# Enough already!!



## AnnFallon (Mar 27, 2015)

You people are being downright cruel. Whether it be on here or on the Facebook page, no one should be torn down for caring for their babies! You can't know the entire situation, and even if you do, you shouldn't be judging, because it's not your place! So tired of all the hate that's going on!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

How about you judging us as cruel? I can't decide if this is a joke. 

I don't know the situation but I always remind people coming here and getting butthurt that I'm here for the rats, not the people. I care for their well being, not the humans woes. The only excuse for say, a lone rat, is aggression and otherwise it is cruel and there is a plethora of scientific literature supporting that. My job is to be frank and try to prevent that cruelty, even if I come off "cruel". 

To my knowledge, RatForum's Facebook is not an active place so you may be mixing us up.


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## Tedology (Mar 3, 2015)

AnnFallon said:


> You people are being downright cruel. Whether it be on here or on the Facebook page, no one should be torn down for caring for their babies! You can't know the entire situation, and even if you do, you shouldn't be judging, because it's not your place! So tired of all the hate that's going on!


I think when it comes to pet custodianship, people are likely to get quite passionate about what they feel is the right/wrong thing of being "responsible" and "caring". Not giving them an excuse, but perhaps a view into their reasoning. 

To give an example --- I was going to just get ONE rat initially. Well, that went over like a ton of bricks.  I did do some research and found that rats are social. I also gave it more thought and realized that I couldn't be a constant companion. I decided to go with two.

Not because it was voiced to me on here...but because I did some research and soul-searching. I wasn't about to let a group of strangers dictate how I was going to be a rat owner. I did take their opinions into consideration...but that's about it.

As brought up in the other thread... some rats are better off alone; most need companions. Each is a case-by-case situation.

I think people should read these threads with a grain of salt. I would advise people do some research (as non-biased as possible) and then make a decision what works best for THEM and for THEIR RATS.

That being said, I'm not going to support the cessation of people giving their feedback... some just do it a bit more tactfully than others. 

We all have a common interest - rats. We can focus on that.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I have no idea what situation you're talking about (I'm on 2 FB rat groups and know of nothing going down recently), but I understand where you're coming from. All internet communities attract the most extremely interested members of those communities... That is to say, someone that is enough into rats to post on a FB group about them and on a forum about them, is more likely to be extremely passionate about rats and hence, have more "passionate" reactions and ways of expressing their views. 

It is a great thing that you're seeking advice online, but please do your own research too and don't let the haters get you down too much. There are a lot of people out there that do want to give good advice... sometimes they come off as "rude" and I agree that there are those that are very judgmental at times, but mostly, people do want to help. 

All that said, if you're hearing the same advice from multiple people, it might be worth researching on your own to see if what they are saying has some foundation. You shouldn't take everyone's word as gospel truth, but it is more likely to be accurate if you're hearing it from multiple people.

Considering all this... There are some people that are rude and others come off as so online, so if you're finding that happening to you, ignore the tone and search through the pile for the good advice. I am sure there is some of it there.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I do not agree with the thread that was made previously either - but making another thread to slam RatForum members and pin us as cruel does not reflect very nicely on yourself, either. The actions of a few don't speak for all of us. If you stick around I'm sure you'll find we're a great community with a lot of info to share. Some get a little overzealous in their blind passion, but I do what I can to keep everyone in check.


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