Rattie family expanded... big time!!

[Dragoon]

Hello
I've been following your thread here with interest...congrats on all the new critters to love!
I also really like rats. I had an ancient old blonde rex rat that I nursed through a few ills to an extreme age. But I also help my friend with his rat breeding operation. He raises rats and mice for food, and I own rat eating animals. So I've come to terms with the 'circle of life' I suppose. All animals must eat, and its the purpose of rats to be a prolific, short lived prey item. No rat should have to live to be as old as my Rascal. I have come to believe its unnatural. But...I loved him dearly, and am glad I had him in my life. I put him to sleep myself when the health problems started to get too numerous.
I suppose the point I'm trying to make is...put all the effort into this Taffy animal if it makes you feel better about yourself somehow, but realize you are doing it for yourself more than the animal. There are plenty of friendly people-oriented rats born every day that would love to live their days with a human friend, but never get the chance. I'm kinda sad you are spending so much effort on an aggressive animal instead of following the vet's advice.
Its a harsh fact of life that rats ARE disposable. (remember their place in the food chain) Its what is natural. They are intelligent affectionate and attractive animals that aren't supposed to live long. Why not share your love and attention with animals that will appreciate the attention instead of a people-aggressive one? Taffy can fulfill her purpose as food, and take the place of a friendly rat that otherwise would have died young.
Being 'put down' is not a bad thing as long as its done humanely. The rat certainly isn't caring anymore. The problem is with yourself and your feelings about it. Try to look at the big picture, and not get caught up so much in the distorted views of some of the pet hobby forums.
Really, I'm sure there is a cricket-lovers forum out there somewhere where they agonize over the lives of the crickets...to us they are food...

Sorry for the long email, go ahead and ignore it if you just can't think of rats as a food item...

But I do have a question here...
Does anyone know how I can organize a rat race in time for a Hallowe'en party in two weeks? I have a gorgeous litter of blue and black rex rats that I want to bring to the party...they will be fully weaned by then, and the kids will love them! But how do you make the rats run the track? Put cheerios all the way down it?? Drag some food on a string?
Thanks
D.

 

[AneesasMuse]

Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but no one has the right to belittle or show disrespect to another for whatever it may be.

I also have reptiles that eat rodents, but I am responsible in that feeding process and don't patronize sources that breed irresponsibly. My reptiles' health is important to me also. I guess that makes me a weak individual in your "all knowing all authority" eyes, too. Oh well.

Thank you for hijacking my thread to spew your ill will for my opinion regarding my rattie girl. You could've saved your response for someone who may have been affected by it more to your liking.

Taffy is going to the vet tomorrow. She will be examined and given meds, surgery, tests, etc. ...whatever may be needed because I took her into my house, not the other way around. I am responsible for her now, just like any other critter that lives in my home... right down to the spiders and bugs.

I am really trying to respect YOUR opinion here... please try to do the same for mine.


P.s. I'm still working on the pics of my little Poodah Pack kids. It's been a little too chilly to have them out and away from Mommy too long today.

 

[pinkzebra]

I think it is great that you are working with Taffy. I had an aggressive rat also and the whole family grew to love her. We had her for 2 weeks before she had babies, having gotten preggie at the petstore. She became aggressive after she lost all of her babies - vet could not figure out why, but every single one died We learned alot from her about living and loving. Our society in general is such a throw away society. Got a puppy that chews up the furniture? - ahhh just get rid of it..... That is just such the wrong mentality to take. Living with and loving other beings for who they are can teach one alot about tolerance and forgiveness. When you take another being into your life it is now your responsibility to take care of it - like you said she didn't ask to be in your home. I am so glad you are going to try to work with her.

Having said that, my rat never did lose her aggressiveness. We learned to work with her, learned what her triggers were and how to avoid them. I should mention that she was a preowned rattie that had been brought back to the petstore to be adopted out again. I think she wasn't treated all that nicely by the former owner. Just be aware that you may not be able to change her much, but you can learn to work with her. She is young so you have a good chance.

That is a very bad breeder to not take back the rat. I hope she at least knows enough to not continue the line that produced Taffy.

Good luck!!

 

[Dragoon]

Hello OP
It is not hijacking a thread for someone to have a different opinion than you. I was completely on topic. Do you always get offended when people do not say what you want to hear? You obviously want to be told what a wonderful thing you are doing. Well...yes, I think it is a wonderful thing. Do I think its the right thing for the rat? Perhaps, perhaps not. I wasn't trying to offend you, only suggesting a different way of looking at the situation. A way that might have helped you...but you do not want help. (Only applause, apparently.) I do believe I did that with respect. Unlike you, who is calling me names throughout your post. Please keep your hostility to yourself.

To the above poster...have you ever thought about how much of 'personality' is inherited, and how much is learned? Why do you assume an aggressive animal is abused? If some can be born extra docile, then the opposite must be true too.
Just something to think about.
D.

 

[AneesasMuse]

But I do have a question here...
Does anyone know how I can organize a rat race in time for a Hallowe'en party in two weeks? I have a gorgeous litter of blue and black rex rats that I want to bring to the party...they will be fully weaned by then, and the kids will love them! But how do you make the rats run the track? Put cheerios all the way down it?? Drag some food on a string?
Thanks
D.

uhhh... THIS is hijacking!

Nowhere in my initial response to you did I call you a name, not even your screen name but you on the other hand...

Hello OP

What is this?

I'm kinda sad you are spending so much effort on an aggressive animal instead of following the vet's advice.

(remember their place in the food chain)

The problem is with yourself and your feelings about it. Try to look at the big picture, and not get caught up so much in the distorted views of some of the pet hobby forums.
Really, I'm sure there is a cricket-lovers forum out there somewhere where they agonize over the lives of the crickets...to us they are food...

Who are you to make these claims against the animal or the person? You don't know how many vets I've talked to... without them even seeing Taffy and making the euthanization judgement... and you don't know me well enough to write, while hiding behind your pc monitor, in such a condescending tone.



If you had read the original title of the thread, you would realize that this is about my new rattie family expanding from 3 to 12 in a very short time. It isn't about Taffy at all, but because someone asked about her it went in that direction. Neither here nor there.

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything" ...ever hear that? And in the future, initiate your own thread regarding the abuse of animals for yours and some child's amusement.


exkrhla... thank you for the info. I am hoping that Taffy can be happier with us, but she stays here regardless. Like you said, I'll just have to figure out how to get around her behavior if it doesn't change for the better. I just want to know if she's ill or in pain first.

 

[Mister Internet]

This is just silly. "OP" means "Original Poster" ... not a derogatory name in any remote sense of the word.

Dragoon... between you and me (and, I guess, everyone else too, now that I've posted it), quit while you still have your sanity. Aneesas needs something from this thread that you won't be able to provide... with ... er... logic and stuff. It's a fuzzy wuzzy thread that won't really abide non-fuzzy wuzzy responses. Save your energy for the next time someone asks why their tarantula seems to "love being carried around on their shoulder".

Aneesas, try to have a bit thicker skin. You were sort of hostile for no reason. You mentioned not posting at another board anymore because of the "flames", but if you interpret anything even remotely critical as a "flame", I would suggest not posting on Internet forums. Goon was incredibly calm and practical in her post, you would have to be WANTING to read condescension in it to see it there. We're more than glad to have you here, but next time just thank someone for their opinion and move on if it's not to your liking.

Now, if we can all agree to be civil, carry on.

 

[pinkzebra]

To the above poster...have you ever thought about how much of 'personality' is inherited, and how much is learned? Why do you assume an aggressive animal is abused? If some can be born extra docile, then the opposite must be true too.
Just something to think about.
D.

I never said that I thought she was aggressive because she was abused. She did not get aggressive until after her babies died. The woman at the petstore told me that she THOUGHT the rat had not been well taken care of - no one knows this for sure. My very last line above shows that I know that an animal can be born docile or aggressive. I mention to AneesasMuse that I hope the breeder knows not to continue the line. I think that shows that I know temperament can be inherited.


Fuzzy wuzzy Jen

 

[Vanilla]

WOW!This thread totally went hostile!

Anyway I hope you can figure something out with Taffy...and if she is not sick or in pain,I see no reason to have her euthanized.I only agree in euthanizing sick/injured animals.I do know that animals need to eat and have no problem with people feeding rats to snakes,as long as the rats are humanly euthanized.But just to let you know,people keep rats as pets too...they are NOT just snake food and Taffy is obviously a well loved pet.It just seems to be her behaviour.And yes,bad behaviour CAN be inherited.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

I also agree with this. No pet rat should be snake food. Thats how I saved my first nekkid (thats a naked rat folks). Feeder rats are for feeding (and sometimes pets if you find a really sweet one) and breeder rats that have been carefully maintained throughout the years a bred for attributes are for pets. The breeder here does not want to take action for her mistake. And yes it was a mistake. As a breeder myself I take full resposibility for my hedgies until they DIE. That means if they ever need a home they come back with me. That means if one gets really sick and the owner cannot afford the bills it comes back with me and I take on the bills. If one is aggressive, I do the same thing. It comes back to me and I work with it. When someone breeds a line with problems they are only breeding for profit. With small mammals this is almost always imposible. So its not Aneesas fault. SHe's just trying to help a creature in need. I'm not flaming here, just trying to defend someone who setout another warm fuzzy thread and it got turned into a mean spikey spiteful brawl. Not that it is now but it got that way.

Some of us have children in homo saipens. Some of us can't. Some of us take comfort in the animals we have we feel do not judge us for what we do and people we are.

I'm sure you understand this, but stating a pet should be used to feed another pet seems extreme. They are PETS. Euthanasia is a better option than a live feed. I mean would you like to take your pet you have saved and kill it yourself? Or would you rather it go to sleep.

I know I might get the argument that pets are not people. That is your opinion. Like I said, some of us can't have others to comfort us, so we have our families, our pets. I had someone play the god and pets are not people a long time ago with some rat babies my nekkid had and couldn't feed. She basically told me to kill them. that they are not human. I got that. I know they aren't but why kill something because its not human and not on the same mental plane, everything deserves a chance, everything.

Reguardless, she wants to work with it. And there are plenty of other people that have done this. I think with knowing the background with the vets I agree, she had two vets tell het to euthanize without even looking at the rat and checking its health to see of its hormonal. To me thats like a DR. just going on his knowlege of medicine and textbooks to judge weather we should pull the plug on kitty witty. Without hands on experiance and responses from the animal you cannot judge weather the situation is hopeless or if the animal can be comfortable living like this.

Most of you know how I feel about opinions. They are yours to share or keep to yourself. Share them but realizes other have differen't opinions than your own, and in order to get respect for yours you must respect others. That goes for everyone.

Aneesa, do what you gotta do. Don't let ANYONE tell you how you should feel about it. She's your baby. Do what you feel is right. I still may think you should seperate her from the nursery. Far away with now scent, see if that may help.

 

[AneesasMuse]

Barbed...
Taffy has been in a separate room, down the hall, from Tiff and her bubs since they were born (and the delivery was in a different cage, too)
The vet has been postponed due to the extensive tests that need to be done, but she is going in a week. She has since calmed down enough not to attack me when I open the cage. She responds inquisitively when I speak to her throughout the day and she even tries to get me involved with her play time antics. This scares me a little and I wear gloves, but we are getting somewhere. She isn't ready to take treats from me... not even the ones I put in a dish and sit down in her cage... she's more interested in what I might do. I'm still giving her her favorites, though.
And learning her body language and her expressions has been a great advantage to not getting nailed. When she sniffs really hard or huffs at me, I stop talking to her and back away. When I have to be in her cage for maintenance and stuff, if she runs in her hide or under her blankie and then re-emerges I know it is time to close the cage and get away from her.
We're learning how to do this and I think both of us are still full of perseverance, so it can only get better.

Thank you so much for your support of my views. I never expected everyone to agree with my opinion or even accept rats as loving pets, but I do expect everyone to show respect if they intend to get any.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

LOL! We love T's as pets too!! I mean really people who like spiders as pets I guess we have a more "sofisticated" mentality on things that can be pets

I had a slug as a pet once. Someone put salt on him. He died. I cried. Boys are mean.

You can have things two ways....Cycle of life. Or all life deserves a chance. I agree with both so, If I find an animal that was injured by human means, hit by a car, struck by a bullet, hit with a rock, I'll take care of it. You can beleive in the circle of life and still maintain the beleif all things deserve a chance as well. Had you pulled your rat from the mouth of a hungry cat and it were to act this way....then I might be hesitant on the outcome. However your rat was bred specifically for the enjoyment of a human being. Therefore making it Humans fault that it acts the way it does. Therefore a human should help it be what it can be....not give up



Thus my reasoning all life is precious.

Good on ya!

 

[elyanalyous]

is it possible she might be bipolar? if she is interested in you playing with her and then suddently turns hostile, it sounds like how it is for me when i shift. i am bipolor, so i was wondering, does it affect ratties?