I Just Received This Email!!

[Jessika]

I have one adult male rat for offer for snake food
only. He does not get along well with other rats, and
is very skittish, thus makes for an inferrior pet. If
you have a large snake or know someone who does,
please contact me for a free meal. Rat is healthy and
disease free, comes from a clean cage and healthy
stock.

When you pick up, please do not bring your snake with
you, I would prefer my other rats not have heart
attacks. *smile*

I received this email on a mailing list I am a member of. THIS MAKES ME SO SICK!!! I don't even know what to SAY in response!!!!! I don't know if I WANT to!!! This is just so disturbing (and yes if any of you remember this is the same mailing list that I made the other thread about regarding the lady looking for a stud for her female doxie just because she wanted a puppy).

I am so furious I'm going to complain to the administrator of the mailing list. This sort of stuff SHOULD NOT be allowed but I have no clue what to say!!

[Miss Z]

That is so mean an inferior pet? Can pets be inferior? She obviously treats her animals as objects that can be replaced and not as her best friends like people on PT do!

[crazy_caique]

Oh my gosh!
That is sick and that person is stupid
just because he is skittish doesn't mean he wouldn't make a good pet rat he could be an only rat
I want to wash that smile right of that persons face

[Jessika]

I know it really pisses me off. I don't know if I want to reply to her email or just contact the ML administrator. I think I will email the admin instead. On this list there have been LOTS of "offers" for dogs and cats and other animals. Every day there is another pet that is "free to good home". It disgusts me yet amazes me at the same time!

EDIT: OK I forwarded the email to the list owner. Hopefully I will get a reply back and they will do something about it! Here is what I said:

I would like to report this message someone posted to the group. I can't even begin to explain how sick this makes me. Pet rats are not meant to be snake food for the simple fact that rats that are snake food are bred specifically for snake food. Pet rats are not snake food and can actually hurt a snake!! Just because a pet is "skittish" DOES NOT make it an "inferior" pet!! And it doesn't get along with other rats?? Well then don't put it in a cage with other rats!!! This message just angers me to NO END and I hope you can find it in your heart to do something about it! Thank you

[Miss Z]

Well done you tell 'em!

[Jessika]

Well I just got an email back and apparently the owner of the list was the one who posted the message!!! So go figure, nothing will probably be done about it. ARGH this angers me!!

[Miss Z]

Me too you're not alone no-one should get away with that

[areias]

I don't really want to be the heartless one, but a snakes gotta eat...what kind of list was it?

It was kind of rude to call it inferior though.

[Jessika]

I don't really want to be the heartless one, but a snakes gotta eat...what kind of list was it?

It was kind of rude to call it inferior though.

I understand a snake has to eat, but offering it through a mailing list for "snake food only" just because it doesn't get along with its other rats is ridiculous!

That's like me offering Charlie to the local zoo for "free lion food" because he's skittish around people.

[CathyBogart]

Really though, if the rat isn't happy living with other rats, or with the company of people....what kind of life is he looking at anyways? Rats are highly social - I know several rat fanatics who have had rats PTS rather than have them live solitary lives. What difference does it make if the rat was bred for snake food or not? Rats that were bred to be feeders make fine pets.

Perhaps what you should be objecting to is the encouragement of live-feeding. Maybe making a counter-post about the benefits of a frozen/thawed diet for snakes would have a better effect. I can provide you with some gruesome linkks on the topic; if you are interested, PM me.