Goosemoose Pet Portal

So today i took my rat to the vet, and the waiting room was pretty crowded. A couple of people asked what i had, and when i told them what it was, i got the usual comments "ew i hate their tails", "wow, you seriously have rats?", and "ohmygosh he's huge, is he a pet?" (yah..i always laugh at the last one lol  ::))
So of course i wanted to make a statement that rats are sweet and friendly, so i took him out and had him on my lap and defended him against every rude comment that came his way. He shouldn't have to put up with that. Even if he can't understand what they are saying, I do, and it's hurtful and offending.
SO. I had him out and this lady came in and she wouldn't come closer than like 6 feet away from me, and she was all like "what's that?", so i said "This is my pet rat, Creasy-bear." Then she said "do you have a boyfriend?" and i was just like "um...no?". To which she VERY RUDELY replied, "well that's why--you have rats.".
I seriously wanted to smack her. I just wanted to jump up and pin her down, and tell Creasy-bear to urine mark her face.  :boxing:
I was stunned, so all i could think of to say was "well, that's their loss then".
GRRRRR. I am seriously INFURIATED right now!  :mumum:
I mean, i know that some people are grossed out by rats, but you don't have to sit there and insult someone about it! And guys are a touchy subject for me anyways, and i JUST got out of a relationship with a guy because he basically sexually assaulted me in my work parking lot. So i don't trust guys at all. Period. My rats and my other pets are the only things that i can really love, because i know they won't hurt me. And for someone to sit there and belittle that, and to tell me that the REASON i don't have a boyfriend is because i have rats, just really pisses me off!!  >:(

Sorry for ranting lol.  :doh:

Awwww...that really WAS rude of her to say that!  Most of my friends don't understand my interest in having rats as pets, and that's ok.  And I've gotten mixed reactions when other people find out that I have pet rats.  But I just figure if someone is rude enough to say something like what you heard, then they're obviously not very intelligent or well-mannered.   :BlueDumboSmileTongue:
Deb

Wow, it's one thing for someone to be weird about you having rats, but actually make a personal attack on you?  That's really inconsiderate and disgusting.  Who says that can kind stuff to people?

"Well, gee, lady, with an attitude like that, I'll bet you've got a divorce in your future." :P

Ha, ditto to the last post. What a rude witch (I'd say something else tha rhymes with witch, but this is a pg forum). I have a temper, so I would have probably said something very rude back.

Yup, you and I are alike... stuff like that pops into my head in a snap.  Gets me in trouble sometimes.

Geez.

I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, but oddly enough, the men I dated always seemed to think my having rats was intriguing, and that they were cute.  I could see her point if you lived in a slum and had "befriended" the rats infesting your attic.  ::) 

I like Ratsanddogs' response.

The only rude thing I see there is the boyfriend remark.  Others are curious.

Wow...what that lady said was totally uncalled for. I can understand that some people don't get why I like having rats as pets, or are even grossed out by it because rats have a bad rap, and I've had my share of rude comments....but that lady was just out of line! To say that you don't have a boyfriend because you have rats? WHAT?! :BangHead: That doesn't even make any sense...

I just don't get why humans think they need to be so mean to people who are different/have different interests then them!  Honestly...what kind of gratification did it give this woman to be so rude to a complete stranger?

One of these days, I swear I'll reply with, "So why do you feel it's acceptable to talk to a complete stranger like that, with those comments?" while staring them straight in the eye ....  :boxing:

Oh, geez....you're sitting there with your sick pet in your lap and some idiot thinks she has the right to make a disgustingly rude comment?  Ugh....Just proves what I've always said, though.  Rats are idiot detectors...

^ I love that!

I guess I'm not surprised anymore by people's less-than-positive reactions to having pet rats, but I agree with Scubbs - a personal attack is beyond rude and very inconsiderate.

haha, you know after i read this i was thinking "just what would i do if someone was that darn disrespectful to my face about my girls?"
we should really have a list of suggestions.  i bet there are some really creative ones out there!!
I'm pretty bland when it comes to socially-acceptable retorts, but i thought of a few outlandish ones:

- keep a fake rat with you and just toss it at the offender (haha, just kidding!)
- get a group of friends who all have pet rats come and subtly surround the 'victim', chanting in a made-up rat language
- carry a bat

but seriously though... we have to have a list of retorts!! Us owned-by-ratties individuals need to stand together in the name of education!! *makes triumphant speech stance*

you should have replied "and with an attitude like that i would  be shocked anyone would look twice at you."

that was completely uncalled for.

:yelcutelaugh: I'd have to agree with that. :color:

Your suggestions were hilarious,I couldn't help but laugh. :D I liked the second one. Oh,and I also agree with your mini-speech.

I just don't understand why people think it is okay to say such nasty things.  It's not like you would ever walk up to someone at the vet and say "Wow, that must be the ugliest dog I have EVER seen".  I don't get why they think it's okay to say that about a pet rat.  A pet is a pet and it is loved dearly by it's owner, that is all that should matter. 

A child once asked my mother why our dog was so thin and she was so fat.  My mom's response (with a straight face) was "I eat his dog food".

