Who Cares About Mice and Rats?

[Wabbajack_]

http://current.com/items/89827071/who_cares_about_mice_and_rats.htm

Research is necessary but...food for thought.

[ZombieHorde]

1. I care about mice and rats.

I felt very guilty after I killed a mouse with a hammer last year. I grew up watching extremely violent movies; in the summer time I would watch them while I ate my breakfast. I watched movies way more graphic than the Saw movies. But watching that mouse suffer and die by my hand was disturbing.

[panader0]

3. Last year at band practice in my shed, a small rattler came to the door.

I hit it with a hammer. Bam! Right in my eye. I was stoned and sure that I would go blind for my karma. I ran in the house and rinsed my eye with water for quite a while. My eyesight is getting worse, but that may be from interfering with myself.

[yawnmaster]

5. do you think the violent movies that you watched...

are what caused you to kill the mouse so violently with a hammer?
How long did it suffer???

[ZombieHorde]

9. No. I had a mouse in my apartment. I bought some humane traps

and set them out with bait, such as cereal, peanut butter, and crackers. The mouse never seemed to go for the bait. I told my landlords and they gave me a snap trap, the typical kind. I heard the mouse behind my bookshelf, so I set the trap on one side, without bait, and ruffled some paper on the other side. The mouse ran into the trap, the bar snapped across its back. The mouse twitched and made disturbing noises, so I grabbed my hammer and smashed the mouse outside about two or three times on the head. The mouse suffered for about 60 to 90 seconds. I did not expect to be disturbed by the killing.

[LisaL]

12. Exterminator put small plastic black boxes

in my apartment. I have no idea what was inside, and I never saw any mice bodies or anything.
It appeared to help with mice because I didn't see them running around no more.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. I care about rats and mice. I also care about humans and science.

Which is why I support animal research.

[damntexdem]

4. I care about humans and science a lot more than about rodents.

Animal research is absolutely essential to human well-being.

[Starry Messenger]

6. I've had both as pets.

I support necessary research, but don't think they should be treated like they are disposable cameras. I don't like to see them hurt or maimed so I don't know if I want to watch that.

My pets had medical treatment that was a success because of vet training on rats and mice.

[LisaL]

7. Yea, I care so much, when I had mice in my apartment I called an

exterminator to have them all exterminated.
Yep.

[flvegan]

8. Man, this could have been EPIC in the flamewar category.

Shucks.

[joeybee12]

10. For those of you saying animal research is necessary, think of the dogs...

...kidnapped from their backyards and sold to labs, and the labs pay because they don't give a fuck where the dogs come from. Tell me about humane animal research again.

[LisaL]

11. That's an allegation, with no specifics given. Who exactly does that?

:eyes:

[flvegan]

16. They're called bunchers who sell to Class B licenseholders.

It's not an allegation. :eyes:

[LisaL]

18. Stealing someone's dog for a backyard is a crime.

[flvegan]

19. Yes it is, and it happens.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

26. That doesn't stop bunchers from doing it

[joeybee12]

21. 60 Minutes did a segment on it a few years back...the labs just take the dogs, no questions asked...

...you should have seen the reaction from the people at the labs...it wasn't their concern where the dogs came from.

[flvegan]

23. Have you seen what some of those labs do to the animals?

There are some heartless ghouls in that industry.

[joeybee12]

25. I agree...if there's gonna be animal research, it needs to be as humane as possible...

...and that is not the case here...seems like the people who go into this field hate animals.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. I don't think you can work in an animal research lab and give a shit about animals

Quite frankly, I think you have to be a sociopath to do that job.

[joeybee12]

30. Yeah, to be able to work among animals that are locked up for the rest of their lives...

...if not a sociopath, at least we're dealing with people with no hearts.

[Zywiec]

14. That's nice that the Labs bought the kidnapped dogs

They are my favorite breed.

[LibertyLover]

13. I do - at least about rats

I have 5 rats - Boaine, Meket, Aset, Nefret and Meret. They are wonderful pets. Boaine and Aset are smaller and younger that Meket, Meret and Nefret and like to ride on my head. Mice are ok too, but I really prefer rats.

[Lost in CT]

15. I'm tired of cleaning up the dead rats and chipmunks on my steps...

I have talked to my exterminators about it but all they say is Meow.

[LisaL]

17. Cats generally won't be able to take on rats.

Mice is a different story, but I think rats are too much for the cat to take on.

[Lost in CT]

20. Well truth be told we don't have any proper rats here

just field mice, squirrels and chipmunks.

Plus your usual assortment of rare songbirds.

My big boy though did manage to grab the wing of a very perturbed and angry hawk once. (needless to say lucky I was home to break up that fight,)

[foxfeet]

22. Mine does. But he's well over 20 lbs.

H's earned the name "Earl Ratdoom."

[LisaL]

24. I think even a mice would scare mine.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

28. Cats can handle rats

They just don't fuck around like they do with smaller rodents. They just jump in and break their neck immediately.

[Control-Z]

33. You are so wrong.

I have a cat who killed a rat just last week. He left it on the living room floor, and was proud as hell. With the rainy weather we've been having here, there are a few (rats) that have moved into my condo building. I hope he keeps them out of my unit (just the smell of a cat can scare them off) but if they come in I hope he kills every one of them dead. They are vulgar, digusting, and scare the crap out of me.

edit to clarify: these are roof rats I'm talking about

[LisaL]

35. I've never had a cat that could take on a rat.

When I was a child we had a cat, and a big rat would climb into the apartment (there was a hole in the wall). Cat did nothing to that rat. I was scared of that rat. It was huge. That cat was a good hunter, she would kill mice. But not that rat.

[Vattel]

29. I care

The link included the false claim that the Animal Welfare Act does not apply to mice or rats. Many of its provisions do. As for several posts in this thread: a huge amount of animal research is not necessary for human well-being. Money is the primary aim of most animal research, not human well-being.

[Control-Z]

31. Nope.

I don't. After you've had them (roof rats) crawling through your house, pissing on the furniture and in your baby's crib, chewing threw not just food boxes but heavy duty rubber maid storage boxes and the irreplaceable contents inside, after you find rat droppings in your kids beds and on your food, after your electrical has been chewed through behind the walls, and telephone lines, and water lines are all damaged. No. I don't care in the least bit about them. They are dirty, disgusting, disease ridden rodents, and the bane of my serenity and existence in the wooded area where I live.

And when you own a condo you're at the mercy of your neighbors, and your homeowner's association. Rats don't "pick out" one unit to inhabit. They take over the entire building and multiply at an amazing rate, and it takes the cooperation of your neighbors and association to get rid of them.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

32. Did you try cats?

[Control-Z]

34. Yes, actually I have a cat now.

It's been about five years since rats had been in my building (I'm still not over the nightmares of dealing with rats, for over a year, while the homeowner's association wouldn't bring an exterminator in for the entire building. I had to call the city, code enforcement, to finally get results) But the rats are coming back this year because of the recent rains. And, yes, my cat killed one last week and left it on the living room floor for us. He was so proud. I couldn't figure out why he was meowing up a storm. It wasn't the hungry, or lonely or social meow. Then my son found the dead rat.

It is still a nightmare for me. I'm so scared and grossed out by them, even with my trusty kitty here. Coincidental and freaky - I could hear a rat chewing behind the walls just now while I was posting in this thread. :scared: