The Villages wildlife rehabilitators are only willing to take domesticated, urban, or wild rats if their life is in peril. This is due to the lack of their resources that are mostly reserved in taking care of other wildlife creatures. While the centers are mostly focused on the wild rats, they can also put the domesticated rats for adoption. Rehabilitation is the process of taking care of the orphaned, injured, or sick animal. They will gradually be introduced to a new environment and once they have fully recuperated, they will then be released. 

What Do Animal Rehabilitation Centers do With the Rats?

The Florida wildlife rehabilitators are designed to provide assistance and shelter for the sick rats. However, for the rats that are considered major nuisance creature, the rehabilitation center will only take them to perform various testing and then kill them. Some of them may also be released. Others will breed rats in the center as a source of food for the other wildlife creatures in the center.

Euthanize

The wildlife rehabilitators will usually euthanize the rats that they captured due to the minimum amount of resources in the center. They will do this in a quick and humane manner. They have a gas chamber that will put the creatures to sleep. Asphyxiation due to Co2 will give them a relaxing death. The oxygen in their body will be replaced with the CO2 that will lead to their death. Euthanasia will also be performed on rats that are injured and sick. 

Breed The Villages Rats

Due to the limited resources and their goal to keep the Florida wild animals ‘wild’, they will breed rats to feed to the other creatures in the center. Rats can provide nourishment to the wildlife creatures in the center. It will also refine their wildlife instinct and they will be taught on how to hunt in the wild. Using rats can greatly minimize the interaction between the wildlife animal and human.

Capture and Contain

There are also Florida wildlife centers who believe that any animals whether they are considered nuisance or not has the right to exist free from the undue suffering. In case the rodent has been caught by the cat, the rat should be provided with an antibiotic immediately. Otherwise, the rat can acquire septicemia due to the bacteria found in the teeth of the cat. They will also take care of the rats that can be easily approached. This is due to the fact that rats are usually wary creatures. If you can approach them easily, this means that something is wrong with them.

While The Villages rat is a small creature, their bite will still be painful. It is important to stay away from them to minimize the transmission of the disease. Be sure that you will handle them while wearing protective gears. You should contain them and keep them warm. Better yet, call the help of the wildlife rehabilitators who will be willing to shoulder the burden of taking care of the injured animals.