Are you afraid of rodents?

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ilovecats

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Originally Posted by mrsd

I don't like rats. Or mice. Or snakes. They make my skin crawl. I can handle other creepy insects/animals such as spiders and worms.
Aw, why? I find them rather cute. I think all animals deserve equal amounts of love. I love rats almost as much as I do cats.
 
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ilovecats

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Originally Posted by Cirque

I love rodents. Although they can carry disease.. I still love em. I used to raise mice, rats and other small critters for awhile. I even used to go catch wild mice by hand (I dont recommend it) and bring them home with me and tried to raise them too. It is NOT easy to catch them if they get loose in your room let me tell you. Any mouse that looks like a "deer mouse" or similar.. can jump like the dickens. Gosh they were so adorable with their huge black eyes though. Now the fields I grew up with are houses so that is kind of depressing.. I still long for a rat or some mice once in awhile though.

Oh and if you have never seen a Spiny mouse... go look them up, they are cool but CHEW through just about anything! They were always a little scary cause they liked to chew so much..I wouldn't want to get bitten after my bad hampster experience as a little child. *shudder*
Good to hear about a fellow rodent lover. Or at least you like rodents.
 
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Originally Posted by jcat

I love rodents, and rats are my favorite by far, because they're so intelligent and clean (e.g., in contrast to guinea pigs). I used to keep rats as pets, but got rather discouraged because of their short life spans and propensity to develop cancer. I think they make wonderful pets, though.
My feelings exactly, Tricia. I love rats. I hate how mine have myco, (probaly) and I fear them getting tumors. I also hate how they can't leave more then 5 years.
 
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ilovecats

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Originally Posted by jennyranson

I'm fine with rodents or snakes, but I can't deal with a spider in the bath! I always call a cat. The only thing with wild rodents is they spread disease so I make sure they can't get in the house. If a cat brings one in I am OK to take it from her if I can, otherwise they all go out on the balcony till it is disposed of.
I don't mean to qoute so many of you, its just that you all have such great responces!
Just so everyone knows, I mean domistic only. Comparing wild to pet is like comparing a lion to a cat.
 
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ilovecats

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Originally Posted by Mom of Franz

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...936508-3424762


My biggest fear, my biggest phobia, are rats and mice. I've often said I would rather have a burglar in my house than a mouse...well I guess that's why phobias are unrealistic fears. Recently however, I have gained some respect for rats. A couple of weeks ago in my Writer's Forum class we had author Robert Sullivan in for a reading of his latest book "RATS!" We are very lucky to get well known and well received authors visit our class weekly. Sullivan has written quite a few NY Times Notable Books of the Year, and I believe "Rats" has also been given this honor. What a wonderful reading, he was hysterically funny, yet on a serious and well researched subject. He ended the class, by having us join him, in song, with a song about rats. The song was done in a Sea Shanty style, and we sang it with gusto! I got a chance to talk with him at length and he was great and very supportive of new writers. I told him about my phobia (I sure he hears my story at every reading) and told him I can't wait to read his book, though I will have to have a bottle of Xanax by my side. Those of you who love rats, especially Trica would love the book. He made a great point, he believes (paraphrased) that one of the reasons most people loath the rat, is that the rat reflects the negative side of human nature. In other words, if humans weren't such big slobs, the rat would have little reason to exist.
I'm glad you're learning more about rats. I'm very sad to hear you feel that way. Its your loss.
 

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Basically, I have no problem with rodents. They're sweet creatures. My best friend and her kid brother, when I was growing up, had mice. They were sweet. My stepson had a pet rat -- she was sweet. Rabbits and squirrels are some of my favourite people. I don't particularly want wild rodents in my house, because they are disease carriers -- so if a certain little hunter brings one home, this party pooper is likely to rescue it and send it on its way -- but other than that, I like rodents.
 

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I love all animals. I'm not fond of bugs, or snakes, or spiders...but I dont like to see them harmed either.
I absolutley LOVE rats! I've had 4 of them. Freddie & Nicodemus (Nicky for short) now live with my ex, but I get to see them on occasion. Rain and Barbie were mother & daughter and died of cancer (Rain passed in October, and Barbie passed just a month ago.) Rain was my favorite, but they were all so very sweet, and suprisingly clean. They are intelligent, and friendly too. I dont think I would ever get another rat though. The illnesses of Rain & Barbie were to hard to watch. I hated seeing them go, and because rats have such a short life span, and are prone to getting cancer, I wont get another one.
 

