Rat misinformation

Advertise with us
Shop with us on Ebay
Fins us on Amazon
The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Oh just remembered the worst thing people have said. I was dating some (idiot) guy in high school and we were talking as we walked back to his place. I told him how my rat was sick and that I was taking him to the vet soon. He asked me why I would waste my money and then said "Can't you just buy another for like 12$?" We should have broken up right then and there.

Another time, in the waiting room at the vet, my grandfather (he had taken me there) started giving me the "Why are you wasting your money on a rat?" speech and I almost started to cry. Think he noticed 'cause he dropped it. He meant well but geez, saying that when I'm waiting to hear if my beloved pet is going to need to be euth'd is not cool!
 
xio said:
Oh just remembered the worst thing people have said. I was dating some (idiot) guy in high school and we were talking as we walked back to his place. I told him how my rat was sick and that I was taking him to the vet soon. He asked me why I would waste my money and then said "Can't you just buy another for like 12$?" We should have broken up right then and there.

Another time, in the waiting room at the vet, my grandfather (he had taken me there) started giving me the "Why are you wasting your money on a rat?" speech and I almost started to cry. Think he noticed 'cause he dropped it. He meant well but geez, saying that when I'm waiting to hear if my beloved pet is going to need to be euth'd is not cool!
Click to expand...


I hate that! It doesn't matter what species of animal you have, they all required medical attention at some point and not doing so is abuse.
 
thefriggintribe said:
xio said:
Oh just remembered the worst thing people have said. I was dating some (idiot) guy in high school and we were talking as we walked back to his place. I told him how my rat was sick and that I was taking him to the vet soon. He asked me why I would waste my money and then said "Can't you just buy another for like 12$?" We should have broken up right then and there.

Another time, in the waiting room at the vet, my grandfather (he had taken me there) started giving me the "Why are you wasting your money on a rat?" speech and I almost started to cry. Think he noticed 'cause he dropped it. He meant well but geez, saying that when I'm waiting to hear if my beloved pet is going to need to be euth'd is not cool!
Click to expand...


I hate that! It doesn't matter what species of animal you have, they all required medical attention at some point and not doing so is abuse.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Before I get any new pets I make sure I'll be able to afford any potential vet bills. Otherwise I don't get the pet. So many people view vet care as optional... it's sad.
 
The term fancy rat is due to it being a hobby. Hobby = fancy. So hobby rats.

"Fancy mice ("fancy", in this context, means "hobby") are domesticated breeds of the common or house mouse (Mus musculus)."

About mice but still applies :) It's not a petstore thing.
 
xio said:
thefriggintribe said:
xio said:
Oh just remembered the worst thing people have said. I was dating some (idiot) guy in high school and we were talking as we walked back to his place. I told him how my rat was sick and that I was taking him to the vet soon. He asked me why I would waste my money and then said "Can't you just buy another for like 12$?" We should have broken up right then and there.

Another time, in the waiting room at the vet, my grandfather (he had taken me there) started giving me the "Why are you wasting your money on a rat?" speech and I almost started to cry. Think he noticed 'cause he dropped it. He meant well but geez, saying that when I'm waiting to hear if my beloved pet is going to need to be euth'd is not cool!
Click to expand...


I hate that! It doesn't matter what species of animal you have, they all required medical attention at some point and not doing so is abuse.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Before I get any new pets I make sure I'll be able to afford any potential vet bills. Otherwise I don't get the pet. So many people view vet care as optional... it's sad.
Click to expand...


My dad ALWAYS used to give me this speech. Be it over rat, bird, kitten, puppy, hamster, rabbit, anything. He was one of those oldschool farm boys, who meant well, and took care of his animals, but when one needed vet care, in a critical condition, he'd talk about "putting it down." It's not that he didn't have the money, it's that he thought animals were useless unless they could do something for you.

Believe me, He was forced to change his ways once I rolled around. :thumbup: I'd be damned if I let that happen under my watch.
 
Yeah, I don't the the "Why are you wasting money taking it to the vet?" thing is unique to rats...I get that question every time I mention that I'm taking one of my guys to the vet. Jade (my dog) went in for a regular check-up recently and that was confusing for people. ("Why did you take her to the vet? What's wrong with her? Well, if nothing's wrong with her, then why did you go to the vet? Oh, so you got sucked in -animals don't need vaccinations. Do they get shots in the wild?")
 
