[MeinTora]

So, I have been a little busy lately, haven't had time to stop by my favorite forum ^^ I'm about to jump into a little rant.
As some of you may know I'm now fostering for a (sort of local) rescue, and I was talking to my mother about how excited I was, and about the rats. I'm young but don't live with my mother due to the financial situation and some other things. My mom is not a big rat fanatic, she isn't an animal person at all, really. I don't let it bother me much, but she just really got to me this time.
I have a pretty bad scar from a rat bite on my index finger, and my mother LOVES to bring this up to people when I say I have rats, she said I shouldn't "hide"!?! that from people when I tell them about rats. I also have a dog bite scar on my hand, I don't walk up to strangers with dogs waving my hand around shouting BEWARE. I love animals, that doesn't mean they are all going to love me, it's just something I've learned. I don't think it's something to share with someone whose already dislikes rats. I don't want to hear "I told you so". The bite wasn't even from one of my own.
This is my ONE complaint about owning rats. I'm going on my fifth year of rat ownership, and it doesn't get any eaiser holding my tongue. People were actually walking buy a RAT RESCUE saying ew. Is it so hard to just keep it to yourself? I'm not big on scaly creatures but I repect the people who own them, and am smart enough to not walk into a room full of people who do love them and say ew. Honestly.

 

[Vinni & Gingi]

How did it happen? Did it think you had food or was it scared or aggressive?

 

[MeinTora]

I sorry I didn't see this sooner. I'm pretty sure he just has really bad cage aggression, and since I have zero experience with that me and the rescue owner talked it through and decided she would take him back and work with him herself. He is a very cuddly sweet boy outside the cage

 

[kksrats]

I have tons of scars from cats...mainly because I had a habit of snatching stray kittens and giving them a home lol. But, seriously, I don't go around pointing out my scars to people simply for the fact that they were my own fault and had nothing to do with what animal I got them from. I dislike it when people try to demonize certain animals, I run into enough of it with my pitbull, I don't need the same for my rats and reptiles.

 

[MeinTora]

I have a few cat scratch scars, too. I've owned them my entire life (this is my first time being catless) I also used to volunteer at a shelter and actually contracted cat scratch fever after breaking up a fight between two cats. They call ratties diseased I have just been very short with people lately about my rats, I'm usually pretty good about just smiling but ugh...

 

[QueenBea]

Oh gosh. My aunt and uncle like to give me trouble because of my rats too. Their children were terrifying my rats, and just being super loud and trying to grab at them, even when i tried to get them away and tell them not to. So my rat clementine (who's never bitten anyone) bit one of the kids on the finger. A tiny nip that was barely bleeding. just a few dots. And my uncle took my sister's phone and asked my dad if he should worry about 'rabies'. RABIES. from a DOMESTIC RAT. I swear to god some people... Even my dad was annoyed and he said no to me getting rats for 3 years...

 

[artgecko]

I think there are some diseases you can get from rat bites (if the rat is infected) I think one of them is called rat bite fever (can't remember the actual name). Someone on FB on a rat group I'm in was bitten and got it and now says to get antibiotics when you get bitten..Apparently it can get quite bad if untreated (like cat scratch fever).

I would just tell your mother and anyone else that brings it up that ANY animal can bite under the right circumstances. Maybe look up some figures on how many owners are bitten by their dogs every year so that you can use that as well.

In addition to my rats, I also own snakes and they also have a very bad rap. I've had people freak out on me, people post on my FB page that all snakes are better dead, etc. People have just been taught to fear them for so long that it is their first reaction. Another good point to bring up with rats (and I do this with my snakes) is that these are not wild rats.. They are domestic rats that have been breed for hundreds of generations to be more tame and amenable to handling.

Although it would be awesome if all people loved our pets, it's best to just realize that it won't happen and accept it. I try not to bring up my reptiles to those that I don't know just so that I don't get into it with them... If they ask what animals I have I don't hide it, if they ask if they bite, I am also honest about that, but I don't tell everybody I own snakes (or rats for that matter).

Good luck!