to be pissed off when people say ewwwww..........(Note from MNHQ: this is NOT a trigger warning, but just gently letting you know that this thread contains pics of pet rats)

[starshaker]

Whenever I say I keep rats. Yesterday for example i was in PAH and had my heartstrings pulled by the little girl in the picture i asked the guy if I could see her out and hold her. A girl walked past and said ewwwww she's holding a rat, thats disgusting.
Its the face they make too. They are the best pets but of course its ok if people don't like them but why feel the need to tell me their disgusting etc

[WorraLiberty]

Why not if that's how they feel?

It's not likely to give the rat a personal complex

I like rats but I get that others find them 'ewww'.

Not a problem for me.

[WorraLiberty]

Oh and when you said your heartstrings were pulled by 'the little girl in the picture'

I was slightly confused at the little girl's beard.

Then I realised you were talking about the rat

[LiquoriceAllsorts86]

Probably because a rat would be the last thing people would want in their homes.

[UmbongoUnchained]

But weird to be offended.

My friend thinks my pet snake is ewwwww.
I think her pet dog is ewwwww.

[NannawifeofBaldr]

Well, I quite like rats, they are very intelligent and can be trained.

However, they have very poor PR. And with good reason.

Wild rats are dangerous and do carry diseases.

Socially and historically dislike of them is deeply ingrained and well founded.

So while I think that the girl was lacking in manners her instinctive response wasn't really unreasonable.

[starshaker]

The guy in the beard looks after my heart oh and he ended up having Nell to add to his collection lol. I just feel that you wouldn't say it about somebody cat or dog so why do it about a rat?

[TheHiphopopotamus]

I was slightly confused at the little girl's beard



Sorry but YABU for all the reasons nanna listed. If you like them, good stuff but don't expect everyone else to feel the same.

[WorraLiberty]

Why say it about a rat?

I think NannaWife explains it well.

As an aside, shall we take bets on how long until HQ has to come along and put a warning in the thread title, that there's a photo of a rat in the OP?

[StarkyTheDirewolf]

I love rats, but I don't like their tails. I don't know why, I can't explain it. I used to keep rats and they were ace (Banjo, Mole and Trigger) but the tails just made me shudder.

[starshaker]

Its not that i expect people to like them. Just have some manners about it. If i saw an ugly child I would feel the need to tell the parent. If I saw somebody with a pet spider i wouldn't feel the need to say its disgusting or whatever

[BanningTheWordNaice]

I don't often laugh out loud at threads but the confusion over the "little girl" in the thread having a beard had me properly choking laughing on the overground.

[Oysterbabe]

I like rats. I used to have one called Tulip but she died of cancer.

[starshaker]

oh and wild rats do carry disease and are dangerous but I don't have wild rats. Thats like comparing dogs and wolfs.

[WorraLiberty]

If i saw an ugly child I would feel the need to tell the parent.

Oh, are we not supposed to tell them?

Perhaps this is why I was never popular at the school gate...

[NannawifeofBaldr]

star I agree that the girl didn't gave good manners but it really, really not comparable with telling someone their baby is ugly.

Really not.

[KoalaDownUnder]

YANBU.

It's a bit mean to say that in front of someone, about their pet.

[starshaker]

why not Nanna?

[January87]

I got that a lot when I had my pet rat Ben. He was so cute and had a tshirt and hat that he used to wear. Anyways, people were disgusted, I had one friend refuse to visit my home.

He was the best pet, we were heartbroken when he died, we actually decided not to get another because I couldn't face that heart break again.

[OddBoots]

Many dogs and the rear view of many cats make me feel 'ewww' but I keep that feeling to myself when I see them, adults should be able to keep their reactions to themselves when out and about but in the OP it looks like it was a child reacting, they have less control.

[starshaker]

They are the best pets ever. I have 2 dogs too and I can see me not having more dogs but can't imagine my life without rats.

[NannawifeofBaldr]

Given that question Star I'm really hoping you don't have children.

Come on, you know it's not the same.

[starshaker]

No it wasn't a child. she was maybe late teens early twenties

[starshaker]

I have 3 children. Lets say baby then rather than child. The baby is hardly going to be offended or have a complex.