I think my response would be "Why on earth would you ask?"  and "that's none of your business".
Insensitive idiot.

Wow, I've heard some rude comments (like "It's a rat?  Ew, and you're holding it all close and stuff?!?") which I've responded to by kissing the rat full on the lips.  But that really takes the cake.  I don't know what I would have done...congrats on staying calm.  :thumbsup2:

The rudeness of some people is simply stunning.  I mean really...that kind of behavior is just unacceptable.  I don't know what I would have done if somebody said something like that to me!

Most people, male and female, have much worse personal habits than owning rats as pets. You'd be disgusted if you knew what some people do in their bathrooms.

BAH!! I was told the same thing when i first got into snakes.

Now i have rats, mice, snakes, an iguana, cats, toads, a rabbit and a bird! AND AND AND!!! I have a boyfriend!.

So honestly that woman doesent even deserve the air she breathes. Thats the stupidest thing ive ever heard. us animal lovers are loving caring and make better girlfriends than "non animal lovers" ever would! lol.  :hyper: :balloon: :BlueDumboSmileTongue:

and trust me ive gone through the same thing with men when i was 13. And i never had a boyfriend or even dated untill i turned 19 when i met Al my boyfriend. Weve been together 2 years now. When you find the RIGHT man. Its all the more wounderfull.

I used to get defensive when I heard rude comments about my girls or rats in general. Now I just laugh at the ignorance...  they don't know what they are missing out on. Nothing like the love of a sweet rat! :heart:

  I had a bumper sticker made that says " I love rat kisses!"  I love the comments I get with that!

I've had lots of experiences where I got the "It's a WHAT?" I remember one time in particular. There was a woman there with two children. She asked what I had and I told her a rat. She starts with the EWWWW! a RAT blah, blah, blah.... I looked straight at her and said in the calmest voice possible,"Since you are obviously ignorant about how wonderful rats are, I will excuse your rude behavior. I love my rat very much! He's very dear to me. I'm sure you love your children, don't you? Just think, how would YOU feel if someone said something like that about YOUR children!"  She got quiet REALLY fast. I could feel the other clients secretly cheering.

Although it is difficult, don't let them get to you and don't lower yourself to their level.

I've gotten my share of nasty comments while sitting in the vet's waiting room.  Some have even made me cry.  My vet says they can't really do anything to antaganize other clients but they support my right to defend myself.  I have a new comeback in the event it ever happens again:  He/she may be a rat but he/she has a lot better manners than you!  or That's ok, he/she doesn't like you either! (saw that on a bumper sticker). 

Wow!.....people can be totally unbelievable! I feel so bad that you had to  deal with that insensitive "twitch", especially after what you went through with the guy from work. {{{{hugs}}}}

I normally go by the credo of not doing something that would bring me down to "their level" but I think in this case my response, after picking up my jaw off the floor would have been, "How can you look at yourself in the mirror each morning? Do you have any friends? Do your children ever visit or call you? You're divorced, aren't you? Because no one in their right mind could stand to be around someone so rude, crude and just plain mean!"

OMG she is so rude.  But, that didn't really even make sense for her to say.  I liked your response to her. "It is their loss ."Who says a BF is all we as women should be aspiring to?  Jeez.   She is so ignorant.  Don't worry.  I am sure she offends most of her friends and family as well with judgemental comments.  I actually get a little kick out of the negative things people say about my girls. It just makes me realize how I am smarter then they are!!!!

holy crap, I've never been insulted like that before. but, now I am prepared. If someone ever said that to me, I might say, "well, I only date guys my rats approve of, and lately the pickens have been slim- its all catch and release for me right now, but they'll let me know when a keeper comes along"

Your mom's reply really made me laugh. Good for her!!!  :thumbsup2:

Arlene...I have a sister who lives across the country, and so the only time we talk is on the phone. And for some reason every time we talk, she has to say, out of the blue, for no reason, how she cannot understand why I'm a vegetarian, and why I love animals so much, because she just HATES animals, and how animals are so STUPID and SMELLY and GROSS and bla bla bla bla..... I usually just bite my tongue, but maybe I should use your response about the children. She has three kids and a baby coming, and I'm sure she would be very offended if someone said something so rude about her children.

Gabriella...I once actually said something like that to someones face who was being rude about my rats. I have a plastic rat on the dashboard of my car, and a past co-worker saw it and asked me about it. I told her proudly that I have seven pet rats. And she went off about how discusting that was ect...so I smiled and tried to calmly explain to her what great pets rats are, but she would barely even let me get a word out without cringing or saying something like "Rats belong in traps, not in your house." and "Ewww!!! That's GROSS!" So then, I said "Well...it's ok. My rats would probably think you're gross too." She FREAKED out when I said this. It was awesome.  :yelcutelaugh:

When you have pet rats, rude comments are something you have to learn to deal with. It gets easier, and even sometimes entertaining as you go along.  :wink5:

FI told poor little Aber one day - "That's ok Abers, you don't have to like that person" after the "eww disgusting rat thing". 

