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The Rat Fan Club Rats in the News Please let us know if you see any news items featuring rats that aren’t posted here. Thanks! The Rat Lady’s Corner Updates about Debbie’s activities and rats. (Updated 8/11/14) 5/26/15 Fox17 Township condemns home infested with 1000 rats Fox17 Wersham said this is the “most horrific thing he has seen in his life,” but believed the rat infestation is contained to this property; he did not call this a ... Condemned Michigan home infested with 1000 rats - whnt.com These are domestic rats. She was running a “rescue.” Poor babies. 1/30/14 Isle of Rum rat journey to be tracked on satellite Scotsman - “But we are concerned that rat numbers and predation may increase in the future. So we need to know more about the ecology of the rats to inform our ... 11/11/13 A Rat's Journey Through Virtual Reality PLoS Blogs (blog) Before beginning the navigation tasks, researchers trained nine male rats to move in virtual reality. The rat started from one of 4 random start locations, facing the ... 9/5/13 Dutch cops are using brown rats to solve crimes New York Daily News Ten brown rats have been recruited by Dutch police to help forensic firearms ... When the rat scratches at the right hole, the experts send the residue off for a final ... Also, http://www.guns.com/2013/09/05/rats-join-task-force-help-police-solve-crimes/ Dutch Police Recruit Rodents to Rat on Criminals Paw Nation A police dog's training also takes around eight months, although once completed the dog's abilities are far greater than a rat's. The rats have been living in a ... 8/27/13 Entrepreneurs use rats to find tasty ingredients Philly.com After tasting liquid deposited in a tray, a rat next must decide which lever to push - sweet or sour. When rats recognize a flavor, they receive a food pellet in a tray. 7/30/13 Favorite Tastes Change with Age, Rat Study Shows LiveScience.com Favorite Tastes Change with Age, Rat Study Shows ... Younger rats prefer more sugar and umami flavor in foods and showed a stronger aversion to bitter foods ... (Note: Hopefully this makes it easier to give medications to older rats!) 7/7/13 Rats on a plane: American Airlines flight attendant 'smuggled pet rat onto ... Daily Mail Another colleague reported that on a flight to Miami that same day, she saw Giambattista feeding a pet rat. Giambattista claims that the bread roll in a paper cup was not for feeding a rat but rather herself, and that the cup was to avoid looking ... (Note: The photo of the 2 rodents in the pocket are gerbils, not rats!) 6/25/13 What the Elderly Can Learn from Singing Rats - Hear One Sing Now eMaxHealth In his research, Johnson turned to the rat as an animal model of study due to that rats have similar neuromuscular mechanisms used to vocalize when communicating with other rats―especially when attempting to mate. The rat larynx produces ultrasonic ... 6/20/13 Secret to How a Rat Can Outrun a Hawk Revealed Audubon Magazine Blog (blog) They uncovered the secret to how a rat escapes predators by sticking cameras lighter than a pencil on top of rats' heads to track their eye movements and corresponding head positions. The scientists found an enormous difference between where the rats ... City rats carry disease that can infect humans Vancouver Sun The results are the first definitive findings to come out of the Vancouver Rat Project, a three-year study helmed by Abbotsford-based researcher Dr. Chelsea Himsworth that aims to fill a knowledge gap about the characteristics of local rats, the ... 5/6/13 The Rat Park experiment - Io9 io9 And so he built "Rat Park," a testing facility meant to give the rats inside it plenty of room, exercise and play facilities, good food, lots of bottles and boxes to explore, mixed-gender company, and private areas to raise their young. His group even ... (This is an interesting experiment about drug addiction, and the website features an amazing close-up photo of rat whiskers, however, I believe the second picture is a mouse, not a rat.) 4/10/13 Massive rat sterilization in the works for NYC Mother Nature Network With the energetic ability to pump out 12 wee rats per litter seven times a year, each she-rat is capable of giving birth to around 84 rat pups a year … which starts to explain the numbers, and the presence of so many rodents infamously scurrying ... 