# Ugh.. People need to do proper research before getting animals!



## LoveWithRats (Jun 27, 2016)

I was just watching some videos of rats and I clicked on this innocent looking 'My Pet Rodents' video, and the poor animal was alone, in a cage WAYYY to small for any animal! Even cockroaches! The wheel was unsuitable, no chews, no hideaways. Nothing. I wish people would just take five seconds and look up how to proper take care of animals they have. It ended up dying from cancer, disgustingly, because the person couldn't afford a proper send off. I'm not going to post a link, but if you are interested, search the video on youtube. Have you guys ever seen something so horrible with 'Impulse buys' ?


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## MissSix (Jul 8, 2014)

I see waaaay too much of this. 
There was a guy keeping a tarantula in a deli cup! No space for it to move, it's legs went to the edge of the cup, and it had tried to molt while in there. Thanks to the tender care of a rescuer, the T did recover from the bad molt and is thriving. 
I've seen lizards with metabolic bone disease because people couldn't be bothered to provide a UV lamp! 
It's really sad how some people just think they can pick any animal up from a pet store with no knowledge of their needs and it will all be fine.


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## Prince (Jun 17, 2016)

There's no excuse for improper rat care. I've had too many rats given to me because theyve become vicious after being kept alone in a tiny cage with no interaction.
I think what people don't understand is that rats, and other animals are living things. Locking a lone rat in a cage 24/7 is like putting a toddler in a jail cell with zero interaction other than tossing some bread and water in there. Some people just don't get it.
I do my best to educate people on pet care, but sometimes they just don't want to listen.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I think it is just that they do not care.

They just want a pet but none of the responsibility that comes with it. 

There is NO excuse what so ever. Even if you impulse buy a pet or get it somehow thrown into your lap, it takes almost no time to google around on a few sites or simply ask on a forum or group to get info. The info is not hiding, it is all over the place and easily available. 

I really wish people wouldn't view pets as just objects you can just run off and buy whenever you get a whim. They are living breathing animals. The deserve the best. If you can't or won't care for them properly, don't get them.


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Its a pity that many rat owners never see how great rats can be. You treat a rat like a hamster and it will act like a hamster.


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

A family member of my boyfriend's had 3 adult male guinea pigs in a cage so small, they could barely turn around and were always smashed up against each other due to lack of room. Two of them ended up killing the third... probably due to the insane lack of room. Then they both died from fecal impaction because they couldn't exercise their back legs and it weakened the muscles down there. 

They barely made it to 2 1/2 years old. Such a shame.


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## DamselChum (Jun 8, 2016)

I watched video. 

First the rodent depicted in the video was a male mouse, which are notorious for fighting to the death over territory, so it being alone may have been for the best. 

Second the mouse did NOT die of cancer. The narrator said that he had 2 female rats, rescued from a lab, while he was a minor living at home, that developed cancer. His parents wouldn't take it to the vet. After seeing the 1st rat die of the ruptured tumor the parents did pony up and have the 2nd euthanized. Not sure its fair to hold a minor responsible for the laxk of vet care there. The video description stated it was shot in the autumn and the mouse died in the following spring of natural causes. It was an adult in the video so it was probably well into its expected lifespan when it did pass.

As for the actual set up... It looks like that he had his mouse in one of the large size critter keepers. And assuming that is a 6 inch wheel it looks to be about 8 inches by 12x inches or so... Small yes, but just fine for a single male mouse according to many. As for the wheel - plenty of conflicting opinions about those.

Idk. The mouse itself seemed to be enjoying his scratches and attention. Clearly there is some bond there, that doesn't happen if you throw a rodent in a box and ignore it forever. 

My point being, that across the pet world there are going to be people who have different standards of care then your own. As long as it is clean, well fed, sheltered, and medically looked after, then I'm pretty relaxed about the rest. My bf keeps his dog outside on a chain. Mine are house dogs. But at the end of the day his dog is well loved, well cared for, and has a much much better life than many dogs on this planet. I would say the same about the mouse in that video. Beats being food, being subjected for experimentation, or being totally neglected.


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