I've gotten the rats = no BF thing also, hrrmm.  My response remained that if someone was so trival as to dislike my pets, I didn't think I'd much like them.  I waited around until I found someone who can if nothing else tolerate my rats, and loves the other pets - so it does work, it may just take awhile.

Ugh.
That's pretty sad when people can't even act their age.
Sheesh.
I've had some pretty rude comments about my rats.
As a matter of fact, I took Punkin in the car with me the other day (Just enjoying the nice weather.)
And this lady saw us in the parking lot, and FLEW back in her car, virtually screetching to whoever she was talking to on her phone.
Me and my mom about did laughing and I simply gave Punkin a kiss.
There's really not much you can do about those people.
There are always going to be more of them.
They're the same people who form lynch mobs against different races, homosexuality, anyone who is different.
At least that's my opinion.

Oh, and as a last comment, my girlfriend didn't know much about rats as pets when we first got together. But she was respectful, and now she LOVES them.
Same for all past relationships.
I've never had a problem.
As a matter of fact, a couple exes of mine own rats now...
Because I was patient enough to show them how cool they were.

People are ignorant.

That woman was way way outta line.
Good on you for not decking her one!

However, I've got to add that using the 'you're going to get divorced' thing to belittle someone isn't cool in my book.
I'M divorced and a lot other nice people on here are also divorced.  It happens.  I don't think it should be used as an insult.  With more than half of marriages ending that way quite a few really nice folks end up in that divorcee category.
And, while my ex thinks I'm a twitch for leaving him, I think it was the best thing I could have done.

He didn't like the rats much anyway. Kept complaining I loved them more and spent too much of (MY) money on them. ;)
The new guy?  LOVES the rats and has two of his own.
I call that trading up. LOL.
Melissa

I know! Everyone may have their opinions on what are 'cool' pets and what aren't,but if someone really doesn't like rats,shouldn't they just keep that to their selves? I've gotta practice on decent comebacks for anyone that insults my rats if I take them out in public... ;) (It won't be anything too mean,just enough to quiet the person who bugs me,you know,a uh 'smart' answer)

just an extra little note. I had always been interested in rats but once i had researched and found out they only live 3 years i decided on getting something else. When i met my boyfriend He's actually the one who got me more interested. hes kept rats as pets longer than hes kept snakes as pets. Hes been keeping snakes since he was 15 and hes not 45 so thats a LONG time and hes kept rats since he was like 5-6. I find him amazing. even at that age he was doing as much research as he could on the animals he kept and kept them very well.he would send out  for animal books(There wasnt any internet back then). and read everything he could.

So when we found winston in our attic and decided to keep him Al(My boyfriend) was the one who encouraged me not only to KEEP him but to get OTHER rats. So deffinetly if you wait around long enough. You will find that right person. Ive always loved animals and my dream was to be surrounded by them. I met my boyfriend on a reptile forum and he was the same way. Now we live together and are both surrounded by our animals and we love them to bits.

Do we have a "Snappy remarks to people who aren't good enough for rats" thread?

And your vet tends to all of them, right?  :yelcutelaugh:

(From Moonshadow's largest fuzzie, ShadowDancer)

nope lol. I have a different vet for the cats. and the vet i have for the reptiles is supposedly also the only good one for rats and mice but im leery of him. He pretty much killed one of my rescue snakes by not doing his job. Im keeping my eyes peeled for a better vet for my exotics.

Why would anyone even THINK of saying that?? It's just insane, who makes that connection? People these days...

I'm thinking that the woman who said that to you must have some issues of her own regarding guys to even be thinking about that. You know "Well, I can't get a boyfriend because of this, but SHE can't get one because of RATS!" kind of thing?

When I had my boys at the vet, no one really seemed to notice them, although I was tempted to pull the "long tailed hamster" bit if someone asked (Oliver actually DOES look like a hamster!). I even heard on kid and his mom saying something about their own rats (I think).

I always ask what people have in carriers, and always ooh and ahh, no matter what kind of critter it turns out to be.  One day I was there with my dog, and asked what the lady had, and it was a rat!  Well, blow me down.

That was wicked rude of her!  >:(  I haven't had any REALLY rude comments...Just the normal tail comments, and my favorite "Ohhh, what a cute ferret!!!1'  "nope, it's a rat :)"  "OMG *dies*"

My favorite reply to the whole "Rats are disgusting!  Thats so gross!" is to say "That's alright, my rats would probably think your pretty gross too." Then smile at the person and walk away.

I've gotten a lot of people just curious about my girls, and as long as they get a nice scratch behind the ear my girls are happy to oblige any questions or comments. :)

I'd have said. "Oh do you have a boyfriend? No? It must be because your a *****?" Or something along those lines. I'm not the type to turn the other cheek and let people say rude things like that to me. It makes them think they can keep doing it.

But to each their own. I know some people don't like confrontation.

I'm very sorry, I did not mean to offend anyone one with the "divorce" comment. I was, unsuccessfully, trying to say that  at some point you get fed up with these kinds of people and just want to say something back that is just as hurtful to them. You may think it even if you don't really say it.

If I was quick enough I might really say something like "Actually, my rat loving husband is the reason I don't have a boyfriend!"

