Handling small cridders!?!?!

Question

So I wake up this morning and look at the "tip" from this app. And it says to avoid handling rodents and cleaning their cages because they can carry something that can cause miscarriage or birth abnormalities. I AM WIGGING OUT! we own two rats, that for the past 20 weeks I have been cleaning their cage, playing with them, holding them, baithing,AND KISSING THEM. I don't know if I'm over reacting, and should just stop doing all those things, and. I'll be fine. Or if I should call my doctor right away.

luxah · Answer

You don't need to get rid of them. Wear gloves and mask when you clean their cages and wash your hands really good. You don't need to stop kissing them because most diseases that are transferred from rodents to humans are through fluid not skin. As for you baby beimg in contact with them they're not going to attack the baby. They may run around and crawl over her if she is on the floor, but if they have been your pets for this long and you have held them enough they'll know that your baby is no different than you. Rats are very smart critters, thats why they do make such great pets. My husband has had two and my family and I raised rats as pets and feeders (snake food) I've never been sick because of them, and I was cleaning out cages with dead bodies and maggots at times. Everything'll be alright though.

KatFirsttimemum · Answer

I don't know if half my comment got cut off. Because it definitely did on my side ha. But sorry for any misspellings. (:

KatFirsttimemum · Answer

Thanks for all the advice guys. Crawl dad also known as chops is so low maintenance sometimes I forget he's here

RockRose · Answer

I'm a rat person.  My husband is allergic to rat urine or I'd still have them - but he gets severe asthma when they're in the house.  Good rats are as good as good dogs and can be taken outside with you and will come when called.  My favorite rat - Vanilla - used to hang out with me in the yard while I gardened and sometimes would escape her cage and turn up in my kid's beds,  nestled up against them in the night.

Here's the deal.  There is a disease that wild rodents can pass to your rodents,  LCMV,  that is dangerous to pregnant women.  Often households with pet rodents attract wild rodents due to their smell.  I would often find mouse droppings outside of my rat or mice cages,  indicating during the night mice had visited.  If that's the case,  if you also have wild rodents in your home,  you are at some risk (don't know how much) for LCMV.

http://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections-lcmv.html

specialmom · Answer

Ugh.  I understand. Even though I am not a rat person (or a craw dad person, LOL)---  I am an animal lover and love my fur babies.  It would be hard to rehome a pet that you've grown to love.

I will tell you that a protective nature will come over you with your baby like you've never known.  That story of a mom lifting a car off their child?  I believe it because moms become so attached to their babies that they'd do ANYTHING for them.  Even if it is just a chance or a risk, this will bother you more and more.  And the truth is, as much as I'm an animal person----  once I had my babies, they all were just animals.  I didn't have time to worry as much about the animals or wasn't as interested in them.  I think when kids go to school full time, the animals go back to being our babies too.  But when babies are in the house, animals become VERY secondary.  

Never would have believed that until I had my first kid!

Anyway, you don't have to make any decisions.  I would look into what your options are if you decide to rehome.  Then you just have the information.  And talk to your partner and get his input.  

Parenting is a rough gig.  Lots of sacrifice and changing of one's lifestyle.  

ha ha, your craw dad is grumpy.  LOL

12_4_14 · Answer

I own a guinea pig, and at first i asked my bf to clean her tank out, this was during the first and second trimester. He did but as i started you enter the third trimester he just quit out of the blue. So i had to clean her out, i still clean her, bathe her, hold her, clip her nails. But i do not put her anywhere near my face anymore. And i make sure to wash my hands whenever id touch her or anything of hers.

KatFirsttimemum · Answer

Okay because I called my mom after I read that, because I had never heard of it before either. And she said that I should stop cleaning the cages, and I should think about getting rid of them because after the baby is born they are drawn to the milk spores or something like that in the babies mouth. And will try to get to her. Now, I don't know how much of that is true, or an old wives tale. But,she has me just as worried as before lol. And yes I kiss my rats (: I am an animal person all day! We have three dogs, two cats, two rats, and a crawl dad haha. And I kiss all of them! Besides the crawl dad, he's grumpy. 

I know that pet store breeds are different than just rats that come from outside. But, then I start worrying about mites ( if you have a rat you know the struggle). We keep mite medicine on them but I feel like there is always that chance that it couldn't work, and something could happen . 

I don't want to get rid of my rats, I feel like they depended on me to give them a forever home.. Just now, I wonder is it worth it to chance the what its?

specialmom · Answer

Sorry for my typos. I guess 'bread' and 'bred' are different.  ha ha

marindamqz · Answer

I think your pet rats would be okay, but not dumpster rats or "dirty" ones for that matter. I own many animals and my first pregnancy went smooth sailing. I fed, watered, and walked my dogs, did the same for my rabbits, the same for my chickens and ducks. Cleaned the cages, I handled each duck one by one giving them swim time and whatnot. I even have pet crabs that I cleaned and fed and handled. My dog once knocked me over at 8 months pregnant -___- cleaned my dove cages often, even had an indoor hen lol I never once handled a wild animal though, or anything "dirty". I'm sure you'll be okay with your rats.

specialmom · Answer

Oh boy.  I have to get past the imagery of you kissing a rat first.  Okay, cough cough. I'm better.  (ha ha.  I'm not a rat person).  I was recently at a Pet Smart store with my son. We were looking at the critters (which, as I'm not a rodent, long bald tail kind of girl was saying NO FREAKING WAY to my son's asking if we could get one) when a man who worked there came up.  We had a long chat.  I was semi curious about rat ownership because I thought those were the kinds of things that you called an exterminator for and he 'schooled' me.  It seems that there are mutations of rats that make the kinds that people have in pet stores much different than the kinds you find in the sewer.  Pet store rats are bread specifically to offer owners intelligence and cleanliness.  They mess in specific spots, they have habits that are clean, etc.  I had NO idea.  

So, I do think your domesticated rat is going to be a little different than like a rat that comes in threw your pipes.  I would NOT clean their cage anymore and leave that to your male, unpregnant counter part.  

Now, I do wonder about rats running around with an infant and future toddler.  I could not get things clean enough for my babies.  Like, all of a sudden I was hyper critical of any germs.  The germ Nazi, if you will.  And even my beloved dog (which I imagine your rats feel like to you) became 'just' a dog once I had my first baby.  I worried about things I'd never really worried about before like what is on the dogs feet when they come in and can my baby touch that surface and get sick.  

so, something to think about down the road.  

Anyway, you are most likely fine with your rats but I would run it by your ob/gyn at your next appointment to be safe. And let your partner do the cage cleaning.  

PS:  you give your rats kisses?  :>)