What's the ettiquette when someone puts a rat on your baby daughter?

[DoesntChristmasDragOn]

Just wondering because I urned my back for 5 seconds to see what DSs were up to in the Mini Zoo at their school fete, turned back and one of the women running the zoo had put a rat on BabyDragon in her pushchair.

It wasn't even an attractive rat but a grey/brown one which you wouldn't be surprised to see rummaging about in your bin.

I kind of smiled indulgently as BabyDragon squeezed it in her pudgy little hands but inside was screaming "get that filthy vermin off my daughter!"

I say I would have hit her as someone who is completely non violent - but this situation would have kicked into my primal urge to protect my young!

euwwwwwww

You should have put a cat on her to catch the rat

And then a dog to catch the cat

I think it's more like an almost imperceptble constant pissy dribble thing they do (according to the rat man I watched on t.v ...) as much a marking of territory as anything

Hope you dunked her in the bath afterwards (I'd have been tempted to smack ratwoman, myself).

something similar happened to us at the vet.

a woman came in with a little basket thing and I said to the DSs "I wonder what's in there...." thinking it might be a hampster or something and the woman just got it out and shoved it in their faces

yeuch......

gross Twig

Twig is NOT gross

Marmite is lovely

It wasn't even an attractive rat

just checked my "etiquette for parents" book and under "putting a rat on your baby daughter" it reads "cut out their liver with a teaspoon"

I thought it was kidney removal for rats... livers is normally left for tarantulas....

livers??? "the liver"

ong flame you're correct I was reading the wrong line!!!

No, for a tarantula you simply run screaming from the room leaving your baby behind you,

oh you're back - been bathing BabyDragon?

as an aside did you know that if you scream at a spider it generally stops dead in it's tracks? Found out from experince

Absolutely. Bathed, scrubbed and definitely not clinging to my leg at this verymoment still dressed inteh same clothes as earlier today. Nonononono sireee.

Still, if it's a territorial thing you could just skip the purification rituals.
That way, BabyDragon (and your leg) will act as markers warning other rats to keep away ....
I'm thinking about the Pied Piper scenario ....

I shall march round our boundaries, rubbing her on things.

That's the spirit!

i would have gone mental and been so horrified that i wouldn't have had presence of mind to worry about a scene! I would have screamed at her to get that filthy vermin off my baby (but my DS is a precious first born). I cannot believe that someone thinks that is acceptable!

Aren't you supposed to pee on her yourself, ChristmasDragon, so that she's reclaimed as a family member?

Only if I wanted to reclaim her...

My reaction would have been rather differnet had it been my PFB. I wouldn't have let 30 reception aged children prod him and breathe on him let alone allow a rat to piss on him...

And she has, of course, peed on herself several times since the rat did. Being only 10 months old and everything.

I'm not scared of rats,but I'd be furious & would have said something in a hopefully,calm voice.They should have asked for permission first.What if your dd had an allergy to rats?

However,you have just reminded me that dd1 was stroking a dead pheasant earlier & then ate her tea without washing her hands.

Dead pheasant! Snort!