I wasn't thinking, sorry guys!  :worry:

Man, I don't know where you find these people. I feel pretty lucky I've never come across anyone like that. Everyone I've talked about rats with tell me "oh I've had a rat before". At the vet with Esper I had people saying "aww poor thing" about her having a tumor. I guess I magically only ever talk to people who have had a pet rat sometime in their life.

I like Pie's response.  Just a short little something to put them right in their stoopid place!  UGH!  I put a sign up by our rats at an adoption event on Saturday that said, "It's Ok, because they rats think you are gross too"...>I know it's a common saying but after so many responses I decided to just get that out of the way.  LOL.  Lots of people said, "aw, but I don't think they are gross at all"....they were mostly well received.  Sorry about MORON you had to deal with .  People stink for the most part.  They are just rude and don't use their brains! 

Not too long ago, I was at my vet with one of my guys.  I had my rat on my lap and was rubbing his ears.  An older lady (and I'm 42) with cats looked, looked again, walked up to me and said "What is that?!?!?"  I took a moment to steel myself for all the negative comments I was sure were going to come my way and said "a rat."  She peered at him, said "oh, he's adorable!  I've never seen one up close!  Can I pet him?"

Serves me right for making assumptions.

Rather than turn the comments back to people, "lowering yourself to their level," I recommend just briefly calling them on it.  "That comment was spectacularly rude and uncalled for.  There is no excuse for that kind of nastiness."  Then look away.  Don't defend, don't explain, don't engage.  Anyone who is so nasty to a stranger for no reason has no reason to expect any form of politeness in return.

Love me, Love my rats simple as that.

That's how I filter the good from the bad.

Lol No.Should we get one? ;D Heh heh.

Isn't this thread already doing that?   :poke:

Oh yeah.. :tard: My mistake.  :merror:

*pat pat*
No worries!
Just wanted to bring it up since I'm a nice, lovely person who happens to be divorced (due to my ex being a jerk.  Heh.  I guess there is always ONE person in the divorce who was hard to live with, eh?). I get what you're saying, totally.  I guess I'm still just sensitive due to the "failed at marriage, must be something wrong with her" stigma.  Not your issue, mine. :)

That lady, though.
What a piece of work!
Melissa

What a hag! I'm sure she's one of those infuriating people that also sees her little dog as a fashion accesory and chooses to dress it up and carry it around in a little bag like some sort of doll. Don't worry about it though! Let it roll off of you like water on a duck's back. Some people will never understand how we can love our rats but then it's their loss. I know it's infuriating. As for the guy part, I've given up on them too. All we need is the furry loves in our life, right? I don't think any man can love us and be as devoted to us as our animals are.

So cheer up and get some rat kisses!  :BlueDumboSmile:

Ruuuuude! My boyfriend loves my rats, and has one of his own. Rat ownership just weeds out the loser guys.

I can't think fast in those kind of situations, but I'm sure my "I shoulda said this" would have been something along the lines of, "Well there's an uncalled-for comment from a nasty lady!" in that sarcasticy voice......I sure like the replies about the rats thinking you're gross, too!
I do have a boyfriend who loves my rats. But I still would rather just have the rats.

I once worked briefly with a woman who after I sympathetically listened to her tell me about her dog's death asked her how she felt about rats.  She said "Oh I hate them and let me tell you why."  She then went on to tell me that according to her vet rats put out special signals that will attract every other rat in the area.  So even if you had just one pet rat your house would soon be swarming with rats!  I told her in all of my 20+ years of keeping rats I had never heard/experienced anything like that.  She was adamant. And then she went around telling people that I kept wild animals as pets.  Needless to say, she was an idiot.  Turns out she lied about a lot of things and I don't think her vet ever told her that.  (The irony is that her vet worked at the same practice I took my first rat to!)  :doh:

So far I have been pretty lucky when it comes to taking my rats in public (though they don't get out of the house much).

But I did take Gir to the release party for HP 7 (after calling ahead to see if I could bring a live rat into a bookstore). I got a few people who didn't want to pet him, and I was fine with that. A few asked if he was a ferret, or if he was real (which I can see, seeing as their were tons of people in costumes and some could have a prop rat). But most people wanted to pet him, a few took his picture (he was sort of playing Scabbers with his blazed nose colored yellow with a crayola marker). And at least one said she had rats at home.

"Ew I don't like their tails" is curious?

A old family friend of ours was down, and he's not to sure about the rats, and I pulled the long tailed hamster one on him.
went something like this:

"Oh no, the rats..."
"They're not 'rats' they're vietmanese long tailed hamsters!"
"Seriously?..No..."

Then after holding it for a little more, and breaking down in laugter, "No, they really are rats.." *kiss them*

 ::) How can someone be so biased?

The one time someone did see me with my rats in the yard, it was a mother and her young, elementary school aged daughter. I asked if the daughter would like to pet the rat. The little girl loved the rat saying, "I like the tail best!" It was so nice to hear someone say something positive about their tails!
Usually though, if there are no rats around, I just tell people I have hamsters[1]. Especially when I walk over to the checkout counter with a jar or two of baby food, I don't want people to think I'm a mother[2]. I do get people thinking that feeding hamsters baby food is a little nutty.


