Why do people hate rats so much, and get an attitude about people who own them?If we want them thats our business, You dont have to get nasty about it..
and before I get a bunch of answers of people saying "theyre dirty, they carry diseases, blah blah blah" Do your research. Pet rats are VERY clean, and do not carry disease. .......So you've obviously never owned one. So , what else is it? Personally I think theyre awesome.
I also think that if they had squirrel tails people would think they were adorable. .....Its not their faults that they dont have fluffy tails:P
2007-01-26 13:54:28 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
True- alot of movies give rats a bad rep...But those are fiction. Theres movies with mean dogs in them but people dont hate dogs because they saw those movies..And what about movies with evil creepy people in them? .....We dont hate people because we saw those movies. We take it as what it is..a movie.
2007-01-26 14:07:32 · update #1
So true. I had 2 years ago before I became allergic to them...they were the best pets!!!! Cleaner than ANY other small pet!!!! I would love one of the "rex" coated ones.
2007-01-26 13:58:41 · answer #1 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are alot of factors that give rats a bad rap. I will also tell you I am totally pro-rat and own 6 right now. One of them is an expectant mother.
Movies and stories dont help much.
Big fat and ugly sure rats are what people think of when anyone says the word rat.
False myths such as they eat babies, they bite alot, they are noisy alot are all things some people believe in.
Also the idea that rats tails feel like snake scales is an aspect that alot of people believe in.
Plus wild rats do alot of damage to homes, but they were here before we were so we just need to do a better job of rat-proofing our homes.
2007-01-26 16:18:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ha, i think you just answered your own question. I think people hate Pet rats because they associate them with wild rats that can have diseases. Pet rats do not carry diseases. And i also think they hate rats because of their long naked tail. I think people think it is gross, and yes, if they had a squirrel tail people would fall in love with them. They are some of the sweetest animals i have ever met. They have such a large personality for such a little animal. If i was ever to own a small pocket pet i would definitely get a rat. They are so social and friendly, and very clean.
2007-01-26 14:01:57 · answer #3 · answered by Stark 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
People who hate rats suffer from:
Prejudism, definition: An opinion for or against something without adequate basis.
Paranoia, definition: A psychosis marked by delusions and irrational suspicion.
Ignorance, definition: Lacking knowledge, uneducated, unaware, uninformed.
Stereotyping, definition: An idea that many people have about a thing or a group and that may often be untrue, or only partially true.
Unfortunately, when we try to educate these people, we come up against a brick wall because we can't get them to see the differences between pet rats and wild rats. Their stereotypical thoughts will not let them understand.
spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Specializing/Educating others in the care of pet rats
2007-01-29 04:48:32 · answer #4 · answered by spazrats 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I personally own 2 females rats and I completely agree with you. My rats are my babies. I have a hooded blue-russian and a black-hooded rex. Expecially my blue, Luna, is so incredably cute. My roommate doesn't like them b/c they don't have furry tails. I think that just b/c they don't have fur on their tails is no reason to hate them. Some guys are bald and people think they are awesome or hot, and trust me those guys are probably carrying more dieases than my rats are. And to end on that note...I am going to play with my babies right now. Keep up the good work of telling people to get over others owning rats.
2007-01-27 01:48:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Mice are not exactly the same as rats to make a point about nomenclature. I would agree with you that both mice and rats are clean if they have a good environment with clean food and bedding. Wild rats seldom have the luxury of being clean however in that their natural tendency is to overpopulate their environment and consume all resources available in so doing. Starting to sound like humans aren't they?? Rats have traditionally been competitors with humans and vectors for some human diseases. Rats are also known to gnaw at wiring in homes and contaminate walls with droppings and urine.
In many countries, including this one, rats were a significant cause of crop losses and contaminated foodstuffs. The idea of eating rat feces is not very appealing. The appearance of black seed or off white kernels in rice is often associated with rat pellets and most consumers will not buy the product given a choice. The rats we are talking about are not the cute little pink eared darlings many envision either but some as large as a small cat. Left unchecked rat populations can explode with very serious health consequences to humans. Also rats are a great vector for diseases as they occupy human spaces in many cases unseen.
Proper sanitation and good storage containers and techniques deny rats a easy food source in many parts of the US but in cities or places where garbage is not properly and quickly disposed of rats flourish. In third world countries rats devour crops and consume foodstuffs needed by poor people in villages and farms.
That said rats are not to be hated but like all things in nature studied and admired for their resilience. Rats can also be a big part of the diet of small predators although the larger ones are too big for the common house cat. Coyotes, bobcats, hawks and owls all take rats as part of their diet. Only when the population is so out of proportion with the environment do they pose a nuisance.
2007-01-26 14:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by Charles F 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
various human beings relate rats and mice to ailments, dirt, and so on. Its merely one among those stereotypes that animals get over the years. they merely are not as person-friendly a puppy as dogs, cats, or hamsters, and so everybody is mostly uneducated about them. I keep in innovations bringing my 3 rats contained in the motor vehicle to the vet's workplace, and on the way i ended at a gas station. I enable them out for some clean air and the seems I were given from human beings were hilarious. some human beings do exactly not comprehend that they make spectacular pets :)
2016-12-03 02:31:30 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I LOVE rats but my parents don't like them. My mom says its because of their tails. My dad doesn't like them because of the movie "Ben", he associates rats with being poor and filthy, and he claims that his cousin used to have a sewer rat that was 1 ft long, not including the tail. When my sister and I brought home some baby rats, we had to keep them in our rooms and weren't allowed to bring them into the same room as our dad.
2007-01-26 14:00:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine actually has 6 rats as pets. (Lol, I know, that's a lot of rats.) I think they're cute, and yes, you're right, they are very clean. Hers are friendly and like being held; they don't bite or anything. I don't have a problem with pet rats as long as the owner takes good care of them like they would with any other pet.
2007-01-26 14:17:24 · answer #9 · answered by HobbesMom 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
people are stupid rats are smart i have a few rats would never go to the store and bring home a person they spread sickness and madness
2007-01-26 14:07:31 · answer #10 · answered by fukawthoridy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