Vegetarians would you have done this? seriously??

Question

I was at my grandmas house, who is known for having food on the floor all the time!! she has rats inside her house but they're small ones :) My cousin freaked out when she one she coulndt get down form the table! I looked for the "horrible creature" under the sofa and I found it! everybody was telling me to step on it but it was so tiny and defendless I couldnt kill it! I took a glass jar and I placed it inside. I gently took it outside and i let it go on a field near by. Im a vegetarian and Im scared of rodents too but they deserve to live right??? would you have done it???

Answer 1

I have done things like that.

At work they had those mouse traps where they stick in the glue; a mouse got caught in it. I took it outside and carefully got the mouse out the of the glue the best I could and let it run away in the field. (I didn't touch it, I used a small stick.)

At a different place I used to work, the security guys found a snake in the building and put it in a jar. They said it was a copperhead (poisonous) but I knew it was a prairie kingsnake (not poisonous). I asked them what they were going to do with it, and they said "flush him." I asked if I could have the snake and they gave it to me. I turned it loose when I got home.

I try not to kill bugs in my house when I can let them outside.

However, I hope your grandma can find better living conditions. That doesn't sound very healthy.

Answer 2

Personally, I would avoid granny's rat infested house to begin with, and it wouldn't be an issue. I prefer not to dine where food on the floor and rats, small or otherwise, are considered acceptable. I would hook poor granny up with a good housekeeper, or a computer where I could communicate with her via email as opposed to a personal visit

Answer 3

I would have done exactly the same thing... there's no way I'd kill something just because a family member was scared of it. In fact, When I was travelling I had mice and rats in quite a few of the rooms I stayed in and I couldn't help feeding them and leaving them water! I probably shouldn't have encouraged them but they were there anyway and probably needed a decent meal!

Answer 4

Yup, I would have done the same exact thing. I dont kill spiders either, I suck em up with the dust buster and free them outside. I have no right to kill them just becuse I am deathly afraid of them. I have humane mouse traps in my house, the mice just get caught in there and then I free them outside. Thank God they hae not caught anything.

Answer 5

Vegetarian or not--you did the right thing. Rats, by the way make excellent pets. They are exceptionally clean, have lots of personallity and their upkeep is inexpensive---unless of course, it develops a tumer and you spend hundreds of dollars for a tumer excision ect ect. then when it finally dies(they only live around 2 years give or take--usually take), all 4 of your daughters are sobbing and then, hubby who was out of town at the time of death, chastises you for the way you disposed of the body. Yes, rats are excellent pets except for their lack of longevity.

Answer 6

I wouldve done the same thing. It not their faults! Especially if Gramma has food all over her floors. that's like an invitation for dinner!
You totally did the right thing. I would never have the heart to do something like that unless the animal was suffering. Good for you!

Answer 7

I completely agree with you! I would have done the exact same thing. I have even educated my family of carnivores about needless killing of any living thing. It was just their fear of the rodent that was making them urge you to kill it. You did the right thing!

Answer 8

Creepyka, explain to me one thing, i'm really curious, you say "as a buddhist, not a vegetarian", how can you be a buddhist and still eat meat or whatever? I'm familiar with buddhism, but this, i just don't get! I'm not judging the meat-eaters at all, its their choice. But these two things are incompatible!

Answer 9

I would have done exactly the same thing. Rats can be a nuisance but that doesn't mean they deserve to die!

Answer 10

I know a lot of people who would have done that, vegetarian or not. I have caught a lot of bugs and let them loose outside. Just last year my cat brought us a live gopher that we caught and threw it into the field. Then you get people like my father-in-law, who has DROWNED three skunks in the past month because they were digging up his yard. *sigh* Poor, cute skunks.