# Unbelievable comment at the Vet's office today!



## RatMomSC (Feb 5, 2010)

My husband and I were taking our three girls in for a follow up with the vet today after a round with respiratory infections. Two of my ratties were on antibiotics for two weeks. As we headed toward the vet entrance, a middle aged lady walked by said, "Aww, what are they?". We told her they were our rats. She scrunched up her face and said, "You take them to the vet?!", and looked at us in disbelief. 

I could not believe this lady made such a rude, ignorant comment! All animals need vet care! She thought our ratties were adorable until she found out they actually were rats! I really don't understand some people. I just needed to vent to someone who understands how I feel. On the bright side, all three girls got a good checkup. 

Thanks.


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## Rattieluv (Feb 1, 2010)

I hear ya!! I get those "eww....you have rats" comments all the time!! And I had a few friends make fun of me for taking mine to the vet because they are just rats and they are "cheap" animals. My response is this ' "If you get a dog for free are you not going to take it to the vet just because it was free?" They understand when I put it that way. If people only knew how awesome and loving rats are, they would feel differently. 

Glad to hear your girls are doing well. 

Rattie Moms Unite...lol.


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## Rattikus (Feb 11, 2010)

People are so ignorant. We have to move because we have a pitbull and the landlord doesnt want a "dangerous dog" around, so we told him we would need more than 1 week to find a place that allows dogs, you know. So he said 1 week or you're all out, and he acutally offered to pay to have Bransen put down! I was outraged.


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## leesha (Feb 15, 2010)

People can be incredibly rude. A lot of times, the comments are just harmless and stupid; I had someone who was visiting our house ask "if they mind" referring to our rats who were running around on the coffee table. My brother always calls the rats "he" even though he knows they're both girls and knows their names. I shouldn't let it get to me, but they're not just rats to me, they're my little babies!


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

People do this all the time to me too. They jsut dont understand and are slighlty ignorant on this subject.


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## smokeybear (Feb 18, 2010)

Rattieluv said:


> I hear ya!! I get those "eww....you have rats" comments all the time!! And I had a few friends make fun of me for taking mine to the vet because they are just rats and they are "cheap" animals. My response is this ' "If you get a dog for free are you not going to take it to the vet just because it was free?" They understand when I put it that way. If people only knew how awesome and loving rats are, they would feel differently.
> 
> Glad to hear your girls are doing well.
> 
> Rattie Moms Unite...lol.


Thank you! I pretty much had to say the same to my dad when Smokey needed Revolution...
needless to say, he didn't get it and gave me that "you're so dramatic" look...


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

Yeah seems like most people are unable to regard rats as valid pets and seem to consider them on the order of cockroaches or something.  Oh well, at least SOME of us are a little more enlightened than that. 

When I had Latte at the vet's, one woman looked at her and after getting over her initial shock that I had a rat there, she laughed and said "Well, it's cuter than the ones we had in the barn." I wondered what she would have said if she had seen one of my agoutis instead, heh.


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## rach913 (Jan 11, 2008)

_I think it has something to do with the Elizabethan times. In history class, we learned that because we were SO FILTHY back then (like dumping our urine in the streets as one big thing), the rats ended up carrying the Black Death. Upon reading in the books that it was because of the RATS instead of the FLEAS that were on them at the time, we, as humans, looked down on them for many generations. BUT, luckily, people like Jack Black came in, and showed some that rats are not a problem with becoming a pet. I just wish even more people can see that, too, though, that there's NOTHING wrong with rats. I think people should populate them more with TV shows about the good things about rats. That way, more people can realize exactly WHY we spend as much money on them for vet bills as a cat, or a dog  ; _


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

When I take Higgins in to the vet I always get comments like, "Ew! It's naked!" my response is usually a look saying "are you retarded?" and then responding with, "Yes... HE is." 

I have had a couple of people take interest in him though. Inquiring about rats as pets, and so on. So I have been able to educate people on how awesome rats are as pets. Bittersweet.


