...then read this horrible story about a pet rat whose bite killed an innocent young boy:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/family-sues-petco-after-sons-death -rat-bite-fever-n38676
This doesn't mean that every single rat has a deadly disease. Had the rat been taken to the vet and tested for disease, this could have been prevented.
shareMeh that's like me spreading my ebola to someone and killing them. Doesn't mean all humans are like me.
(And I'm no fan of rats - just being fair here)
When I was a teenager I had 3 pet mice. Wow my mum hated them and my cats loved them
Don't worry I protected the mice from my cats well.
I've got two rats and they're incredibly sociable and very entertaining!
shareThat's one death-by-rat-bite story. How many mauled-to-death-by-family dog stories do we see, each year?
"You may have come on no bicycle, but that does not say that you know everything."
I've raised many pet rats over the years. They are intelligent animals and can be very sociable towards their human. People still own cats, dogs, and other various pets even with the health dangers that they can have.
Dogs - Certian breeds are known to be aggressive and can maul an owner/person.
Cats - Cat scratch fever (which is not fun. I've had it due to my cat clawing me up during a storm once when he was scared), deep cuts if not declawed, and they can leave nasty puncture wounds when they bite.
Reptiles - Salmonella poisoning. Turtles are prone to carry this. Constrictors of the larger spieces (Reticulated pythons and Burmese pythons) have been known to constrict and kill their owners who don't have help handling them. Then there's the hot snakes (Venomous), how many people get sent to the hospital per year due to snake bite?
Ferrets - These little guys have been known to bite off fingers and toes off of babies and small children. You hear of more of these attacks than a pet rat biting someone
Rodents - If they aren't healthy they can carry plauge
Horses - Just their size alone can harm someone if they fall off the back of the horse. But they can savage a person badly with their teeth, and if they kick you they could easily kill you.
My point is every type of pet a person has does have the potential to harm them. Does this mean we'll stop having pets, no it doesn't. However a little research goes a long way.
I read the artical you linked up. My biggest concern was why the hell would the grandmother and the parents agree to get a male rat when the boy all ready had a female rat? Did they not do their research. Male rats can become aggressive when housed with females due to constant breeding. If you mess around with the female the male will attack. And if the female has her pups (yes that is what baby rats are called) she will attack as well when they are in the pinkie stage of life (just born, eyes not open, and no hair) unless she trusts you 100%.
Although I'm sorry the kid died, the parents need to hold some of the blame, not just PetCo for what happened. As to the Rat-bite Fever. The animal was probably sick due to his habitat not being properly cleaned.
You're assuming that the boy was innocent.
shareYeah, yeah - the point has long since been made: nobody is innocent.
You ever had pet rodents?
I've had mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and I currently have a rabbit.
I think that the mistake people make is in thinking that small & cute = docile.
Heh. I grew up on a farm, and my grandfather used to get a dozen or so rabbits from Marion Labs, once in a while (this is back when Marion Labs could legally adopt out their experimental animals). Nothing weird about the bunnies, but that was when I learned that rabbits could effing FIGHT.
Reach for them when they weren't ready for it? I can still show you that scar.
By and by, though, the bunnies generally escaped. They dug very big warrens under the yard, which extended far beyond their fence. But, for some reason, they never dug UPWARDS. They were two inches from a successful jailbreak.
But they WOULD get out, sooner or later, and many of them became victims of the food chain - i.e., they were caught and eaten by the coyotes or local dogs.
But for years after the last group of bunnies died and/or escaped, I would see wild rabbits out in the fields who were bigger than normal, and who had little patches of white among their grey/brown fur.
Read 'Watership Down.'
This might make more sense, then.
- Oh, SOMEbody asides me is gonna RUE this here particular day...
Rats are disgusting. I don't care how clean they are.
share