20/10/2021
Let's talk about more. Specifically, more in terms of excess relating to rat ownership.
Sometimes more isn't better, sometimes it's just silly, and in the 15+ years of internet rat ownership, I've seen a lot of 'more', 'the most', 'the best', 'i do this better than you' and it makes me cringe. I read one tonight and it made me sad and uneasy at the same time, as well as feeling angry that Facebook haven't created that fu***ng eye-roll reaction yet. We need it. NOW.
Let's start with a few notable horrors of 'more':
The best food mixes with 465336 ingredients...
Variety is great, but an unbalanced mix is just as unhelpful to your rats as some nuggets. I've seen both mix fed and nugget fed rats look simultaneously scurfy and dry coated all at once simply because it's not balanced, and it's not giving them what they need. Sure they're fed, but there's a difference between giving them what they need and what they don't. You don't need millions of extras, a 6 or 7 component mix can be just as good as a 60 component mix.
The best cages, anything less than a 2 bedroom bungalow is ABOOSE, and perfectly reasonable cages somehow aren't okay? Since when? There's a difference between a s**t cage and one that's suitable but you just don't like it and think the other person should get another one, now, pronto, this exact second. Absolutely not helpful, is it? Bigger isn't always better, for sure 🤣
Vet bills. This one makes me cringe the most I think.
The weird illusion that because you spend £646754 this month are the vets that you are the bestest owner EVAR, and anything less is just neglectful.
This is damaging firstly because more vets bills aren't good, whichever way you look at it. Is it because they're from a poor source or are rescues? Is it because your vets are fleecing you? Is it because your need to do 'more', somehow prove that you are going one step beyond everybody else rat ownership experience?
Over the years I've seen weird gofundme things for even more weird surgical procedures, scans, drugs, exploratory surgery.... Things that objectively it may have been fairer to euthanise the rat in question.
Sometimes more isn't better, there's nothing you can do, and you HAVE to admit defeat because you can't fix them. That's okay, and nobody is going to argue otherwise.
Secondly, spending £300, £400 whatever per month on vet bills is, we can likely all agree, not normal, and this amount (or even more) trotted out as routine, normal rat ownership and if people HAVEN'T spent this, omg what are they doing?! Are they neglecting their pets?! Are their rats stuffed toys (this was a real suggestion once!) or something equally silly? No. It's sometimes luck of the draw, or you can hedge your bets somewhat by choosing rats from a good line with a proven track record of good health.
I've also been asked so many times, 'is this normal that they're so expensive, I saw a post on ###x group!?' No, it's not, and sometimes it's just internet braggadocio bulls**t, ignore and move on 😂
The easiest example of 'more' I can think of? 6/7/8 YEAR OLD RATS OMG. Get in the bin already. Impossible, not happening, no.
Next up in terms of 'more' and 'the most', rat numbers. I personally have quite a few rats and take in rescues BUT I know when to stop, and this is very, VERY important. More rats doesn't make you a better owner, and the 'most' rats (for the wrong reasons) won't give you anything apart from a sad wallet and sad heart, because if you are having to cut corners in their care or doing without yourself, it's not worth it, and I would urge anybody to reduce numbers. There's no shame in putting rats up for re-homing, and the only questions I personally will ask you is it they have any medical problems or anything else I should know that's relevent. The rest I don't care, AT ALL.
Lots of rats are hard work not just in terms of money, but in terms of you WILL see lots of death, you WILL see lots of heartbreak, you WILL feel tired and your enthusiasm WILL wax and wane, but please don't let it get above what you can cope with. More sometimes isn't better, and sometimes that trio is better than anything 'more' could bring as far as happiness goes.
'More' definitely isn't a new phenomenon, it's as old as time itself, but right now seems to be having some sort of epic renaissance in rat groups and I just wanted to say, if you read something in a rat group and it doesn't seem right, or it makes you feel weird or doubt your own rat care because of the bulls**t braggadocio, don't let it bother you. I know that's easier said than done, but honestly, you are doing fine and your rats think so too 😀❤️
