Tonight before bed I went to check on all the rodents for food, water, new babies, etc... and also to check on an old breeder male. When I went to open the tub he is in, I heard a squeal from one of the rats and thought maybe the tub pinched someone's tail, which happens occasionally. I closed the tub and heard a squeal, opened it and heard another squeal. With the tub half open, I looked into the tub and saw that the male was stuck by his face somehow near the hardware cloth. I moved the lab block that was hiding his face and was surprised by what I saw. He had somehow gotten his nose and upper teeth stuck through the cloth. He had spun and turned around so much by the time I found him that the wire had cut a full circle into his skin. After spreading the wire apart and manipulating his nose I finally got him freed from the mesh. I've never seen or heard of this before but I thought I'd post it as a caution to everyone using this hardware cloth with rats.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k17/Rapture111/ratrackhazard1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k17/Rapture111/ratrackhazard2.jpg

Are you using 1/4" wire? Never seemed to have that issue with the 1/2" stuff, or maybe you have super huge mutant rats...:D

Wow that looks like that hurt!

Are you using 1/4" wire? Never seemed to have that issue with the 1/2" stuff, or maybe you have super huge mutant rats...:D

Nope, I am using 1/2" like everybody else. Since posting this I've heard of it happening to one other person, only the rat didn't get itself all bloody like mine did. Poor guy... already at the end of his rope and then he goes and does this.

wow never heard of that before.did you put the rat down.

I had the exact same thing happen the other night..minus the bloody nose part thank goodness...i used the nozzle of the water bottle to kind of push his teeth back and he got himself unhung pretty quick

Poor guy. Just a good thing you checked on them before you went to bed.

Never had that happen that I can remember. The ASF in the holding tubs will crawl up onto the 14" cloth and wedge their noses and front teeth over and just hang there. During the summer its no longer odd to find a dozen or so just hanging but never the rats.

Wow Good thing ya caught it early. Rats are rats but it sucks to see em get hurt still. I will keep an eye on mine as I have the same wire. Yeah the ASF do all kinds of crazy things hanging from the wire, walking on it upside down. They are nutty

ouch thats smart