# Modern Marvels- Rats



## windyhill (Apr 19, 2008)

Modern Marvels- Rats
History Channel
Wednesday, April 30: 8 pm Eastern
Thursday, May 1: 12 am Eastern

"Feared by millions worldwide, rats are some of the most dangerous, destructive and useful animals on Earth. Ride along with a Terminix exterminator to get face to face with the creepy creature in a near rat infestation and see the great lengths we take to get rid of the pesky pest. Tour the Hacco Inc. rodenticide plant to see how tasty poisons are concocted. At the Taconic rat breeding facility, we'll see how hundreds of thousands of rats are bred and raised in high-tech and controlled environments. Watch rodents compete in the Xtreme Rat Challenge at the annual American Fancy Rat show. We'll trace their history and role as a vector of deadly diseases, but also explore how they have saved countless lives as lab rats. Scientists will show us how a remote controlled rat could be your savior in the near future."

http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=281393

Is anyone else going to watch it?


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## RoRo (Mar 10, 2008)

:oints to cabel box and no TV:: I wish


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## meru (Apr 17, 2008)

Thats ridiculous (the explanation thingy for the show). I may watch it, depends what I have going on.


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

I want to watch but it seems kind of disturbing (all the poisons and such). Oh well, it's always better to be informed! I do want to see the rat show part.


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up , I'll be sure to watch it, maybe even try to buy the dvd of it! 

I know as rat pet lovers it may be hard to think about rats being pests, but you have to remember wild rats are absolutely horrible. I mean, it's not _them_ that's horrible - they're just being animals - but their impact on human life. 

Anyway, I read this book:










recently and was enthralled by it. Read it and you will have a new appreciation, and I mean appreciation, for the Norway Rat. They are absolutely amazing animals. It just so happens that humans and rats are kind of in competition, and at the end of it, the rats will probably win.

Interesting thing I learned about poisons from that book. They will only work for one generation of rats, so new poisons have to be constantly developed. The only real way to get rid of rats is to improve sanitation. Keep garbage sealed away, clean up after ourselves, etc... If we don't give them food, they'll leave in search of it somewhere else. But it's hard to get people to clean up after themselves.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

YAY!! I love anything informative and about animals! I don't like the bad sounding stuff about extr. and poison though...


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## windyhill (Apr 19, 2008)

I must admit the exterminator part sounds horrrible,but then I remember that its WILD rats and not pet ratsd. Wild rats are pest, thats how I have to keep telling myself. I want to watch the show part too


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

Yeah, I'll record it and watch it with my husband. The pest part, well, that's something that I've dealt with myself. And they are only very DISTANT relatives of our rats - different species! So that's no too bad.

But I've seen the remote-controlled rat before on something about how the brain works and connectin brains to computers so we can accomplish more with just our minds instead of brawn... It was quite eery - WARNING - YOU WON'T LIKE THAT PART! You see a fancy male rat, VERY obese, who's brain is litterally wired to a control box strapped on his back, and there's a remote control that is making his brain send signals to his body to turn left or right, go forwards, etc.! Just think, they're really able to do that with anything now, since they've also done that with a chimp (hooked it up so it could control the mechanical workings of a robotic arm with just it's thoughts, but it's the same wiring as the remote-control rat). If it's the same guy and the same footage, I don't think any pet rat owner will be able to not cringe at this. It's HORRIBLE how they've neglected the poor boy's health and mental well-being - and it's not a "white lab rat", it's a fancy black and white! I think it might have been a dumbo, if I'm remembering it right.... Now I'm sad. I have to go let my 16 day old rescue rittens cheer me up...

I'll still watch it, just not look when that part comes up, likely. Stupid science shows, just thinking about what HUMANS want...


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

The typical city rat is the Norway Rat, which is the exact same species of our pet rats. The black rat or tree rat is nowhere near as prevalent in North America, mostly living on the west coast, and isn't kept as pets.

It might be impossible to believe but your cuddly cute rattos, if turned loose to breed in the wild, would produce completely wild babies indistinguishable (in behavior) from a city pest. They would most likely lose their cosmetic distinguishing features within the next generation.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

there's also a cool thing about vitamin k and the rat poison warfarin with rat genetics. rats that are homozygous recessive for warfarin susceptibility will die from the poison. rats that are homozygous dominant for warfarin susceptibility will not die from poison, but from vitamin k poisoning that results from their metabolism of the poison. thus only the rats that are heterozygous will survive warfarin poisoning, about 1 in 4.


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## kouryou90 (Apr 18, 2008)

I'm watching it fo sho. if I can remember


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## phineas_r (Apr 20, 2008)

Hey team. My ability to get cable TV is impaired right now. Are there any ways (questionable or legitimate) to find this episode on the internet?


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

quite possible - don't really know. Check on THursday on Youtube, etc... OR ask someone you know who has cable to record it for you so you can watch it. If I had something to record WITH I would for you...  But I don't.


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

Sorry, I don't have a DVR or a TV tuner card in my computer, or I'd be happy to do it for you.


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## sonoma (May 26, 2007)

Okay, so I just watched the show and actually it was better than I thought it would be. Not *too* gory- the poison factory part I could have lived without, the lab rats stuffed into teensy little boxes were sort of depressing, and Iâ€™m not quite sure _what_ to make of the remote controlled rat. But then again, how often do you get to see a rat show on tv?! 

Plus, since I monopolized our only tv tonight, my two baby brothers (16 and 18 ) watched the show also and were impressed by it. The elder even picked Lana up and held her for a moment. 

Anybody else watch it?


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

my boyfriend did and texted me - "HA i knew that if their heads would fit, their bodies would! the tv doesn't lie" and my response was, "they have obviously never met picasso." anyone else believe that that is true? hamsters, maybe, but i have seen many a rat get stuck half-way.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I don't think it is, I can make a hole big enough for Zinc's head with my fingers but just too small for her shoulders.


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## bmwing01 (Dec 7, 2007)

ok so i caught the last half of it .. and the remote controlled rat realllly upset me - i felt kind of ill. I realize that animals can help people and all but it was so upsetting so see this poor ratty with stuff sticking out of his/her head. and the moment they're hook her up she'd just lay there limp until they pushed buttons .. it was too much.. i had to go cuddle my boys after that ..


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I didn't see it... but the remote controlled rat sounds awful. I am so glad my rat is one that isn't being used for experiments! That's one life saved. Every pet rat is - saved from both use in a lab and use as a feeder. Because rats were originally bred for snake food and labs.


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## Markw (Apr 18, 2008)

I watched it...The remote control rat was terrible!! I was so heated...but the half hour on pet rats and rat shows was cool, I really enjoyed watchihng it.


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

Yeah, I've seen the remote control rat before, and it is kinda aweful. BUT, they are working on doing it for HUMANS NOW!!! heh - it's to make us be able to do things we couldn't before by just thinking the use of a robotic arm to lift something, or do whatever with what we're hooked up to. (it's our brains controling the object, not the person operating the remote controlling us). They've done it with chimps already, and it doesn't really hurt them once the chip is in place on the brain/brainstem (surgery...). I hated watching that in the other show that used that, but.... I don't think the rat really minds too much, since even before the backpack remote sensor is placed on him the rat doesn't fight. Anyone, though, can get used to any form of treatment to the point where we adapt and don't fight, but... 

I've read somewhere that at least THAT scientist treats his rats very decently - decent cage, toys, sleeping stuff and all, though very little excercize other than a wheel. (the show I saw showed an extremely overweight rat!!!) So at least they are compfy in their homes, and have friends, even if they do have wires sticking out of their heads... 

*checks back of skull* Nope. They havn't gotten to me yet! I'm wire-free! (sorry, had to jump in with the stupid humor.... :mrgreen: )


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm watching it now...it's hilarious the way they talk about them! "A near infesTATion of RATS is LIVING in his BASEMENT." Like he's talking about serial killers or something. I just keep thinking about how cute they are.


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## windyhill (Apr 19, 2008)

dang it, I missed it! I feel so sily, I even had it marked on tv,but I fell alseep


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

I was unfortunately at the ER with Tony, and the power must have blipped so the recording didn't happen and our clocks were all blinky when we got home...

BUT!!! It's on again tomorrow - not sure what time, but it's replaying!  I'll be watching for sure!


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

Regarding the remote control rat: The purpose of the experiment is to use this technology to save people stuck in rubble, or search for bombs where a dog and handler can't go. I have no problem with that whatsoever. 

And - there are no pain nerves in the brain. Many brain surgeries on humans have the patient be conscious, or semi-conscious, so aside from the initial cut healing - which was done under anesthesia - the rat's in no discomfort. AND - the rat is being stimulated in the pleasure center of the brain, so every time he makes a right or left turn, in his mind, he's simply getting a reward.


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

Quite ture, Angry_J. He ISN"T suffering, but the poor thing has so little motivation to take proper care of himself, and the silly scientists/OWNERS(!!!) don't bother to feed him properly so he won't gain weight! He's likely on a higher protein diet, with the exta weight on him... poor thing... At least he's happy being someone's toy - and it's good that we're finding a better way to search for lost people in rubble/collapses - rats can get almost anywhere!


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

I didn't care for that show. They showed about 10min of "pet" rats, then everything else was about wild rats and how to kill them, or lab rats. What a waste of my tv time.

Ignorance. And silly me thought the History channel, of all places, would have been more versatile about their information. tsk tsk.


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

If you didn't like it, that's cool and I respect your opinion. 

But, from my standpoint, learning about wild rats, lab rats, and how rats are killed - from a behavioral standpoint - gives me more insight and enjoyment out of my own pets because I understand them that much more.

I think there are a lot of rat owners out there who think "_Rats... I LOVE rats, my pets are awesome..."_ and never think of how different and destructive wild rats are / can be. 

IMO, that's no different from the rat-haters who think _"Rats... I hate rats, they bite babies and spread disease, and ruin houses, etc..."_ and never think about how loving and intelligent they can be.

One has to take the good with the bad, and vice-versa.


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

ditto - tho maybe a LITTLE more balance with the pet rat would have been better, but I don't know how much information they had as a whole to start with and how much they had to cut to make it the 45 minutes or whatever for the show (w/ 15 minutes of commercials, introduction, and credits). They did a pretty good job, IF you are interested in learning about all aspects of the animal.


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

My point was, they were fixated on certain subjects. I know how to kill rats, I know how dangerous wild rats can be and I know how lab rats are used and mostly what they do. Everything I saw I already knew. My point of saying that the History channel should have been more versatile is because I'm sick to death of one sided information on these kind of subjects.


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

What was one sided? What else would you have liked to see?


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## Phoenix (Jan 29, 2008)

I thought the show was very well rounded. It covered all aspects of the rat, including the menace, scientific and pet aspects. Let's face it, this show aired on the History channel. The history of the rat is not soley as a pet. I could see being upset about the content if it was aired on Animal Planet (who seem to focus more on pet shows) but not the History Channel.


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