My dad and uncle always had rats as kids, and I am always told about the amazing Ramone who lived to be at least 5. I do believe that oh, 40 years ago, they did live longer as they weren't being churned out by mills like they are now.
 
Moon said:
My dad and uncle always had rats as kids, and I am always told about the amazing Ramone who lived to be at least 5. I do believe that oh, 40 years ago, they did live longer as they weren't being churned out by mills like they are now.
Click to expand...


If only that was still common place.
 
I feel lucky that my parents get the vet thing. When neville was sick, my dad offered to help me pay sense I was freaking out... he thought I was most worried about the money part of things,
What they don't understand is the neutering, which I get... Its not like I have to worry about them escaping and running off to make babies with the neighbors rats and getting lost... They live in a cage, and in my dad's eyes thats why you neuter a dog or a cat.
there are a lot of people in my area that are pretty anti vet all around. But, I think thats because its very rural, and animals are not family for a lot of people.
 
I think the most outrageous thing I read about rats is that " A rat can fall from a 10 story building and survive." and " Rats eat everything even other rats and dead rats" to the first one I responded with ( it was a forum sort of thing) " I've heard many horror stories of rats falling from even 4 feet and not surviving, so that's false. " and the second one I said " Rats will only eat a deceased family member to protect the rest of the colony, and they definitely wont eat everything ( ever tried to get a rat to eat its meds ugh )

I don't know i think there is just a lot of bad feelings about rats and they have become a sort of mystified animals, that people love to make things up about.

Best we can all do is try to educate people about the truth about our little friends : D
 
This is probably the best wrong information I have had. When we first brought Luna home and people found out we had a rat and didn't call an exterminator we had a lot of comments. I was told they were able to get themselves pregnant. Yes they believe they were asexual? i think is the word.
 
Someone that worked in a pet shop told us dumbos lived until 4 years old (or older) and her dumbo boy had grown to almost the size of a small cat. She showed us with her hands how big dumbos could grow as well....
 
hopefloats said:
This is probably the best wrong information I have had. When we first brought Luna home and people found out we had a rat and didn't call an exterminator we had a lot of comments. I was told they were able to get themselves pregnant. Yes they believe they were asexual? i think is the word.
Click to expand...

Ok you win! Wow.

It's sad to hear that rats lived up to five years at one point :( This guy has only had rats for less than a year I believe. My parents are 100% on board with vetting animals but they are a bit less supportive of my rats. We've had many a 1,500$+ vet bill haha.

edit: Well then I just realized something, I thought the guy claimed he had been breeding for less than a year but then how would he explain his older rats? Guy was crazy (like saying he needed a license for breeding rabbits so wasn't breeding rabbits but then pointed to one who was due to give birth soon).
 
best one i heard was the girl at petunlimited that bred a litter of "dumbos" but my friend was looking at them in the cage telling her that none of them were dumbos and her reply was
"oh yes they are, their ears havent dropped yet!" :laugh4:
 
hopefloats said:
This is probably the best wrong information I have had. When we first brought Luna home and people found out we had a rat and didn't call an exterminator we had a lot of comments. I was told they were able to get themselves pregnant. Yes they believe they were asexual? i think is the word.
Click to expand...

You know, none of my coworkers have come out and said this, but I wonder if they don't think the same thing. The first question a lot of people ask me is "wow! How do you keep them from having babies?" and I explain that I only have males. Then they just sort of smile patronizingly and nod.
 
fenshae said:
hopefloats said:
This is probably the best wrong information I have had. When we first brought Luna home and people found out we had a rat and didn't call an exterminator we had a lot of comments. I was told they were able to get themselves pregnant. Yes they believe they were asexual? i think is the word.
Click to expand...

You know, none of my coworkers have come out and said this, but I wonder if they don't think the same thing. The first question a lot of people ask me is "wow! How do you keep them from having babies?" and I explain that I only have males. Then they just sort of smile patronizingly and nod.
Click to expand...
It may be that or they may just not be familiar enough with rodents to know how easy they are to sex. I often get the same question and whenever I say that I only have males or females, people will usually say "How do you know?" :giggle:
 
theratlady said:
best one i heard was the girl at petunlimited that bred a litter of "dumbos" but my friend was looking at them in the cage telling her that none of them were dumbos and her reply was
"oh yes they are, their ears havent dropped yet!" :laugh4:
Click to expand...

Hahaha! Wowwwww. lol
 

Latest posts

Back
Top