[1]Mostly if I'm in a hurry- the "Rats are cool" speech takes too long.
[2]No offence to mothers. I'm just 20 something and don't want to get 'the look'.

Wow that was seriously wrong for her to say that!  >:( I probably wouldn't have been able to think of anything good to say at the time, either.

I don't get that many rude comments about my rats. I've never heard anyone say anything rude at my vet's office either. My guys don't go out very often, but I've had them with me when I give out candy for Halloween and most of the kids love them.  ;D

I love to proclaim proudly that I LOVE RATS! When people seeing me buying something for them! Here's a cute little poem that might cheer you up about people making rude comments. I think i shared this on another thread but i love it! :

One day, some angels went to God and asked if they might spend some time on Earth, to learn and perhaps to teach. He answered that some of the people might be frightened of the angels, that His children's idea of beauty might not be His own. The angels replied that maybe those who could look past the differences deserved the blessings that they could give. But God was still concerned. The angels needed Heaven's air to breathe; they would suffocate down on Earth. The angels promised to hold their breath as long as possible, and would return when they could not hold it anymore. God agreed and sent down the angels.

Many people were frightened of these creatures, despised them, and tried to kill them in large numbers. However, the few who recognized the angelic qualities in the beings took them in and sheltered and fed them. In return, they received more joy and laughter then they could possibly imagine. But alas, soon the angels could hold their breath no longer. After just a short Earth time, they left to go back to Heaven. But they were sure to tell the next group of angels exactly who to seek out when they went down.
~Unknown~

My younger daughter -now 16 (don't start!) - still gets mildly offended because I tend to tell people what wonderful pets rats make, a "good will" ambassador, so to speak.  So far I've only gotten some disbelieving looks, although I did get one very negative response - one out of about 15 or so - when I had two boys with me at work who needed to se the vet at lunch time (5 minutes from work, 20 minutes from home. )

Aren't people just GREAT I told someone at work that I had rattys which was a BIG mistake cause his reply was OH! I have a snake! They should PLAY sometime!!! :boxing: 

I've gotten that comment from someone at school once.  >:(

   Isn't it just obnoxious when people say such rude things that can be so hurtful to those of us that love the rat species so much? Especially the snake/rat playdate stuff. But don't let it get to you too much, cuz they are missing out on great pets! One time I was talking to an acquaintance about my new litter of babies and he said "Be sure to tell me when the mom eats them all!" I was offended at first because i loved my babies so much! but then i thought, hey i'm going to be the one kissing 12 little cute baby heads and not you so your loss!

They told you to tell them when the mom eats the babies?!?! That's just mean. Ratties make wonderful mothers. Hehe I wanna kiss little rat babies! *envies you*

      :doh: Yep that's what he told me. I told him what wonderful mothers rats make but he didn't really listen. I just wish people would at least be respectul you know? i mean, if they don't like rats they are entitled to their opinion, but they are perfectly capable of keeping mean words to themselves. It isn't necessary to bash other peoples' feelings just to make it known that you hate what they are talking about.

the more people i meet, the more i like my animals...seriously.

people can be so rude and hurtful and on purpose! i have a lot of animals that most people do not like. i have snakes, bearded dragons, a savannah monitor, rats and my worst most deviant offense: i own bulldogs. i foster pits, am staffs and american bulldog puppies for the animal shelter and i've had a couple "failed fosters". including one pit mix with terrible cropped ears. someone decided to crop the ears themselves instead of at least having a trained vet do it. after they mangled the poor boy, they dumped him at the animal shelter. you can probably imagine the rude comments and dirty looks i get daily when i take my boy out to the vet and out in public. this dog is the biggest sweetheart. he won't even hurt a fly. actually he "smiles" at them. if they buzz around him, he shows his teeth at them, he doesnt try to catch them!
i took him to the vet once for his annual exam, and a lady waiting in the wait room kept giving me dirty looks. finally she said "how could you be so cruel!" she pointed at his ears and said "how could you do that to him?" i said i did not do that to him, he came to us that way. some other idiot took shears and chopped his ears off. now he has little nubbies. i don't think she believed me, she went to the counter and spoke to the receptionist. next thing i know, one of the kennel techs comes out all concerned....until he saw it was me and my pit bull kid. he knelt down and played with him and said the vet would be ready in a minute. my vet loves my kids and us. if it weren't for people like me, dogs like him wouldn't have homes at all. he was slated for euthanasia. no one else wanted him, because he's not perfect, he's not pretty. but to me, he's perfect.
my all time favorite is when i took him out to an adoption booth and some idiot with her children was playing with him and commented on how sweet a dog he was and how good he was with the kids. and then she just had to ask what breed he was...i said he's a amstaff/pit mix. she grabbed her kids and snatched them away from him. "OH! pits are DANGEROUS! i don't trust pits they kill people!" and she took off. and my poor boy just layed there all confused, like what just happened, one minute they're playing with me loving me, the next they are afraid of me?
some days i really don't like people. i believe that when it comes to some things, animals are far superior to people. 
i'll endure the dirty looks and rude comments. because i know people like that are just plain stupid.