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## rach913 (Jan 11, 2008)

_SWEET! ;D I used to go to a bar with one a couple of years back, whenever we had the knack of doing some karaoke. Some looked at us funny, but the karaoke machine people found it to be the perfect time for one to sing "Ben" lol Most wanted to touch them, some asked in a nasty attitude why I'd even CONSIDER pet rats, and few feel so offended by them that the bartender would have no choice but to ask us to leave for the night. But surprisingly, they enjoy the company of them so much, that there were no worries of immediate leave on sight  To be honest, I was surprised. And to think, it all started when we were out for a walk and I had to pee, BAD! lol_


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## AvaAdoreSmashing (Dec 31, 2009)

Actually just got a really good reaction from my Fed-Ex driver when I showed him a picture on my phone of my girls. His responce was " They're huge! You guys are weird!". Both my girls are around 350g..Not so huge lol


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## psycho_ash (Sep 27, 2009)

When I was up in college, *everyone* knew I had Lemmi. A lot of people would say the rude comments, but I'd tell them that they had to meet Lemmi.

Here's a good way to shock people into realizing that what they're saying is dumb - when people say "Rats are so gross!", I'd say "That's like saying all Latino people are lazy. Or like saying that women can't drive." Showing them that they're generalizing and putting it into terms they can understand really helps.

I'd use Lemmi to teach people about rats and everyone who met her loved her! It was really cool, in fact she inspired three different people to adopt rats also.  She really was one in a million!


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I've had similar, and had people scream and run. >.< People are so thick headed sometimes.

My boy has shown some people some things about rats too, when he goes around on my shoulder. People don't like snitchies eyes, but roms are black so they come closer to him.


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## Carina (Jul 28, 2009)

What I don't understand is:
when some people see my rats, they are all excited and you can tell they think they're cute and ask "aaww what are they?" and as soon as I say "they're rats" THEN you get a disgusted face from them.
WHY!?!? Just because of the word RAT!? ???
I mean, it's not that I own a New York City sewer rat or something like that. : They're cute little tiny furballs. It's just not fair!


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## rattiesalem24 (Feb 21, 2010)

When I adopted my rats yesterday from the shelter, I was playing with them in a room there, and a lady walked past and smiled at me, but then she saw my ratties and she scrunched up her face like she did with you. People, people, people


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## jasugar (Feb 2, 2010)

I suppose I can understand people not liking rats... just like people don't like dogs or cats. It's really the uneducated people who just see them as "vermin" that I don't like. I also understand people being scared of them... I'm scared of some strange animals (like fish. :-\) I don't judge fear, but I do judge uneducated people who just go by what fairytales say about ratties.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Aha, I was at the pet store yesterday and a bunch of little kids and their parents were playing with all the hamsters, and I walked over to the rat bin and picked up one of the boys and started playing with him. One of the little girls came over to me and was like "Aww it's so cute" and her mom grabbed her arm and was like "GET AWAY FROM THAT RAT THEY CARRY DISEASES" so I started kissing his belly and he was licking my face, and when the woman was turned around I stuck my tongue out at her... The kids got a kick out of that haha


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Ive done that before too, people tell there kids they are gross so I make a point to make sure they see me playing and smiling with them. Do they not get hamsters adn gerbils are rodents too? haha


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

AMJ087 said:


> Ive done that before too, people tell there kids they are gross so I make a point to make sure they see me playing and smiling with them. Do they not get hamsters adn gerbils are rodents too? haha


But they're *RATS*.... not hamsters or gerbils   :


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

LOL and way cooler then hamsters or gerbils. Do people freak out that much over mice too> Ive never really noticed.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

What we need is a new name for them. I think I will start calling mine "Norwegian Americans". ;D


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## RatMomSC (Feb 5, 2010)

My husband has started calling them "fiblets". It's just a silly little word that makes you smile when you hear it. He introduces them to others and refers to them in conversation as the "fiblets" too. Everyone thinks it is really cute.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

"Fiblets" is cute. Anyone else have an alternative name to "rat"? Something that sounds as cute as gerbil or hamster? If you look up "rat" in a thesaurus, all the words are negative like "snitch", "betrayer", "vermin", etc.  

