Bathing "rat"

[TamanduaGirl]

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-an ... g-showers/

Okay the guy who posted it is obviously lying about it being a random find so that doesn't help but it sucks that people are now calling it cruel. Someone gave their pet a bath, get over it, happens every day, and is not cruel.

“A rat wouldn’t do that..." well they just said it wasn't a rat they don't really know this specie's behavior. But they have to act like it's upset, even though they don't know anything, to ride the coat tails of the publicity it got.

That's a baby they are like 30 pounds full grown. They don't just wander around people's homes falling into things. Someone is obviously raising this one. They actually make nice pets.

And again even if it doesn't like the soap doesn't mean it's cruel to give a pet a bath. But it might like it, some species do. There are a lot of species that like to rub certain scents into their fur or feathers. Some getting into water to bath even. We just don't know what this species enjoys and they don't either.

Either way enjoying it or not most people think pets getting baths are cute not cruel. How many photos of cats fighting a bath have been shared and thought cute even though the cat is upset? It's not sad or cruel to bath pets even if they don't like it, but unlike the cats these guys sure aren't trying to get away. They seem oddly calm for distressed animals.

That article is a bunch of junk as they first admit it's not a rat then go on to complain what a rat would or wouldn't do if it had soap on it. (people bath their rats and they do fine, so even that seems to be junk)

PS it seems to be a known thing they do this (another reason to think the original post was a lie about finding it in his sink out of the blue)
https://www.facebook.com/thefloralbook/ ... ment_reply

[TurkRoach]

Will they ever be in the US trade?

[TamanduaGirl]

Maybe. They used to be endangered by IUCN list but are now least concern and not CITES listed so would depend on if any country that has them lets them out, probably would be possible. Sounds like they are similar to Hutia, really friendly when human raised.

[Ana]

Outrage culture. Rats might be my favorite species. How much can we hope or expect for a rat in a third world country? It's the stupidest, most
myopic take of all time. He's loved. Enjoy that, for crying out loud. Oy gevaldt, the internet can be exasperating.

[TurkRoach]

Everybody is a Solomon or a Doctor Dolittle in the web

[TamanduaGirl]

Outrage culture. Rats might be my favorite species. How much can we hope or expect for a rat in a third world country? It's the stupidest, most myopic take of all time. He's loved. Enjoy that, for crying out loud. Oy gevaldt, the internet can be exasperating.

I made the mistake of looking at the comments on the second link later. It's an adult doing the same thing but, apparently, has nothing on it. The guy even gives it a treat at the end so maybe taught it to do it on command. Well, of course everyone was saying how wild animals shouldn't be pets. But like you said they may not actually be rats, but these rodents usually are treated similarly, as pests or even as food. So being a pet is a huge step up.