Carrier Method Controversy

Broadwaters Rats are not available to anybody intending to use the 'Carrier Method'.

This is the only factor we do insist upon outside of a breeding ban where our rats are available to strictly 'pet only' homes, to protect the gene pool

Here's why.

Those opting to use this method of introducing rats together are at risk of committing an Offence under The Animal Welfare Act 2006. All persons with any animal in their care should be aware of the basic 5 Freedoms of animal welfare which you have a legal duty of care to provide.

• Freedom from hunger and thirst

• Freedom from discomfort

• Freedom from pain, injury or disease

• Freedom to express normal behaviour

• Freedom from fear and distress

This method involves placing strange rats in a small space, i.e a travel carrier designed to fit one guinea pig inside. The aim is to force the rats to bond by using the flooding theory. The principle is that if the rats are together for long enough, their fear will naturally subside since fear cannot last as all emotions are passing. 

All other sectors of animal keeping have moved away from such old fashioned ideas yet unfortunately, due to reasons I will get into, rat keepers have suddenly over the course of two years, moved heavily toward using the flooding method. Flooding is indeed a psychological treatment method used to help people with phobias and anxiety. The method involves exposing someone to their fears in a safe environment. The method is ethically questionable with the use of a safe environment. So you can imagine the ethical issues raised when using the method to introduce rats in an UNsafe environment.. The risk of permanently traumatising a rat who may well have been well adjusted to begin with, is high.

So this may lead one to question why the 'Carrier Method' comes highly recommended in most online communities. The answer here is two fold. First of all, many cases where people have used this idea have indeed been successful. Meaning the rats placed together got along with minimal or no interaction. The problem here is that the dynamic between the personalities introduced in these cases, would have been successful in a neutral and gentle meeting together. A related issue is that forced bonding only results in temporary results since the bonds made are not allowed to build more naturally and result in healthy, lasting, well adjusted relationships without trauma and post traumatic stress affecting future interaction.

The second reason for the sudden popularity lies in our human desire to be given black and white, step by step instructions to achieve something quickly and easily. Rat behaviour and society is incredibly complex and it takes experience to feel confident to read this behaviour and be responsible for helping your rats get along.   The limitation with the Internet and Facebook groups is that it facilitates a phenomenon whereby unsubstantiated ideas can be disseminated rapidly. Once an idea is repeated enough times, it gains credibility like a snowball until readers begin to blindly accept information with no further independent research. 

So what did we do before the 'Carrier Method'? You certainly don't have to go far to find long time rodent enthusiasts with many years experience of rodent keeping who have never used this method and perhaps not even heard of it. It is certainly an Internet/ Facebook phenomenon. Outside of this questionable craze, we simply use similar practices that one might use for bringing a new puppy or rescue dog into the home. 

We create a calm and neutrally scented environment with some distraction and some opportunity to run to safety without completely avoiding any interaction at all.  We supervise in a calm manor in the knowledge that rats are highly sensitive to energies and mood of the humans in the vicinity. We remain prepared to intervene should the risk of injury or distress become too high.

IMPORTANTLY, if the only thing that readers take away from this page is the following, it can make a difference! So... the single most important mantra to please remember is that:

'RATS CAN ONLY MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME, ONCE!'  

Therefore please choose your method very wisely because if you choose a neutral technique, you can still opt for this carrier method later. If you choose to use the Carrier Method FIRST.. and it doesn't go well, you will end up with traumatised rats who may struggle from that point forward to socialise and interact healthily with other rats, due to PTSD.

It may help to forget about the animals being rats at all and think about them as tiny dogs. Rats are often likened to dogs and with good reason! Both are emotionally sensitive with a hierarchical social structure. If you had two dogs in your family and bought home two more, would you simply shut them all in a cupboard and ignore any terrified screams until all became quiet? Then move them to a small room until they all fall asleep. Then to a larger space and so on.

It of course sounds ludicrous and the first stage involving shutting strange dogs together in a cupboard would surely be seen for what it is.. animal cruelty akin to organised dog fighting. You would indeed be in breach of the following 5 Freedoms that you are legally bound to provide and it should be noted that allowing animal fighting is a separate offence under the Act:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst

• Freedom from discomfort

• Freedom from injury 

• Freedom to express normal behaviour

• Freedom from fear and distress

So how do most folks introduce new dogs into their household? Commonly, people allow the dogs to meet outside of the home on a lead (in the case of the rat 'home' would be their cage). They supervise and gauge first interactions before making a decision about whether they can trust the animals not to fight. If the answer is yes, the dogs are allowed more freedom together, maybe off lead. If the answer is no, then supervision must continue while the humans in the family do all they can to help the dogs to build trust and friendship together over multiple meetings.

Please be aware that rats each have an individual personality and when two meet it is no different to two strange dogs meeting out on a walk. Your dog may enjoy meeting 8/10 dogs he meets but take an instant dislike to 2/10 he meets. 

 This may not happen overnight although in many cases and particularly seen in female rats, two personalities can instantly match and be love at first sight. But even if it takes a little time and involves running two cages for a time, the result will be worth it in the end. 

I hope that on reading this article, that you will always choose a calm and gentle way to introduce new rats together.

If you now find yourself needing more in depth support and information on introducing new rats together, as encouraged by UKDR Breeders, look no further. 

You will find all you need right here. 

Written by: Caro Lawson, UKDR, Broadwaters Rattery