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I don't mind rodents either. I have to like them somewhat because Mom and Sis hate mice! One morning Mom was not feeling well. Her arthritis was hurting so bad she could barely get out of bed. Then I hear her scream my name followed by "Good Kitty, you're a good kitty" then my name again.

Seems her kitty (who could do no wrong) had caught a baby mouse and dropped it on her chest. When I came into the bedroom, mom was backing up the headboard and dad was under the covers - giggling! I picked the little baby mouse up and took it outside.

Sis hates mice so much she has been know to broadjump the kitchen table (okay, try to broadjump the kitchen table) when seeing one. If she sees one in the basement, she screams, runs upstairs then throws a box of mouse killer into the basement. I know the mice are laughing at her.


The only pet I've had that wasn't a cat or dog was Gertrude the Guinea Pig. She was already an adult when I got her so I only had her about a year. But I still like the little piggies. Like to hear their little squeals.
 

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It depends where they are and what they are.
Rats in my hay store are a no-no, and I usually borrow a neighbour's ratting terrier to get them out. They can cause a horrible illness (for the pony) by weeing on hay, so that's why. I have a mouse living in my shed at the moment. He or she is quite cute (a woodmouse) so I don't mind that. I expect if any rodent was stupid enough to come into the house it wouldn't last very long before the cats got it. On the whole I don't mind rodents, apart from rats.

Sue
 

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Squirrels and bunnies, not a problem.....rice and mats.......no way!!



I mean mice and rats!!
 

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Originally Posted by Mom of Franz

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...936508-3424762


My biggest fear, my biggest phobia, are rats and mice. I've often said I would rather have a burglar in my house than a mouse...well I guess that's why phobias are unrealistic fears. Recently however, I have gained some respect for rats. A couple of weeks ago in my Writer's Forum class we had author Robert Sullivan in for a reading of his latest book "RATS!" We are very lucky to get well known and well received authors visit our class weekly. Sullivan has written quite a few NY Times Notable Books of the Year, and I believe "Rats" has also been given this honor. What a wonderful reading, he was hysterically funny, yet on a serious and well researched subject. He ended the class, by having us join him, in song, with a song about rats. The song was done in a Sea Shanty style, and we sang it with gusto! I got a chance to talk with him at length and he was great and very supportive of new writers. I told him about my phobia (I sure he hears my story at every reading) and told him I can't wait to read his book, though I will have to have a bottle of Xanax by my side. Those of you who love rats, especially Trica would love the book. He made a great point, he believes (paraphrased) that one of the reasons most people loath the rat, is that the rat reflects the negative side of human nature. In other words, if humans weren't such big slobs, the rat would have little reason to exist.
I'll have to check that book out, Barbara! Do you remember the original "Willard" film, from the early 70s? Bruce Davison amd Ernest Borgnine starred in it. I think there was a remake, but I never saw it. My mom had a rat phobia, until I got pet rats. She would walk around the house with a rat or two sitting on her shoulder once she got over their tails, and says she still misses having them around.
 

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I'm not sure if I should be surprised or expecting the number of rat/mice lovers on this thread.

Me, personally, NO F*CKING WAY!
I don't even want to see them on TV. I am so afraid of mice that when I did have them in my house (about a month) I slept with the TV and lights on so I didn't have to hear them.

A friend of mine has pet rats...I won't go into her bedroom. Her entire house has a smell from them too.

I'm not disparaging anyone that wants to keep them as pets. Just keep them away from me.
 

stormy

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Nope, I'm not afraid of rodents at all. We have a pet rat named Owen, he'a a wussy rat!
We've had quite a few rats before and hamsters and mice, they'll all great!!


Although when my older niece comes over for a visit her bf doesn't like rats at all, he's like "why would anyone have a rat as a pet?" I think the only people who say that never had the joy of having one of those cuties in their lives!!
 

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I've had a guinea pig and a gerbil. The gerbil was actually toilet trained. He would go up a little ladder and do his business on a piece of metal I had up there. He never soiled the bottom of his cage. He was a cutie. His name was Jonathan the Gerbil.

My guinea pig used to talk to me. He had the run of the apartment when we were home but in the cage while we were at work. He always came when I called him. He was cute and his name was Niblets.
 

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I'm not usually afraid of rodents, but once I was in a shed and saw something out of the corner of my eye. A big rat was on an upper shelf. I never thought of them JUMPING on me before. Ewwww.


This is kind of off the subject, but a friend of mine has a hamster. I thought there was something wrong with him because the um...how should I say this...?
ok, the "twin parts" of his anatomy were HUGE for his size. She said that was normal for hamsters. Does anyone know if this is true?
 
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