Hello bhes! I just wanna update you that as of April 2014, we have applied to change our FB page 'Beauty on a Shoestring Budget' to 'Lady Rattus'. All my other blog sites about food, pet rats, beauty, and random stuff will be consolidated so you can find them all in one place.
This post is about my Rattus University Tour back in September to November 2011. I've previously published it in my other blog, but now it's here in Lady Rattus with some updates and revisions.
I've always been an advocate of rats deserving our love and care just like any other animals and pets. I have pushed for it whether or not people thought I was weird or just wasting my time/effort.
The Rattus University Tour was a campaign to raise awareness about rats -- that they don't deserve their fierce reputation and the only way to change people's mind was for them to see it themselves. I started off in school, then from there I also approached random people on the streets, outside malls and schools.
My most popular rat then was Reggie, the hooded rat, so I brought him very often. With a rat on my shoulder, educational handouts about pet rats, and a few minutes of talking to people... the campaign was a success because people were usually drawn in out of curiosity even if there were reactions of disgust and fear at first. They soon found out that rats won't bite them, and they even said it themselves that the rats were very sweet indeed.
Hmm... I usually just let the rats hide in my bag instead of a carrier so that nobody would notice I had one and I could easily take them inside malls. One time, I was a Recto and about to cross the street. A stranger thought I forgot to close my bag and tried to steal some things from me... I knew but just didn't react. Oh boy, if you could only see his terrified scream when Reggie suddenly grabbed his hands! Natawa tuloy ako kay kuya =)
This post is about my Rattus University Tour back in September to November 2011. I've previously published it in my other blog, but now it's here in Lady Rattus with some updates and revisions.
I've always been an advocate of rats deserving our love and care just like any other animals and pets. I have pushed for it whether or not people thought I was weird or just wasting my time/effort.
The Rattus University Tour was a campaign to raise awareness about rats -- that they don't deserve their fierce reputation and the only way to change people's mind was for them to see it themselves. I started off in school, then from there I also approached random people on the streets, outside malls and schools.
My most popular rat then was Reggie, the hooded rat, so I brought him very often. With a rat on my shoulder, educational handouts about pet rats, and a few minutes of talking to people... the campaign was a success because people were usually drawn in out of curiosity even if there were reactions of disgust and fear at first. They soon found out that rats won't bite them, and they even said it themselves that the rats were very sweet indeed.
Hmm... I usually just let the rats hide in my bag instead of a carrier so that nobody would notice I had one and I could easily take them inside malls. One time, I was a Recto and about to cross the street. A stranger thought I forgot to close my bag and tried to steal some things from me... I knew but just didn't react. Oh boy, if you could only see his terrified scream when Reggie suddenly grabbed his hands! Natawa tuloy ako kay kuya =)
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| Say hello to my traveling rats. |
So these were the commonly asked questions during my solo campaign...
Q: Ano yan kuya dagang kanal ba yan or dagang costa / dagang bahay?
A: The wild rats out on the streets, the white rats sold in pet shops, all other rats you see as pets... they all belong to the same family called Brown Rats (scientific name Rattus norvegicus). So technically, they're all the same.
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| Brown, Black, Husky... kahit anong kulay or marking pa yan, they all belong to the Brown Rat family. |
Q: May rabies ba yan? Leptospirosis?
A: Other animals are also susceptible to transmit diseases. Pet rats are 100% safe and free from disease since they are not exposed to contaminant sources such as sewers, fields, etc. Diseases don't just pop out of nowhere. Kung may internet naman it doesn't hurt to do a little research before passing judgement.
Q: Ano kinakain nila?
A: Rats are omnivorous, and the reason they are very widespread and a hardy species is because of their diet. BUT, studies say that they also follow the food pyramid similar to that of humans. It means... most of their diet, about 95% should be carbohydrates, while fats, proteins, and sweets should be offered minimally. Rats, like humans, also love junk food. Kung ano masarap satin, masarap din for them, but may not be healthy. Although they have a steadfast diet, there are a few things that you should NOT feed them:
- Carbonated drinks - they can't burp, and may cause pain in their stomach
- Raw legumes - contains nitrates
- Dried corn - contains nitrates, leads to liver cancer
- Insects - although it's part of their natural diet, best avoid since it may contain parasites
- Animal Fats - rats don't have gall bladders that can process fats
- Orange juice (and all citrus fruits) - contains D-limonene which can cause cancer in rats
- The list is extensive, but you can just search via Google Search
Basically, best you mix some pellets with dog biscuits, since they're formulated to contain vitamins and minerals. Avoid feeding them canned meat!
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| For those who don't have much time to create food mixes all the time, dog biscuits are a very cheap source of complete nutrition for your pet rats. |
Q: Nangangagat ba yan? Buti hindi ka kinakagat?
A: It's in the socialization process. Parang tao lang yan. The earlier you expose them to human presence, noise, touch, the more they would be adapted to us. I've handled wild rats from a very early age and they turned out to be very friendly as adults.
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| Thor the wild rat on his first birthday. |
Wild rats may bite only because they feel threatened. Believe me, I've also handled adult wild rats, but they bite less once they get used to the idea that they're in good hands. Give them a piece of food to bribe them. Because they never let go of food while they're eating, even when you're carrying them!
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| Rats also love to pose for the camera. |
Q: Bakit pet rat?
A: For one, big animals can be quite a maintenance. Smaller animals like rats are easier to transport, make less stinky waste, and consume less food than larger animals. They're very sweet and also know how to approach humans. In a sense, they have similar behavior with that of pet dogs and they're also very intelligent. A few years ago, I used to have a pet rat who would occasionally run up my shoulder, force open my mouth, and put some dog biscuits in it so I can eat. They're sweet diba? =)
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| Orange-colored rats are cute aren't they? =) |
CONCLUSION
The effort paid off, alot of people saw for themselves how sweet rats can be. They're especially most sought after by the kids in school. But even those who initially shown fear eventually gave in to the cute factor of pet rats. If you have any pet rat questions, please comment below. I would also appreciate if you'd help me spread the cuteness of pet rats. Let's debunk the media-sensationalized fear shall we? Thanks for reading! Here are the photos from our Rattus Tour back in 2011.
PS. Rats love taking selfies, in case you don't already know =)))
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| Meet my traveling rats. |
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| Here is Salome ransacking the CIHM Faculty Room. The room was empty all of a sudden... |
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| I bet Reggie's thinking about shredding a few sheets of paper in the PC shop. |
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| Reggie's very tired now so he took a nap during my break in school. |
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| Peek-a-boo! Told you, rats love to make selfies too =) |
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| Here at the UE Manila. |
My rat videos
Pardon for the poor video quality,
some of them were early videos dating back to 2010.
Will make better ones next time. =)
You can also check out my YouTube channel for more videos
www.youtube.com/rattuschoki
Ratzilla videos
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