In this case not the varmint kind but my daughter’s two pet male rats. They look to be just about full grown now and could compete in size at least with the sewer rats and subway rats i used to see in Brooklyn as a kid.
I have two things to share.
1) they are super smart like little micro dogs. They have that same dependence and they really become attached to the person who takes care of them it’s crazy. One thing if you ever see a movie where someone has their wrists bound and a rat that they fed comes and chews through their bindings, they legitimately do that. If I tie a string around my wrist or if I have anything on my finger like a Band-Aid or any thing binding me they become obsessed with removing it. Some instinct it’s almost as strong a drive as if I offer them cheese. Grooming instinct… they will try to help remove anything - hangnails, weird callouses
2) now I’m becoming attached to these things but here is a tip for attracting pest rats. These things go ape poop for kale on a level that’s pretty shocking. If you had at your target a big bowl of finely chopped kale and a shelter for them to sit there gnawing it… you could create a few different false shelters like cardboard boxes with the opening facing towards you. Have other treats stashed in those like sharp cheddar cheese, provide several different apparent hiding spots and you should have a pretty easy time attracting them and putting them down before they flee maybe. It’s a guess I’ve never hunted rats.
I have two things to share.
1) they are super smart like little micro dogs. They have that same dependence and they really become attached to the person who takes care of them it’s crazy. One thing if you ever see a movie where someone has their wrists bound and a rat that they fed comes and chews through their bindings, they legitimately do that. If I tie a string around my wrist or if I have anything on my finger like a Band-Aid or any thing binding me they become obsessed with removing it. Some instinct it’s almost as strong a drive as if I offer them cheese. Grooming instinct… they will try to help remove anything - hangnails, weird callouses
2) now I’m becoming attached to these things but here is a tip for attracting pest rats. These things go ape poop for kale on a level that’s pretty shocking. If you had at your target a big bowl of finely chopped kale and a shelter for them to sit there gnawing it… you could create a few different false shelters like cardboard boxes with the opening facing towards you. Have other treats stashed in those like sharp cheddar cheese, provide several different apparent hiding spots and you should have a pretty easy time attracting them and putting them down before they flee maybe. It’s a guess I’ve never hunted rats.