These excerpts of previously published materials are used with permission of the Rat and Mouse Club of America.
Craig Schumacher We love our small friends -- we value their lives. We will not knowingly sell, or allow them to be used as food for other animals. We understand their value goes far beyond the dollar. We will meet all of their needs. We will breed with care, being responsible to limit their numbers, spending the time required to achieve the best pets possible. We realize that some "Show Quality" animals will result. This is a by-product rather than a goal. In this way the rats don't pay with their lives for our ribbons. |
Otto Squeakers We love our big humans -- we add joy to their lives. We will not knowingly allow ourselves to nip them or chew on their prized possessions. We understand that their value goes far beyond our source of food, housing, and amusement. We will meet their companionship needs. We will fraternize with care, being responsible to not overproduce in order to prevent overwhelming our human friends. We realize that only some of us can be "show offs" and graciously offer ourselves to be shampooed and displayed so that our humans can win ribbons and trophies. |
Paul Wiegand
T'was an argument that occurred one day
With a person I heard with assertiveness say
It's the soul that separates people from beast
I assured him it's not.
From my point of view
it's the tools that we use when we sit down to eat.
And yet to some even that doesn't matter
The moral is plain, not the soul or the brain
For animals are us,
there's no difference, they're the same
And for those who think different
Oh shame, oh the shame
| Remember Jackie Jennings
They're here for such a short time
Gazette, 3(4):10 |
Sleepless Jackie Jennings
All through the night, quietly tapping
Gazette, 4(3):12
|
Author Unknown
When he reached them he saw they were walking slowly and carefully, side by side. Each rat was holding one end of a straw in its mouth. He realized one of them was, in fact, leading the other down the path with the straw. Looking closer he saw that the second rat was blind.
The farmer put down the stick and went back inside.
Diane Newburg
Author Unknown
The rat would get treats if it ran in a wheel. The treats would not be given directly, just once a day, and the amount would be in relation to how much the rat had run. The point, of course, was to see if the rat would put in a good day's work to receive a lot of treats afterward. If that was the case this would suggest a very high degree of reasoning capability and intelligence.
They connected the wheel to a revolution meter and started the test. They didn't watch the rat constantly, but checked the meter every evening and then provided the reward. It didn't take long for the rat to understand what was expected of him. The wheel spun more and more times each day. Each time they checked the rig, the rat was almost always sleeping, but that was understandable, since the rat obviously worked quite hard.
When the rat began to grow quite fat they got a bit concerned. Even though he had eaten a lot of food, all of the exercise should have kept him well fit. Could the stress of the running destroy the metabolism in some way? Stressed didn't seem like a proper description of that fat and sleepy creature that barely managed to crawl to the bowl to get his treats.
The mystery wasn't solved until one of the staff entered the room at a time when the room was normally empty. In the rat cage he could see a very fat rat sleeping on his back, just under the wheel -- but every ten seconds or so the rat would lift one of his legs and give the wheel a good push to get it turning.
Unfortunately, I can't verify the truth in this story, but it is too good not to be told!
More Gazette articles can be found at Virginia's Rat Page and at the RMCA web site.
The RMCA sponsored Furry Friends Orphanage
The RMCA has dedicated itself to rescuing and rehabilitating animals that have been abandoned or neglected. Give a rat the loving new home it deserves!