That is just disgusting.  :eek: :doh:

Think of it this way: That person (I find it insulting to even call her a woman or lady, though I'm not sure her attitude even allows her to be called a person!) is rude, insensitive, and insecure. She has to belittle other people to make herself feel good, and that just adds up to one really unhappy person.

It DOES hurt when people say rude things like that. And that kind of comment is completely uncalled for and unnecessary! But if you can, try to let it slide off. It's a shining example of the kind of person SHE is, and NOT you.

And even though I don't know her and this is a bit of a judgement, but based on that statement, she strikes me as the kind of person who feels she HAS to have a man in her life to be complete. If that's the case, she likely is very insecure about herself and probably lacks self-confidence. Attacks on other people is likely her security blanket to help her feel good about herself.

I just saw this thread and felt the need to add to it.  I was at a vet's office with my girls a few months ago and after meeting the vet for the first time, he looked me up and down and without even a smile on his face said, "You don't look like a witch.  Most rat owners look like witches."   What does THAT mean?!  >:(

I think the original post is just one of countless stories that exemplify the misconceptions the public at large has about rats.  Had you been with your dog the lady would never have thought to ask that question.  Yet when it's a rat, well, you know the drill.  My mom was watching the show "Petfinder" a few weeks ago and mentioned a family on the show that was searching for their perfect pet.  After going through dogs, cats, turtles, etc. etc. the family was introduced to a pair of homeless ratties and fell in love with them.  I think we need more shows like this one that clear up these horrible misconceptions about rats and the people who make them part of their families.  :)

I actually had to choke back tears when I read this, imagining his sweet little face as they walked away...I would have just cried if I were at home. People are so STUPID and MEAN!!!

Speaking of Pits being friendly - I know they are, I love 'em, I just don't have TIME for one.

I was walking our elderly Golden and elderly Mastiff mix many years back.  Always walked the pokeys together :)  Everyone would beg to swarm the Golden, and ignore the Mastiff.  Otherwise, they'd cross the street and yell that I shouldn't walk such an aggressive dog.  Duchess was slightly shy and VERY protective of family - she was ok if she could lean on me, but if they got between her and me, she'd get pissy.  She'd defend her house, yard and family with her life if she had to.  My mom NEVER worried about us in the yard with her with us.  Winston loved the world and everyone in the world and no one could do no wrong.  If someone broke in, he'd offer to help carry anything out, and then probably leave with them.  Oh, you want the kids, sure, have them, can I come too? would have been his motto.  Both were world's finest pound dogs.

Duchess was the Golden.  Winston was the Mastiff mix.  He never could understand why the world loved Duchy and hated him.

People believe what the media tells them.  We need better Rat press!

edited for bad typing.

I've got a good comeback for anyone that tries to insult my rats.. :hyper:
If they just say some obnoxious thing,while they're talking (if you have your rat with you),just start paying attention to your rat,pet them,cuddle them,anything and when the person is done talking,just say rather loudly :cheeky: "Oh I'm sorry,I was too busy loving my rat,what'd you say?" If that doesn't quiet them,then well,just find some other smart reply. ;D Well,that's all I got for now.

I've got a semi-silly idea..We've got to come up with some kind of fake, furry, slip on tails, for rats.
You put them on and you can't see the 'scary gross naked tail..'
At least they might not notice it's a...oh my gosh, a rat!  :yelcutelaugh:

Maybe after they've come to the conclusion, "I love this animal" (I don't know what they'll think it is..lol)
You could surprise them?

How terrible for someone to say such a thing to you grrrr  >:(  Still, reading through this entire post....my questions still lingers, was she there for a check up or did she actually have a pet with her?  :hyper:  Considering that I have a variety of pets that includes several strange species and having gotten almost every negative comment there is to get, my answer to them is always the same... "It really is a shame when a person can't help but pronounce their ignorance in front of so many people...an education might actually do you some good...you might check the phone book for your nearest college...ask admissions if they have a course specializing in social manners and etiquette".  Usually does a great job at shutting people up  :BlueDumboSmileTongue:

I think this response "It really is a shame when a person can't help but pronounce their ignorance in front of so many people...an education might actually do you some good...you might check the phone book for your nearest college...ask admissions if they have a course specializing in social manners and etiquette".   Is the best!!!  I think I may steal it if that's ok? :cheeky:

Not bad! I still like mine.  :)

I have a pit too.  I've never had that experience, but I've gotten into conversations about dogs with people.  They tell me about their dog, I tell them about mine.  Everything goes well, until they ask what breed I have and I say, a pit bull.  Suddenly, they're like, "Oh!" and the conversation ends there.  They don't even want me to talk about him anymore.  Most people seem to be pretty tolerant of him where I live and the rats definitely get a worse reception.

