I’ve been having a problem with some of the rats I’ve recently put up getting papery across the belly. I’m using a light hand fleshing, leaving the saddle on, drying on boards at a drafty 55-60. I notice the papery quality right away, when I wipe them down the day after put up. Any thoughts?

I often use a knife to chase the pelt down the belly as I pull it off skinning (I clamp them up by the tail). Have had a few spill there guts o me from the pulling so I’ve been using the knife. Is it possible this isn’t leaving enough membrane on the hide?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

For fleshing- I usually hit the fat under the armpits and the skirt, it takes less than a minute and then placed on a form, trim the lower lip off and done. I never wipe my rats down after removing them from a form, just pack them tight in a cardboard box.

Rats out of the same area or random spots?

The ones I’ve had trouble with were out of the same creek

Could be a nutrition issue then. Some areas, especially golf course rats, dont have the best pelts.

Were these recent caught rats or rats caught early in the season and put up now. The reason I ask is the rats we catch from northern WI are much thinner skinned then ours down where I live. These are usually caught earlier in the season. That is a general statement. The ones I caught last week down here were pretty good but did have a couple that were thin skinned even for December rats.

Bryce

It's most likely a nutrition issue, poor feed In the pond/creek area.

Were these recent caught rats or rats caught early in the season and put up now. The reason I ask is the rats we catch from northern WI are much thinner skinned then ours down where I live. These are usually caught earlier in the season. That is a general statement. The ones I caught last week down here were pretty good but did have a couple that were thin skinned even for December rats. The rats up north and my smaller river rats never have the fat that the marsh rats do. Especially the northern rats. There are just not the calories available in wild rice, bull rush, reeds etc. then cattail roots. I do see a lot of chewing on the lily pad roots that float up. I don't know the food value of those however.

Bryce

Thanks for the replies, they were all smaller rats out of a creek that I’d guess had pretty poor feed - mostly northern big type plants. I thought maybe it was something with my put-up. I’ll keep an eye going forward to see if it goes away.

bblwi- these were all from the last week or so. I’m mostly trapping marginal rat habitat, have been noticing more fat on them the last couple weeks.

The stream section I trapped two weeks ago has only grass along the whole bank with no corn or alfalfa the rats were okay in size but very little fat. The ones I caught last week are from the same river 1.5 miles away but there is corn and alfalfa along the river. Those rats had twice the fat on them as the others.
I don't know about your areas but around here with the higher water a lot of the cattail sloughs have almost all brown or no green cattails. I don't know if high water is an issue and or if the roots are OK or not.

Bryce

How long did you leave them on the forms?

They're starving.
Kind of early in the season for them to be getting that way.
Are they pretty lean?

4 days or so. They got papery right away

They were pretty lean. It seems like the best explanation for sure.

If your selling to a fur buyer I would sell green. You will be much further ahead doing It that way.
Or try 3 days with NO heat. Once that nose dries your good to go.

Might be taking to much off.Leave all the saddle on.

Thanks. I pulled off that creek but will give this a try with any more rats I pick up. Selling for the first time this year so I’ve yet to get feedback on my put up.