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MarkHirsbrunner t1_iubra73 wrote

Reply to comment by Isotope_Soap in B.C. permanently bans use of rat poison by pirate_republic

They have many traits that make them not as effective at living in the wild and I know of no instances of fancy rats forming a breeding population in the wild. They are much weaker and not poison resistant. They don't know how to fight effectively, they retain juvenile traits into adulthood and slap, not bite. Most have coloration that makes them vulnerable to predators and some will actually approach predators.

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Isotope_Soap t1_iubwz3c wrote

A lot of those traits would easily disappear within a generation being feral. Big difference between the upbringing of a hand raised rat it’s wild-born counterpart. Ever been on a farm and thought “Oh! Look at the cute little barn kitten” only to be hissed at wildly? You’re not gonna get anywhere near that cute lil fuzz-ball without a good blood-letting. That cute little kitty was a descendant of a common domesticated house cat.

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MarkHirsbrunner t1_iubze8y wrote

It would take more than one generation for the physical and behavioral differences to go away. Dogs born in the wild still lack there instinctual fear of humans that wolves have. You have a rather Lamarckian idea of how animals going feral works.

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Isotope_Soap t1_iuc3y4y wrote

Dogs have evolved over many millennia, adapting to human interaction and being bred for purpose. Whereas the “domesticated rat” has been more or less a fad of the last three or four decades at most.

Keep rats if you want. That’s your prerogative. If I see one in my garden, I don’t care how “fancy” it might be, it’ll be squared up in the pellet gun sights. We can agree to disagree. You see rats as cute and cuddly, I see them as invasive, a vector for disease, and only valuable in lab research environments.

I get a bit of a giggle when people compare rats to dogs. Dogs can actually be useful outside the laboratory.

“But but but, this is my emotional support rat!” :(

This post reminds me of an “artist” in the mid/late eighties in Vancouver who got all kinds of media attention when he stated that he was going to make art by splattering a rat on a canvas in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Sadly, it never came to be. Was just some activist trolling for attention. Was trying to make a statement about the ethical treatment of rats.

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MarkHirsbrunner t1_iuc4y6o wrote

Dogs take almost a year to reach an age where they can breed. Rats take six weeks. Fancy rats have been bred for about 150 years. That's thousands of generations.

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Isotope_Soap t1_iuc5pyt wrote

Are you insinuating that a fancy rat is as distinct from a feral rat as a Chihuahua is from a wolf? It’s that rapid breeding cycle that makes them an environmental threat.

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Wigu90 t1_iuc9rkq wrote

Ugh, are you an old person?

You sound like an old person.

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Isotope_Soap t1_iucalsv wrote

Is that really your best jab or just youthful laziness?

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Wigu90 t1_iucdog0 wrote

I mean, you’re offhandedly ridiculing the idea of mental self-care while threatening imaginary runaway pet rats in your back yard with a BB gun.

No need for jabs. No point in arguing. All we lazy youths have to do is wait.

And as we part ways, just as a mental exercise, try to image what would happen if people with your "dogs are fine because millennia" mindset would be in charge when dogs were first domesticated. And also, please, try reading up on what an ecosystem is before you attempt to classify animal species along the lines of "good and useful because hunting and K9 squad and sheep and human friend" and "bad because disease and probably not but maybe bubonic plague and sewer". There are other things to read that Classic Car Engine Noises Monthly, you know.

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Isotope_Soap t1_iucfftu wrote

Hahaha! You’re cute sweetie! Do you have a preferred pronoun? I’d hate to offend. But I digress, the idea of an emotional support rat makes me giggle.

Tagged more than 1 rat in the bird feeder, and until tonight, I had no idea the brown/white one could have been possibly considered fancy or domesticated. A rat is a rat in my books. All worthy of a pellet.

Struggling somewhat to decipher your last paragraph. I’ll assume English isn’t your native tongue but admire your attempt to convey thoughts in a foreign language. Are you trying to say that rats are a part of the natural ecosystem here in BC?

You like those cute Grey Squirrels? Schedule C in the BC Wildlife Act. Can be captured or killed anywhere, at anytime as they are considered invasive and harmful to the ecosystem. Go figure, I might know a think or two about my local ecosystem!

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Wigu90 t1_iud1arb wrote

>You like those cute Grey Squirrels? Schedule C in the BC Wildlife Act. Can be captured or killed anywhere, at anytime as they are considered invasive and harmful to the ecosystem. Go figure, I might know a think or two about my local ecosystem!

Oh, hey, I'm genuinely glad to hear that you're doing something productive. And if rats come to you bird feeder, fair game. It's just that what you said about dogs being "useful in general" and rats being "only useful in labs" sounded really dumb. But, as always, context is good. So let me retract what I said about ecosystems. You have my full support in that regard. I'm not one to try and "win" when arguing with someone -- mutual understanding is my jam.

As to rats, I don't particularly like them. I never had one as a pet and I don't intend to. That said, I've got nothing against them either. My point is, rats are not outdoor pets. No sane person will let their pet rat go outside and just roam around the neighborhood -- with cats around, a pet rat would get killed four times over before it reached your birdhouse. It'll get lost. It'll run away. If someone lets their pet rat out of the house, they're the one responsible for the rat's inevitable death. So yeah, your visions of slaughtering "support rats" (if such a thing even exists -- I'll take your word for it) sound like weird fantasies that you air on the internet for some reason.

And lastly, when it comes to your pronoun jokes, I'm very typical in that regard. Straight cis male, very hard to offend, whether intentionally or unintentionally. And I'm not even that young, although probably younger than you. I just prefer the way young people think to how old people think. And I believe that their openness to vulnerability and willingess to help themselves emotionally is much healthier than the approach you're presenting here. If someone needs a "support rat", hell, I'm all for them having a support rat. Nothing wrong with that. And you can keep on giggling -- expect giggling in return.

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MarkHirsbrunner t1_iue4jvq wrote

I'm 50, it's not age making that guy a weirdo, he's just been so brainwashed he lumps all things he scorns together - non-binary people, emotional support animals, rats, young people

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AitchyB t1_iucm28m wrote

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen video of a dumpster over-run with black and white fancy rats.

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