# A Rant about Rat Facebook Groups



## TheAllysaur

Lord have MERCY, some of the people in a rat group I'm in on Facebook have absolutely lost their marbles. Someone asked for advice on bar chewing and I mentioned that I used bitter apple spray for my hammie, and multiple women jumped me and cussed me because apparently to original poster had mentioned somewhere in a whole page of comments that bitter apple spray didn't work for her. 

o_o

I wish people took the time to show the same respect to their fellow humans, that they show for their ratties.


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## JAnimal

I know how you feel. People should be more considerate.


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## AdequateRat

Internet crazies for yeah.


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## FallDeere

If that's the worst that happened to you in a rat Facebook group, you're doing well. ^_^

.... which is sad...


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## RealWL

I swear finding good people on the internet is a hit or miss. I have met some of my best friends, but I've also met some of biggest jerks of my life. Just another reason to steer clear of Facebook for me I guess.


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## AdequateRat

FallDeere said:


> If that's the worst that happened to you in a rat Facebook group, you're doing well. ^_^
> 
> .... which is sad...


This made me laugh, I totally agree.


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## AdequateRat

RealWL said:


> I swear finding good people on the internet is a hit or miss. I have met some of my best friends, but I've also met some of biggest jerks of my life. Just another reason to steer clear of Facebook for me I guess.


True say. Everyone on this forum that I've spoken to so far is so nice. I really love this community!


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## artgecko

If you really want an argument... Ask what bedding people use.. It'll turn into a firestorm. Lord forbid anyone mentions that they've used kiln-dried pine.. They get crucified. People on many fb groups don't seem to understand that everyone posts their experience and lets the OP sort it out.. It's not about bashing everyone else for having a different opinion.


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## AdequateRat

artgecko said:


> If you really want an argument... Ask what bedding people use.. It'll turn into a firestorm. Lord forbid anyone mentions that they've used kiln-dried pine.. They get crucified. People on many fb groups don't seem to understand that everyone posts their experience and lets the OP sort it out.. It's not about bashing everyone else for having a different opinion.


Speaking of bedding... >=] I've been using newspaper. But now I feel bad.
So I'm going to switch back to other stuff. I don't even know, rats are so picky sometimes. lol 

I know if the ink is organic, then it's fine.. But honestly, I'm too lazy to find out.


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## TanyaB

And that is why I no longer have a FB account. I can't deal with all that. Better to hang out with sane people


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## Grotesque

TheAllysaur said:


> Lord have MERCY, some of the people in a rat group I'm in on Facebook have absolutely lost their marbles. Someone asked for advice on bar chewing and I mentioned that I used bitter apple spray for my hammie, and multiple women jumped me and cussed me because apparently to original poster had mentioned somewhere in a whole page of comments that bitter apple spray didn't work for her.
> 
> o_o
> 
> I wish people took the time to show the same respect to their fellow humans, that they show for their ratties.


Speaking of bitter apple spray, one of my rats loves the taste of it so much she will intentionally do bad things just to get me to spray something with it.


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## Tedology

I think people need not judge others regarding their pets. Yes, we each have opinions on the "best" way to be rat owners... and yes, we believe in our hearts of hearts that our way is the only right way... but we're not in the other person's shoes. There are other factors: finances, parents allowing more than one rat, landlord rules, the only local store only offering THAT type of bedding, etc.

I get being passionate about one's rat(s)/pet(s)/etc. But I get angry when I see/read people slamming somebody for a choice they make.

That whole "If you can't say something nice, don't say something at all" rule wasn't read to certain people I reckon. 

But then again... now I'm judging them! It's a vicious circle I tell you!


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## AdequateRat

Tedology said:


> I think people need not judge others regarding their pets. Yes, we each have opinions on the "best" way to be rat owners... and yes, we believe in our hearts of hearts that our way is the only right way... but we're not in the other person's shoes. There are other factors: finances, parents allowing more than one rat, landlord rules, the only local store only offering THAT type of bedding, etc.
> 
> I get being passionate about one's rat(s)/pet(s)/etc. But I get angry when I see/read people slamming somebody for a choice they make.
> 
> That whole "If you can't say something nice, don't say something at all" rule wasn't read to certain people I reckon.
> 
> But then again... now I'm judging them! It's a vicious circle I tell you!



Amen to this reply, wholeheartedly agree.


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## FallDeere

Tedology said:


> But then again... now I'm judging them! It's a vicious circle I tell you!


lol, I tend to be very judgmental of judgmental people. XD It is indeed a vicious circle.

People in those FaceBook groups, and really everyone who loves rats as much as we do, have very strong feelings towards them and their care... It is understandable that the rat community gets very passionate about the proper care and keeping of our beloved pets, but I fear the anonymity of the internet makes some people forget that there are real people on the other side of the screen. I don't know why, but Facebook rat groups seem to be the worst offenders, despite real names and faces being on there. I imagine it is mostly the fault of the people running them whereas here at the Rat Forum, we have some pretty good people keeping everything in check.

Another thing people tend to forget is that there is a nice way of telling someone how to improve something and there is a really, _really bad _wrong way. Telling someone they don't deserve to have pets because they made a few mistakes doesn't do any good. In my experience, the more someone yells at you, the less you want to listen. When informing someone of the proper care of rats (or any animal I know about), I try to say it in a nice way without condemning them or making them feel stupid or bad for having done something wrong.