I said I could call mine "Norwegian Americans" because of course they are Norway rats and also americans. I often call them "peons" because they like to pee on everything, lol. That doesn't sound very cute either.


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## [x]RaeLovesRats[x] (Feb 7, 2008)

Just ignore them!


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

I work with young kids and they all have the same reaction when I tell them I love rats and then I tell them all about how wonderful they are, and they all go home wanting one. I get asked questions all the time about rats at work from the kids. I love it.


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## illmithra (Apr 15, 2008)

I usually take one of mine with me when we go places, they love the "adventure" of new places and they take turns going on their outings, but I get these reactions too! It's so horrible some of the things people say, I have NEVER taken one of my babies into a food store, just like I would never take my dog into a food store, and most times I wait outside if we have to pop into a non food store on the way home with one of the fuzzlets. I have had a few good reactions from people but most are unfortunately negative.  

I had one woman walk past me one day who was so dirty and stank terribly and she had the nerve to look at me and say "ugh that's SO disgusting" I just mumbled under my breath that I'd rather snuggle my rat than someone like her. :


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## Little_Vixen (Feb 4, 2009)

I never had the chance to take my ratties out before I moved and was forced to find them a home. Judy, the owner of the second rat in the cage, wouldn't let me.. even though I'd gotten permission from my principal to be able to take my baby Isis to school.



Rattikus said:


> People are so ignorant. We have to move because we have a pitbull and the landlord doesnt want a "dangerous dog" around, so we told him we would need more than 1 week to find a place that allows dogs, you know. So he said 1 week or you're all out, and he acutally offered to pay to have Bransen put down! I was outraged.


Okay. Honestly, because I've been close at hand during a pitbull attack *wasn't pretty, I don't hold it against the whole breed, but it was bad* I can understand why he'd want you to move, but offering to front the money to pay to have the dog put down just because of the breed's bad rep is downright barbaric! It's like killing any cat you see because someone Said that type of cat is dangerous. Not all of them are. It's partly from bad breeding and partly from bad ownership, people who don't take care of their dogs right. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a bad, ugly man. 



jasugar said:


> I suppose I can understand people not liking rats... just like people don't like dogs or cats. It's really the uneducated people who just see them as "vermin" that I don't like. I also understand people being scared of them... I'm scared of some strange animals (like fish. :-\) I don't judge fear, but I do judge uneducated people who just go by what fairytales say about ratties.


I'm a bit of the same way. My bf's aunts gave me a really weird look when I'd said that I'd had pet rats and want to get another someday. So I start talking about how they are very clean animals, cute, you can teach them tricks, chocolate is good for them, anything that would help these people understand that Rats Aren't Bad. I wonder what their faces will look like when I actually get some new ratties..


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## lee (Aug 3, 2009)

i relish in it. i take one of my rats out all the time, and i don't know how many people's minds i've changed. as soon as someone goes "ew, gross!" i just shrug and start tickling his little chin. he tilts his head and makes a chattering noise that melts most people's hearts. then if they approach, i'll tell them to scratch behind the ears. often he's so happy he'll start licking their fingers. a bunch of people have gotten really excited and made comments like, "he reminds me of my dog!" or "he's like a little puppy... but even cuter!!" i just don't even respond if people complain half the time. in the pet store, i'll make an effort to convince reluctant mom's to try out the rats instead of the ferrets or gerbils or (god forbid) the puppies for their small children. sometimes it even works! (especially if i have dracula with me)

honestly it just never surprises me when people act ignorant ;p


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## MitchPal (Mar 2, 2010)

i worked in pet care for 6 months before they had me put into the grooming salon, and there i remember one mom going back and forth on what to get her three year old daughter for a pet. Her husband had suggested a rat, right there I knew just the one. He was a very friendly boy, always coming to the cage bars every morning at feeding time for a special dry banana or leafy veggie. Same thing at night. He was willing to be sociable and cuddly. So when she asked me more information about rats, I told her how much better they are than hamsters, and how never have I had one outright bite me, they do like to test bite, thinking you have food, but never have our rats bit bit. 

