About rats...

[Charlet_2007]

Ok i joined this rat forum to get more info on genetics and what not.. well as soon as they figuered out I bread rats for food they banned me.. I told them I didn't know what the big deal was that they didn't even give me a chance.. I also breed them at times for pets for people but then that told me off on if they were pedigreed or not.. I told them they wasn't pedigreed and that I wasn't over populating the world eather but they wont even listen.. why are they like that? Don't they know they can't save all the rats in the world?

[drache]

I wouldn't consider rats an endangered species
they do apparently have heaps of personality, which can easily be observed, if you know which subway platform to hang out on
I am fairly certain that in the natural order of things their purpose is primarily clean-up and food
but people who keep animals as pets are often not interested in the natural order of things
possibly we wouldn't be super welcoming to a person looking to find out more about breeding garters to feed to their kings

[Lori P]

Well, Natalie, I guess it would be like someone joining here who bred garters only for food for other snakes. We all seem pretty attached to our garters, so it might offend our sensitivities to have to hear over and over how they are nothing but feed for some people. Or like... a meat goat producer joining a group of pet goat people... it just kind of hurts the heart a bit, even if you understand it. Know what I mean? Altho I don't think we'd ban anyone, just ask that they not stress the purpose of their feed garters...

[Charlet_2007]

I guess its just me then... Well I wasn't talking about feeders at all.. I mean my breeder rats are like kids to me.. Just I can't keep all my rats I produce ( I mean don't get me wrong I would love to but I can't) then that would be taking away from my all 5 of my snakes food.. besides that I lived on a goat farm all my life... I've seen life and then I've seen death and I've excepted the 2... I mean everything passes on eventually (spelling?) I don't know just thought it was mean not to give me a chance..

[RZL36]

They shouldn't have banned you. You were probably willing to discuss it at a deeper level than, "something to feed your snakes." Rat people are usually a little weird though (probably in the same way we are weird to rat people).

I remember when I first got to this forum and told people about my accidental fumbling to garter snakes (some were a little put off by it). To me they were something to get a problem king to eat. Then I looked into their pretty brown eyes and well, that's that.

[Loren]

I raise mice and rats for feeders. I get alot of people that make remarks about the poor mice and rats, or how mean it is to feed 1 animal to another. I usually ask them (nicely)if they have any pets. They often aswer-yes, a dog, or yes, a cat. I ask them nicely, Do you ever look at the ingredient list of their food? Sorry to tell you, but your pets eat animals too.
Many people dont know quite what to say after that.

[sschind]

I didn't know that about you Rich. Get out and stay out!!!!

Seriously, Like Lori said, people get a bit touchy about their pets. I'm curious as to how the subject came up. you say you weren't talking feeders but you do use the term "breeders" was it something that someone just figured out in conversation?

Anyway, if they banned you, it's their loss. Its like our parents always said "if they don't want you as a friend they are not worth having as friends" Please tell me I am not the only one whose parents said that to them. I'm sure there are lots of forums that will welcome you as a breeder of snake food.

Try these two for starters if you already haven't

kingsnake.com - the information portal for reptile and amphibian hobbyists.

FaunaClassifieds - Site Home Page

and look for the feeder forums.

Good Luck

[Stefan-A]

Not very surprising that they would react that way, but I definitely don't think they should have banned you. Some people are just oversensitive.

[Charlet_2007]

yeah thats what i thought.. no i posted pics of some the rats that are my pets.. im guessing if you have about 30+ rats they think your eather a breeder or a feeder breeder... and they asked about pedigrees for the rats lol (i mean come on i know there is for dogs and cat but seriously rats? i mean who would slap a pedigree on a rat when theres soo many in the world today?) I told them i didn't have pedigree rats just common run of the mill rats.. (I didn't get them from a pet store eather.. I got them for a lady that had to many of them, started out with 3 than multiplied.. She sold them to me for 1.00 each and I can still get them for that much..)Then they assumed I bread for food I'm guessing oh well... But i will tell you this I know it bad to feed rats and such to your snakes if you dont like the sort of thing but they have to eat too.. I pay what 1.00 a rat.. any where from 50.00 to 100.00 for a garter snake now even more for my others 200.00 on my northern pines.. I won't let my snakes starve just because they think its wrong..

[Loren]

"pedigree" means that they are even more inbred than feeder rats, and thats pretty inbred. Here's a pic of my rat rack. I got the plans off the internet.