if you're in a spot for sometime and can make friends with a young one i think it's possible. basically once my rattie realized that i always had food and that i wouldn't hurt her she trusted me and eventually let me pet her and hold her. now, she's just as friendly as my other rats who have interacted with people since birth.

 

[CXR1037]

i successfully domesticated a feeder rat from a pet store that was absolutely not used to human handling. i know it's not the same situation, but if you're in a spot for sometime and can make friends with a young one i think it's possible. basically once my rattie realized that i always had food and that i wouldn't hurt her she trusted me and eventually let me pet her and hold her. now, she's just as friendly as my other rats who have interacted with people since birth.

From what I understand, feeder rats and wild rats are entirely different species.

I'd also be interested in knowing if common antibiotics have the same effect in both wild and domesticated rats (Baytil, Doxycycline, etc for myco).

cxR - i guess your only shot at domesticating a wild rat is if its a baby

edit: have a photo of two of our very domesticated (very sleepy) rats:

View attachment 46644

 

[crow jane]

aaawwwwwwwwawawa

 

[Shakou]

It's possible but very unlikely. There's a girl on a rat forum I'm part of who works in rat rescue, and currently they have a litter of 11 baby rats that are half wild/domesticated hybrids who have been handled since birth, and you can't get near them.

 

[foxx]

aw such cuties