She handled him, and fell for him. Later that day she brought her three year old girl to handle him to make sure she would like him, and that she could learn how to handle him from me. Things went great. Earlier this year her daughter came in with him to buy him a new bed, it was great to see him, they named him 'Chip' and they even got him a buddy named 'Dale'. I thought that was a cute combination of names.


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## KieruNatsuki (Mar 12, 2010)

I know exactly what you mean! Just tonight my mom and i had someone over to look at our puppies (my mom is a breeder) and i went down to help keep them in control. Like usual i had my Army on my shoulders and she was just chilling, sniffing about, and snuggling her cute hairless butt in my hair. The girl looking at the pups looks up to say hi to me and goes "Oh! How cute! I didn't realize there was something on your shoulder." I laugh and say its just my little Army and walk past to get a plastic bag. A few minutes later the girl asks "Uhm, what exactly is it? A mouse?" Granted Army is small for a rat but in no way is she mouse size. I give her a look and go "_She_ is a rat. She's my baby." The girl gives me this horrified look and goes "Oh i'm afraid of them." and cringes away. I'm all like ORLY? So first its cute, but when you realize its a rat it's frightening? SERIOUSLY. 

/End rant.


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## nertnie (Jan 4, 2010)

Lea said:


> "Fiblets" is cute. Anyone else have an alternative name to "rat"? Something that sounds as cute as gerbil or hamster? If you look up "rat" in a thesaurus, all the words are negative like "snitch", "betrayer", "vermin", etc.
> 
> I said I could call mine "Norwegian Americans" because of course they are Norway rats and also americans. I often call them "peons" because they like to pee on everything, lol. That doesn't sound very cute either.


I call mine Fuzzlings, Fuzzlets, Furkins, Ratlings and Furbabies. Also Snooglies when referring to my girls around friends and family. LOL


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## ZoeHale (Jan 9, 2010)

When I've taken my girls to the vet, I've gotten no rude remarks.
The first time I took either of my girls to the vet, it was Bug (my nakey).
When I showed her to the vet tech girl, she goes "Haha! Oh wow you're cool!"
And then when I took them both to the vet the second time, the other vet tech refused to touch Bug to go weigh her, so I did it myself. LOL.


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## MuccRat (Mar 15, 2010)

KieruNatsuki said:


> I know exactly what you mean! Just tonight my mom and i had someone over to look at our puppies (my mom is a breeder) and i went down to help keep them in control. Like usual i had my Army on my shoulders and she was just chilling, sniffing about, and snuggling her cute hairless butt in my hair. The girl looking at the pups looks up to say hi to me and goes "Oh! How cute! I didn't realize there was something on your shoulder." I laugh and say its just my little Army and walk past to get a plastic bag. A few minutes later the girl asks "Uhm, what exactly is it? A mouse?" Granted Army is small for a rat but in no way is she mouse size. I give her a look and go "_She_ is a rat. She's my baby." The girl gives me this horrified look and goes "Oh i'm afraid of them." and cringes away. I'm all like ORLY? So first its cute, but when you realize its a rat it's frightening? SERIOUSLY.
> 
> /End rant.


I know exactly how that feels ahaha. I live in a college town and my house has somewhat become the common area for my group of friends. So whenever we used to throw parties, I had to watch who goes in and out of my room simply because I know if not introduced correctly, people would have been terrified of my rat. After I introduced him to all of the lady friends, he's become a hit. When the ladies would get a bit too much alcohol in them, they'd go into my room, find Bisue, and carry him out to introduce to the rest of the party. 

We have a running joke for the new girls that party at my house. It's a bit of a rite of passage. I'll have one of my friends Ariana or Sarah bring them into my room and distract them while I place Bisue in their bags/purse. After that, I'll ask them if they could lend me their phone so they look inside. Still hasn't gotten old yet. We usually record peoples reactions, if I could get a hold of the camera I'll try to upload it and show everyone.