The vet said that??  Wow.  Totally unprofessional.  What does that mean?  I look like a soccer mom . . . ya know, on the outside.    8)

LOL by all means take it away....considering I have ferrets, an iguana and now rats....I get all sorts of rude comments, my grandpa tells me that there is no way my house could be clean or a healthy environment to raise my human kids because I have so many animals, I have one person who consistently calls my ferrets rats when they are not even in the same family as rats, people who think my iguana is just a snake with legs etc....so I find that answer works for all rude comments bar NONE! LOL so if it will shut some crack pot up by all means lavish it upon them and then smile in satisfaction as you burst their little ego bubbles  :yelcutelaugh:

What a tool...  >:(

*sigh* rat discrimination happens to me too. It was in front of my house my rat was sitting only my lap and I was with my dog [Kiba] who absolutely adores Izzy[rat].Our neighbor was going to her car for something and was when she saw me she got that stupid look where you make your eyes wide,lean forward, and squint way to hard. She said "Jesus were are your mothers parenting skills! Doesn't she know your not supposed to let your child play with disease carrying monsters!"
I have an ego and she bruised it so I may have went a little far  ::)
I felt the need to be sarcastic so I looked at Kiba and was like "Well you should take it up with your husband because judging from you he seems to like B__ [insert relating obscenity]" I put my best happy, matter-of-fact face and said bye. But before I left I also said "speaking of parenting, whens the baby coming again?" [her daughter,15, is preggners] Like I said, may have been too much but it's on when you: Let you dog chase my cat, say my bearded dragon should do what turtles do and sit in the road, and then mock my rattie.

*choke*   disease carrying monsters????  Her daughter is more likeley to be carrying diseases than your rat!

Your parents are likely to hear from her after a response like that - although I fully understand your irritation. You might want to prepare them, if you think there are likely to be consequences.

When I was younger I had a grumpy rat called Sqeauks who would not be caged with anyone else, however he loved people  ??? 

However, I was still living at my parents house, my mum used to love playing with sqeauks, my dad always had a phobia of rats - yes didn't like the tails, always worried about the old-wives tale of a cornered rat attacking and biting.........

Lol bless I have to cover the cage when my dad wanted to come in my room etc.

He seems to be getting better, I went to Uni and I am finishing next year :) I have two babies (Kes and Rex) my dad looks at their pictures and will look at them through the bars for a short period of time.

People just have fears and it takes time to get over them, so if someone discriminates your rats, ask them to come round - you might end up advising them to a breeder!

That's funny because I have two fake plastic rats that look like my two previous ratties, one is kinda agouti colored and the other is gray...  :yelcutelaugh:


I guess I've been lucky, I have gotten very few rude comments when taking my rats anywhere. I don't think I've had anyone comment at the vet even though I was there a lot with previous rats, my poor Cara who had pneumonia for a long time and Kei who had a tumor removed...
I once took Cara and Kei to an outdoor festival. I had them on my shoulder or one in a bag and one on my shoulder and I had a couple people ask, "Is that a RAT??" but when I said yes the most common reply was "cool!" and a few people asked to pet them. I did have someone make a very rude comment once, they said the room where I had my ratties smelled like pee-- no way it did, I'd cleaned the cage that day and it smelled fine! I mean maybe a slight grapey-girl-rat smell but that's it.   :P

I really don't understand the problem people have with their tails. I think they have cute tails, and they are really nice to pet! I love it when they wrap their tails around my arm or hand for balance.

I got a really funny comment about one of my ferrets once. When I had ferrets a lot of people didn't seem to know what they were, and I took mine out a lot. Well, one day I was walking my albino, Ice, and a car stopped. The guy leaned out and asked what kind of animal that was. I called out "Ferret!" and his reply was, "A parrot?"  :dontknow: Yeah right, it's a furry parrot...

Lol-
Every guy that I've been with since I started keeping rats loves them.  Even the one who was initially grossed out.

And another lol @ your rat's name...Creasy-Bear.... :thumbsup2:

I haven't gotten too many rude comments, but I have had a few.

One time I was walking down the street with Blackberry Briar, my Beige boy. He was in his harness, (I was taking up to the park to run around, and there are sometimes dogs around so I didn't want him to wander off) and happily snuggling with me.

A lady walks by and stops dead, staring.

"What is THAT?" She says.

"My pet rat, Briar."

"A RAT???" The lady takes a step backwards. "Is it... Is it secure?"

No lady, it's going to lead five feet through the air, land on your chest, and bite your face off!  ::) People can be stupid sometimes.

I have also gotten at least four or five times "Oh, did you find it?" or "So, where did you catch it?"  :doh:

The most common reaction however, is "Awww, what a nice guinea pig!" or "Hey, is that a ferret?" Why can people tell the difference between a 1 pound omnivorous rodent and a 4 pound carnivorous weasel?

It just bugs me.

We don't often get rude comments, as our ratties don't go out much.

But one time, I was on a train with Fleur in a travel case. There were these two ladies sitting near us, very posh. They leaned over and said "Oooh, what have you got in there? A little guinea pig? Or a kitten?" I said "No actually, she's a rat". They just went wide-eyed and said "Ahh well, as long as it's confined".
 :eek: >:(

 :yelcutelaugh:  Hahahaha!!! That made me laugh out loud!!!!

