I did it. Jackson got his Instinct Test ribbon but we never went any further. He's a little hunter so he knew right away what tube the rat was in.
From what I've seen, the rats are very well taken care of and are people's pets.
We have 2 guinea pigs at home and Jackson wants to eat them but I think they're so immune to the dogs - they know they are safe. Sometimes they'll just be sitting there eating with Jackson, on leash, right next to the cage barking at it etc, they just don't seem to care lol. So I think the rats are similar in barn hunt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw6tuwt14Es