There is a point where you just have to give up, though... There is a young girl on another forum (not a rat forum) who recently took in a momma hamster who had two litters and she's refusing to separate the older littermates from each other. She thinks the males will get along long term, since they are fine now, and is ignoring people saying that type of hamster is solitary and will end in a blood fest. The second litter has already been killed by the mother because of the older litter. I, and others, offered her some suggestions as to how to improve their living conditions without spending a lot of money on new cages and she still hasn't made an effort to separate them. I have done all I can and I don't want to resort to sounding like I'm bullying her, so I've dropped it and I hope everyone else will. We've told her what will happen and how to prevent it and that's all we can do. Yelling at her is counter productive, but many people don't realize this.

Sorry for the rant lol (though I guess this is the rant board, haha).


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## Tedology

FallDeere - hear, hear!

I think the delivery is just as (if not more) important as the message.

"You gave your rats soda?! You don't deserve to own a rat and HARDLY deserve to live on this planet!!!" - A bit over the top.
"Rats shouldn't have soda, as it's not healthy for them." - A bit more rational and, as FallDeere pointed out...more likely to be received.


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## splinter90

Omg, I know. I joined a couple FB groups a few weeks ago, and I barely post because everyone in them just seems to overreact at every little thing. The worst two things that have happened so far is one girl got torn apart for asking if she could use colored popsicle sticks in her rats' cage. Everyone started freaking out about how the rats would chew on them and get splinters while I was just like, "Isn't chewing on stuff that shouldn't be chewed on, like, their thing, though?" And another woman got called a horrible pet owner because she posted a pic of her rat swimming in her tub, and said that her rats loved to play in the water. Everyone thought she was drowning them. SMH U_U


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## FallDeere

Goodness... One thing that really bugs me is when people get torn apart for ASKING something. Like that poor girl you saw, Splinter... She was just asking if it was a good or bad idea and then people attack her? It's like... people come to get help for something and then people get on their case for not knowing something. They came to learn! Isn't that big points in their favor? Not everyone knows everything right away. >.<

Also... Yeah, rats are made to chew up things. XD Any and all things. I'm fairly certain their mouths and teeth are made in a way to minimize injuries. Not saying they couldn't get a splinter, but I don't think they're more likely to get one chewing up a popsicle stick than any other wood thing people give their rats. I actually don't give my rats anything wood out of fear it's pine or cedar, lol. Plus, wood just gets nasty with rats lol. I don't mind giving it to my gerbils because they don't urinate as much. My two year old gerbil still has a wooden house she's had since we got her... two years ago. 

Aaaanyways.... Yeah. People getting all up in arms over nothing. =/ I just feel so badly for people who come asking for help and get attacked because they made mistakes or because they didn't know something...


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## Fu-Inle

Im half tempted to post a picture on one of those groups of my rats next to a giant tub of peanut butter with the caption under it "dinner time" 
You think they'd slaughter me?


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## splinter90

Fu-Inle said:


> Im half tempted to post a picture on one of those groups of my rats next to a giant tub of peanut butter with the caption under it "dinner time"
> You think they'd slaughter me?


No, they're surprisingly okay with those sort of things. Except for when one guy posted a pic of his rat drinking beer.


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## JCM

Fu-Inle said:


> Im half tempted to post a picture on one of those groups of my rats next to a giant tub of peanut butter with the caption under it "dinner time"
> You think they'd slaughter me?


That is too funny XD
I just giggled on about this for at least two minutes.


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## JAnimal

Grotesque that is sooooooooo funny. My cat loves bitter apple spray too. Sometimes we even put it on his food.


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## Michaela

I agree... I have left so many groups on facebook as poster asks a question, you answer it & the commenter or the other people responding jump down your throat for absolutely nothing! a lot of pages also have admins that I have found enjoy the drama & protect those that are in the wrong & attack the more experienced people.


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## JAnimal

Yeah I'm glad we have really good admins


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## jessielynn

Maybe one of you should create a more friendly facebook rat group? I would join :3 Even if it was small, it would be better than half of the other ones out there.


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## FallDeere

Honestly, I don't really understand the need for rat facebook groups overall. I mean, I'm a member of a local facebook group so I can connect with people locally and even find breeders, but for just your average rat chatter, isn't a forum enough? Personally, I'm content with just having the Rat Forum for general rat-people socialization/questions/information. Facebook groups are really only good for (in my opinion) focusing on specific things like breeding, adoptions, local connectivity, etc. For everything else, there's this forum (and others I suppose, but we don't speak of such places :X). 

If we didn't have such a great forum here, I'd be all for creating a rat facebook group. Like, I searched for a forum based around keeping Isopods (roly polies) and couldn't find any active ones so I had to join a facebook group for them. We don't have that problem, though, since we have this forum.

Just my two cents, lol. I guess I'm just not a fan of facebook overall. XD


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## moonkissed

I am on facebook like all the time lol I am in so many rat groups. Two are just general rat groups, the rest are all either local rehoming groups & breeder groups. i think I am in like 10+ breeder groups! Also a rat health group.

I really love the facebook groups because it involves a ton of people and it is fast. Ill see a new post every like minute or so. Whenever I wanna ask a question or share something I can talk to hundreds of people & that is alot of different opinions. I love this forum very much & it is great because u avoid alot of ignorance and have smarter less drama driven ppl here, but it is also much less action. 

I am also in like 2 cat groups, 2 guinea pig groups, a betta group even though I dont have one lol, and a ton of different dog groups.

i think it would be great if the forum had a facebook group.


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## jessielynn

I believe the forum does have a facebook group, but it isn't really active and is more about keeping people up-to-date with the site


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