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## RatfanaticLady29 (Mar 2, 2010)

I own reptiles, Pit Bulls, and rats. I guess I'm just asking for uneducated people to say "eeeewwwww!". lol
I've gotten used to the comments. Haven't heard any new ones for a LONG time. I just laugh it off and try to educate whenever possible.


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## toby (May 11, 2009)

unfortunately there will always be ignorant people. a vet once told me it would be cheaper buying a new rabbit than to operate on one i took to the vet so this attitude spreads across different animals. needless to say i never visited that vet again.


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

Lea said:


> "Fiblets" is cute. Anyone else have an alternative name to "rat"? Something that sounds as cute as gerbil or hamster? If you look up "rat" in a thesaurus, all the words are negative like "snitch", "betrayer", "vermin", etc.


I call mine my 'weets', it refers tot he noise they make, but people seem to think its pretty cute


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## Miz (Mar 17, 2010)

It annoys me how people think about rats this way. 

At least I know I've changed a handful of those people into ratty loving people, just because they met my lot. Saw that they were NOT filthy, dirty vermin, like they assumed they were..


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## pacific_crush88 (Mar 18, 2010)

Thats when you reply, "Nope I just like to walk around inside the vet with a box of rats". lol
The first time I went to the vet was with Satellite(rip) to see about the tumor she had. I got lucky the vet and vet tech were awesome with her and were letting her run around of them and baby talking her.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Little kids and a lot of adults who see romeo when he's out convert to rat lovers instantly. Once, I was outside blockbuster, and a guy walks by, and sees romeo, and asks what he is. I tell him he's a rat and the guy goes, "Whoa, he's so clean-aren't they all slimey and gross?" and I go, "No, they are very clean creatures who bathe multiple times a day and hate being wet or dirty." and after a few more similar questions he walks away and I hear him talking to his complanion about how cute they are and how he wants soe.


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## Gobbers (Mar 22, 2010)

Oh, I agree! A lot of my friends think the thought of a 'naked' rat is the grossest thing, until I finally showed them a picture of my little Tweek and a lot of them changed their minds c: 

The thing is, people see them as being dirty, despite the fact they're cleaning themselves all the time ontop of us giving them baths!


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## EdieBird (Apr 9, 2010)

I took my girls to the vet for their adoption checkup. Clean bill of health for both, BTW! And comments on their excellent temperments and how happy the vet was that I took them in without a big emergency, so they'd have baseline info to work from in case of an emergency. They were very good and gave the vet kisses too.

While we were waiting to be seen, a young lady came in, and must've just seen the sniffy noses and wiggling ears through the bars of the travel cage. She first thought they were guinea pigs, then gerbils. When I told her that Xena and Gabby were rats, she sort of got a weird look, and said she didn't think she'd be able to handle rats. I decided against a lecture, and just said, "Yeah, they're probably not for everyone, but I love my girls." 

As we were going into the exam room, she called out that the only pet rat she'd met before was really big and fat and scary and liked to bite, but mine were "So little and cute and sweet!" (which they are)

Elisa


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## sheathepanda (Feb 10, 2010)

I've definitely had my share of remarks about my rats, but never at the vet. WEll..maybe once. A vet tech was a bit weirded out I was taking my rat to the vet, but she kind of laughed it off.
Everyone at the vets office loved it when I brought my ratties in, especially the older ones. Since it was usually in the early morning I would bring them in, the older rats would usually still be half-asleep, and would just lay in everyone's arms, sleeping.
I don't see why people don't give rats a chance. They base all of their opinions about them on myths, and stereotypes. 
My niece even cringed for a second when I first told her about the rats, but the first time she ever met them, I sat her down in the floor, and let her hold one of the fuzzies. She's loved them ever since. She asked my brother if she could have two, but of course they just got grossed out.
My rats are the cleanest small animals i've ever had, so i don't see where this 'gross' business comes from. 
I've had people crowd around the door of my room, all trying to get a look at them when I bring them out, without getting too close. Then usually, one person will hold one, and all the girls in the room will squeal and run off. Silly, silly, silly.


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