If that woman had said that to ME, I know what my response would have been..
"actually, I don't have a boyfriend because I'm a lesbian"
Someone who would make a comment like that would most likely be put off balance and embarrassed if you bring up a topic like that. Too closed minded.

I don't mind people who don't like rats (for example, I was taking my rat, Jinto, for a little road trip (he loves the car). As we were coming back to my friends building, we both had our rats on our shoulders, and she gasped in surprise and moved aside. But she smiled and didn't say anything. Some people are scared of rats, some are scared of dogs, whatever, it's not my business. And I can keep my mouth shut if they're saying something like, "I don't like their tails." Great, a personal opinion. Depending on my mood, I may or may not ignore a comment about them being diseased or w/e. I would like to educate people, but I know it's not really going to make a difference. But there is no way I would be able to take a comment like that. To attack a person over their choice of pet. That's incredibly rude. Makes me loose hope for mankind. Thank god I can come on here and realize there is SOME hope

I dread riding the bus to and from the vets... that's when I can get the most ignorant comments. When I was bringing Smokey back home from his neuter, I was tired of: "What you got in the carrier there? A kitten?" So after the umpteenth time it was asked that day:
First Lady: What you got in the carrier? A kitten?
Me: "Nope." *looks out the window really hard at traffic*
Second Lady: Well, what is it then? A cute lil' puppy?
Me: No.
First Lady: Well, what is it? Is it a rabbit?
Me: No. Its a Pony.
Second Lady: Like one of those miniature ones? I've heard of those!
Me:  ::)
First Lady: "No way!" "Can I see?"
Me: Uh... sure...
First Lady: *looks in carrier as Smokey does his best 'My lil' Pony' impression*
First Lady: Awe Its cute! Whats its name?
Second Lady: There's really a pony in there? I didn't know they came that small!
Me: His name is Smokey.
Second Lady: *looks in carrier* !@$# That's a small #$@# pony! How much it cost you?
Now the whole bus wants to know whats in the carrier. The two ladies tell them its a miniature pony. Thank goodness their stop is next and everyone else just thinks they are drunk.   :rattysmiley:

  :laughing4: :laughing4: :laughing4:

 How dumb are those ladies? They actually thought it was a pony,when you were just being sarcastic?  :yelcutelaugh:

Holy heck, Starmaiden!  That story totally made me laugh out loud.  :yelcutelaugh:

Yes!!!! They actually thought this was a pony!!!!  :doh:

(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j5/akeverline/Rats/June_08/SITHSmokey_June1.jpg)

Well,cute 'pony' Starmaiden!  :yelcutelaugh: What a neat little guy,he's got two different colored eyes!  :heart:

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :yelcutelaugh: I can't believe they thought your rat was a miniature pony.... omg... ahahahahahahah.  :bow: best story ever. Omg. Don't mind me as I die laughing!

Sure,I'll be out back,making your coffin-I MEAN,UH, eating a cough drop!!  :yelcutelaugh: *Pops a cough drop into mouth* (Truthfully,my throat was sore from laughing at the story of 'the pet-taxi pony' :yelcutelaugh: )

Pet-Taxi Pony!  Oh my that's a capper.  The whole office now believes I have gone over the edge (they were pretty sure I was close to it to begin with)

 :yelcutelaugh: :yelcutelaugh: :yelcutelaugh: :yelcutelaugh: :yelcutelaugh:

no no, go right ahead and make that coffin... brings down my expenses ;)

Man.. makes me want to take my guys to the vet just to see what kind of people I would run into...

 

Geez, Starmaiden, that's a whole new level of ditziness!  Have people just never SEEN real animals?!?  I am so tempted to make a tiny little saddle and mail it to you... Then you could tell people you were training your "pony" and your super minature Jack Russle to do one of those circus acts!  Had it been me, I think I would have been "neighing" under my breath just to add to the humor!

I think its just that you get lots of down-and-out or simpleton types riding the bus in my area-- the homeless, the mentally ill, and those who had a bit too much fun in the 60's and 70's...folks who have obvious reasons for not having a car. Especially at midday and late at night when its not commute time for people with jobs. It makes for great people watching though. One time on my way to the vet with Smokey and Jack, I had one guy who didn't like the fact I had them in a carrier. It really made him upset. He was yelling at me how cruel I was to keep rats in cages and he was going to call PETA...  ::) I told him, 'but some animals like being in cages. This bus is a cage for us right now. We can't get out of it while its moving if we tried. We have to wait until the driver stops and opens the door for us... so we're in a cage too if you think about it...' That really twisted his mellon.  :cheeky:

lol, omg. I'm gonna start riding the bus! Hope shingo likes car rides as much as jinto...

A miniature pony HAHA

Last time I was at the vet, while sitting in the waiting room I spent good 5-10 mins arguing with a woman who was claiming that my rat Brutis, is in fact, not a rat but a chinchilla...Because she's had many chinchillas and she knows one when she sees one. That fact that he looks NOTHING like one or has a long tails  doesn't matter because he's still a chinchilla LOL After a while I gave up on trying to prove he's a rat and just let her think he's a chinchilla.

 :doh: