It’s World Rat Day.
Rats make wonderful companions. They’re clean and affectionate. Smart enough to learn tricks and use a litter box. Inquisitive and social they will bond with humans, love to play, and enjoy being tickled. The only drawback is a short lifespan of around three years. I’m not emotionally equipped to handle the triennial loss. I have to settle for celebrating them by watching videos of other people with their rodent pals.
How are you this Monday morning, Deadsplinters?
Rainy Monday morning here, which is as Monday as you could ask, right?
It’s supposed to start raining here tonight, and continue through Wednesday. It hate this part of Spring.
We need the rain so desperately here that I’m really not allowed to complain. Plus, it’s suppose to clear up this afternoon, and the rest of the week is forecast to be dry.
I’ll bitch enough for both of us.
We have sun, rain, thundershowers & wind up to 50mph. I thought I was not working today but now I am. Sooooo, very Monday!
Ugh, that’s a lot of weather at once. Individually not too bad, but all together?
And all the cherry blossoms are getting blown out of the trees so my allergies are raging!
Mine too, allergies that is.
Are those coffee beans or droppings?
I can’t stand the smell of rodent pee.
Coffee beans, lol. I’ve had friends that had pet rats but they used kitty litter and I never really noticed any smell. But they are cute little critters.
New Randy Rainbow (and Florida-centric):
Randy Rainbow does a great job skewering these idiots. I love the push back from teachers in Florida alerting parents that they will now legally have to use they/them pronouns for all children because gender identification is a taboo subject. And they will now be Mx. So and So rather than Mr., Mrs. or Ms, lol. Oops!
The Law of Unintended Consequences. Republicans bang their heads on it constantly.
I loved having rats as pets when I was a kid. They were way better companions than mice, gerbils, or hamsters. I was always curious about guinea pigs and chinchillas but I couldn’t convince my mom to let us have them. If my kids ever want a rodent type pet, they are getting a rat.
I can hook you up! A guy I used to work with bred rats, and the purebreds from unusual strains are not cheap. Also, different breeds have different characteristics and strengths and weaknesses. Everyone else thought he was a total freak (“who would pay money for those nasty things when there are millions of them running around everywhere?”) but I thought this was all fascinating. Just like dogs, and though I’m not quite yet “Best in Show”-level crazy I can go on and on about all these topics as they relate to the canis familiaris.
Your friend is very cool in my books! I’ll keep you in mind when the day comes (at least 4 years from now).
They are very sweet natured. I’m also curious about Guinea pigs and chinchillas. Both are so cute. I really want a bunny too.
I can’t speak to chinchillas (although Mrs. Butcher says that Butcher Dog’s fur is as soft as a chinchilla), but I can say that Guinea Pigs–er, excuse me–Italian American Pigs, will die at the drop of a hat. They have essentially zero immune system and are quite susceptible to any kind of chill.
No thank you then. I get too attached and it’s bad enough saying goodbye to a different g after 14 or 15 years.
I have a friend who had a rat when we were in high school. That was the first time I learned that rats have a 36-inch vertical jump. The rat eventually died of old age, which is when I learned how short their lives are.
They’re great climbers too, and can swim.
I miss my ratties! My little guy, Jack, was the sweetest critter ever. He’d sit on my shoulder and snuggle into my hair, and he looooved strawberries. His brother was Husband’s little buddy, but Jack was my baby. We got them from a private breeder, so they were well accustomed to being handled, and they were wonderful pets.
We got 3 more ratties later on, but they were from a pet store and probably came from a breeding mill. They were not well socialized and tended to be nervous and jumpy. One of them was particularly inclined to nip at fingers.
My son got us in trouble one time when he announced at nursery school “We have rats in our house!” He neglected to mention that they were in cages and had names… minor details…
Lol, kids. Did you have cats at the same time as kitties?
Lol we had a whole freakin’ zoo at one point! 5 rats, a bunny, 4 cats, and a huge dog. All except the ratties were strays we rescued, because I’m a sucker and animals always seem to know where to find me.
That sounds wonderful!
My first house (built in 1928) had rats. We bought it from a little old lady who’d lived there her entire life, raised her family, the whole thing. She couldn’t live alone and wanted to sell the family home to a “nice young couple.” We were basically poor and the price was right.
Unfortunately, the nice young couple had no idea what they were getting into. And little old ladies can’t see or hear very well. We kept hearing sounds in the ceiling at night but thought it was squirrels on the roof. Then one day we came home from a movie and flipped on the kitchen light and watched three of them scurry away. It was our problem now.
We did tons of research because poor and we couldn’t just call somebody. I cut trees and shrubs away from the house (I mean clear-cut, not just trimming). I screened off every access point with heavy-gauge screen. And I trapped rats. Like 14 of them.
It took a while but I got the place cleared out and made sure new ones couldn’t get back in. Still get the shudders sometimes though.
Our previous house had been vacant for over a year before we moved in (2010, so that’s the reason), and we engaged in pitched battle with the mice for three months before we finally called in the cavalry and they went all scorched earth on the joint.
Feline cavalry? I can’t because of violent allergies to cats. Had to handle the problem manually.
Nope–professional exterminator. They also happened to find a giant carpenter ant nest in our living room wall that the home inspector missed. When they sprayed that thing it was like being in a horror movie.
Oh damn. That does sound horrific.
First thing we learned from research is that you have to trap rats, not poison them. They’ll crawl into the walls and die and start decomposing. This is … highly undesirable.
The trapping wasn’t pleasant but the alternative was way worse.
Seems the poison that was used worked by dehydrating them which forced them outside to look for water. We didn’t want a mass mouse grave in our house.
Which is great unless you have a leaky pipe. I can tell you stories. But if you’re not in residence and can shut the water off, works great.
Rats in the wild are definitely creepier than the pet ones.