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Original poster

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

123 replies

DoesntChristmasDragOn · 02/12/2006 13:35

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!"

OP posts:
LIZS · 05/12/2006 12:27

[vomit] while pmsl . What a vile thing to do to any baby, let alone a baby dragon who could have snacked on it !

poppynic · 05/12/2006 12:35

I would have thrown up (hopefully over rat putter-on-a) and then fainted - poor baby would have had to cope with rat on their own

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 05/12/2006 14:26

Have to say I still can't understand why anyone would just plonk a rat on a 10 month old baby whilst cooing over, er, either the rat or the baby - tbh I'm not sure which it was. I guess "oh, she likes it!" could have applied to either...

But I do think it's funny More funny now than when I saw its twitchy little whiskery nose sniffing my precious daughter.

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onzephyrstdayofchristmas · 05/12/2006 14:36

I would have been really p'd off!! And that's as the owner of 2 rats myself!!

My dd is 8 months old and I don't let the rats near her ... dd and ds handle them because they are older and understand to wash their hands etc after but I just don't like them being near dd2 while she's so little. I guess that's what would bother me - at home I know when they were last cleaned, how clean they are, if they're ill etc... in a farm it'd freak me out!!

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 05/12/2006 15:45

The PTA chair is going "to have a word with X" about not putting animals on children without asking.

The rat looked clean enough (ie the cage looked clean) so I don't have any reason to think it wasn't as clean as rats can be.

I don't think I would have been quite so taken aback had it been a kitten though! It is more the fact that "rat" is firmly entrenched as "vermin" in my mind. Especially if it's a boring browny grey colour.

OP posts:
lionheart · 05/12/2006 18:04

Which colour would you prefer though?

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 05/12/2006 19:50

Well, an older girl was holding a rather attractive cream and beige one. far more acceptable than the one BabyDragon got - hers was more of a rummaging-through-your-bin kind of rat.

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poppiesinalinewithtinsel · 05/12/2006 20:12

Regardless of how clean or not clean the rat might have been .. it was a rodent with teeth . I am impressed at how calm you remained DoesntChristmasDragOn.

I think baby poppies would have picked it up and slung it across the room (a favourite hobby of his at the moment)

poppiesinalinewithtinsel · 05/12/2006 20:12

Regardless of how clean or not clean the rat might have been .. it was a rodent with teeth . I am impressed at how calm you remained DoesntChristmasDragOn.

I think baby poppies would have picked it up and slung it across the room (a favourite hobby of his at the moment)

poppiesinalinewithtinsel · 05/12/2006 20:15

whoops sorry double clicked!

lionheart · 05/12/2006 20:41

So colour and class are also factors to consider. It's certainly a complex ethical dilemma.
That's why a simple, "Get that vermin off my darling baby," doesn't quite do it.
I can see that.

onzephyrstdayofchristmas · 05/12/2006 20:58

Agree that colour makes a difference!! Our two are beige and cream and black/white and are quite pretty! DP brought one home from a work collegue who didn't have time to look after it and it was plain brown like a street rat and I hated him!!

FLAMEinEckItsYuleAgain · 05/12/2006 21:07

Our plain white one was definately the least covetted over the beige and white/brown and white ones

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 05/12/2006 21:33

Oh I feel awful now that I've judged the poor thing on its apparant class. It was probably called Rooklyn or some other, ahem, non-Boden name. Snigger.

Poppies, I was calm because there was a large python abot 2 feet away and a large hairy tarantula not much further... it could have been so much worse!

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lionheart · 05/12/2006 23:22

I've just re-read your original post and I have to ask, what kind of a school has snakes, rats and spiders (sorry, large hairy loofahs) on display at the fete?
Shouldn't it be a cream tea and tombola kind of a vibe .... ?

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 06/12/2006 09:44

The more traditional fair type things were in the main halls/staffroom and corridor. The Mini Zoo was in a reception class

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lionheart · 06/12/2006 09:51

Makes sense, after all, that's where the tastiest and most vulnerable of the young are to be found.

FLAMEinEckItsYuleAgain · 06/12/2006 09:59

Might suggest mini zoo to school... DD'd love it

Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 06/12/2006 11:00

Don't put it next to the ucky Dip. Could be nasty

OP posts:
Original poster
DoesntChristmasDragOn · 06/12/2006 11:00

Lucky dip

OP posts:
FLAMEinEckItsYuleAgain · 06/12/2006 11:02

pmsl

lionheart · 06/12/2006 12:06

...

WeFrizyouamerrychristmas · 07/12/2006 19:30

...

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