this is my very first time EVER fleshing anything and i need your advice.. i tried fleshing two rats tonight to see how to do it..
what did i do right, what do i need to do different, where on the rat needs improvement.
any advice is GREATLY appreciated
THANKS ALOT
Jeff S.

also i can get more pics of a certain area if need be..

They aren't horrible, but I take off a bit more behind the front legs and get all those fat bubbles off. I use the single handle rat fleshing tool. Grasp handle with one hand and and apply pressure on the shank of the tool with the palm of your other hand. They should be somewhat cleaner than yours are. A bit more pressure and I think you can get most of the junk off and still leave the "saddle".

Not bad, wipe them with an old rag. Go for more lenght on the stretch. Take the rat by the tail and saw it left and right with presser and you will gain lenght.

Most everything that you can pinch between your thumb and fore finger needs to come off. All the heavy fat and red meat under the front legs mainly, plus the fatty material on the back of the left rat.

jeff im no expert full time rat handler but it looks like the bottom of the rats(sides need to be evened up on the strecher. in the 4th pic down the left side of both look like they are shorter than the right. also looks like the pelt is rolling under. pull down right in the corner and see i you can get it to unroll. when to get all that done an both sides even put a clothes pen on it. let dry and doo all the rest of the rats in the freezer.

From the pics they look fleshed right, just remove fat-not the saddle. The eyes could be cut smaller but thats not a big deal with most buyers. The one on the right in the bottom pic looks like it could be centered better on the stretcher , it looks a little crooked. They apear to be kits ? Yes? Overall they looked pretty good for your first time.

Yeah, you need to get a bunch of clothes pins. If you squeeze the stretcher together a bit and work the sides down and clothes pin them, you will gain at least an inch and get a better stretch.

i put them on they stretcher and use a paint scraper to flesh works well after fleshing i can then get a lot more lenght out of them

gotta agree with keck, last year my buddy and I sold at the same time, I used clothes pins to get more length, he didn't... I averaged almost a dollar better for comparable rats

ok i went back out and tried to quickly fix a few of the mistakes .. re critique me.. i don't have a one handled rat scraper but had a paint scraper.. ill be buying a rat scraper tomorrow.

the belly seems to be giving me the most problem.. i always heard don't flesh to much on rats so i have been erring on the side of caution.




thanks alot for the help so far. i need it!!

Jeff S.

They look allot better. You get 100 under your belt you will have it down. Those will sell right along with any.

they look good to me

Those look good now, tons better, look alot like my rats when i'm done. Only two things is I try and get that skien of red membrain meat off just behing the ears on most rats. I don't think you have to, but it makes for a cleaner looking pelt, and insures that area wont taint. I also, right in front of the leg hole is always a small glob of fat. It's small and I dont really work hard at it, but do give it some attention. I do this more so since i store my put up rats in boxes stood up with noses down and when i've got a batch I push them together "compress" them to fit more in the box. I dont like the thought of that lill grease spot being pressed into the back of the next rat in the bundle. Never had it happen but it has the potential to cause damage. GOOD JOB THOUGH !!! Look nice to me, and should bring good money.

a plexiglass ice scraper makes a very good rat scraper. your rats look fine. just keep the backs centered on the wire.

good job!!!

Just don't overflesh,just the fat and the thick red meat just under the front legs, and when you pull down the sides and clothespin them make sure your clothespins are all the way down,not an inch up on the hide.....B.....

Leave as much fat and red saddle meat on as you can. remove the meat chunks from around the head and hit the arm pits and belly area for fat. The last SET OF PICS LOOKS GOOD.


Use small finishing nails up at the nose to hold It In place.

The best advise I can give you Is USE WOOD It will give you at least 2" more In length. And that means a higher grade. And your rats won't dry out as much as rats on wire.

And don't OVER DRY If you do you end up with those light weight rats, that we In the trade call paper rats. You will be down graded If that happens. Keep them away from to much heat dry slow at medium temps.

Thanks alot for all your help I have 20 more thawing out now. I'll try my luck again tonight.

Best tool I have found for scraping rats is a table knife, and I have done thousands of rats. Just don't take one from your dinner set, get one at the dollar store, one with the bit of serated edge on it.
I have a friend who swears that a large table spoon is the best tool.
I say to each his own.

willow ...

Lol I already took it from our kitchen my tools have been a 4 dollar paint scraper and A kitchen knife