1/15/13 A Rat Love Story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/a-love-story-about-a-rat-relationships_n_2340994.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share# 8/1/12 Pentagon to recruit bomb-sniffing rats RT A pet rat that can sniff out explosives could become standard gear for future American soldiers. The Pentagon is conducting research into teaching rats to detect mines and explosives, in hopes of saving lives and reducing military expenditures. Scientists at ... 7/18/12 Owning a Pet Can Increase a Child’s Own Opinion of Their Abilities http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/why-owning-a-pet-can-make-your-child-smarter-380161.html 7/9/12 Attempts to Save Threatened Wood Rat Shows Limits of Captive Breeding The Ledger It was the Key Largo wood rat, a small rodent with cinnamon fur and bulging black eyes. Federal officials figured they could save the species from extinction by spending $12000 a year breeding the rats and then turning them loose again in the wild. At ... 6/9/12 Rat Scratches a Subway Rider http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47740325/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/#.T9JvceJYtvc 6/7/12 Bucknell professors help rats go high-tech to root out land mines PR Web (press release) "The project involved devising a way to monitor and track how the rat is performing as well as developing an icon-based laptop to guide people who have little experience with technology or animal training," Tranquillo said. The rats will be outfitted ... 4/26/12 Long-Lost Rat Species Rediscovered in Philippines Wired News By Brandon Keim A giant rat species last seen 37 years ago and feared extinct has been seen again on the Philippines island of Dinagat. Crateromys australis, or the Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat, belongs to a family of tree-dwelling, leaf-eating rats ... (Includes a video, but it’s not very good.) 4/23/12 Giant rat killed by pensioner Brian Watson with lump of wood on his farm Daily Mail By Nick Enoch A 'giant rat' measuring 4ft from nose to tail has been caught and killed by a pensioner with a lump of wood on his farm. Brian Watson, 67, from Waskerley, Consett in County Durham, was made aware of the monster's presence after his ... (Note from Deb—Why is it that these people who kill “giant rats” never take a photo clear enough to identify the species?) 4/20/12 Very Long 'Extinct' Rat Found Care2.com Adult dinagat rats can measure up to nearly 22 inches long and most of the length is in the tail. Though it is very good news the dinagat cloud rat is not extinct, it is critically endangered and only lives in a small habitat of less than 100 square ... 4/11/12 'Love rat' could protect native species TVNZ An Auckland researcher has spent three years comparing the lure of sex, in the form of a live caged rat, over food as a way to trap wild Norway and Ship rats. In a set of three experiments trialled around Auckland the hand-raised caged rats attracted ... 3/22/12 Rats! Would-be pet owner bloodied by bites Calgary Herald A woman claims a trip to a pet store turned into a nightmare when she was bitten by a domesticated rat she had hoped to buy. Trisha Fulawka is suing Petland, alleging she is suffering from post-traumatic stress, nightmares, lingering injuries and ... (Ironic that this is being reported in Calgary, Alberta, when rats are outlawed from the province!) 3/14/12 Rats Match Humans in Decision-Making That Involves Combining Different Sensory ... Science Daily (press release) 13, 2012) — The next time you set a trap for that rat running around in your basement, here's something to consider: you are going up against an opponent whose ability to assess the situation and make decisions is statistically just as good as yours. 3/5/12 Animal Control: Please sterilize your rodents Annapolis Capital Joshua McKerrow — The Capital A curious rat sticks its head out of the cage that houses 20 rats at Animal Control. AP VIDEO more>> “Yes. A lot of people don't know that for small animals, it can be really good for them,” Small said. 2/28/12 Rats sent packing CTV.ca They found two rats at one house and a third rat at another address. The owners had the rats as pets and are co-operating with officials. "According to the Agriculture Pest Control Act they have to be either removed from the province or euthanized and ... 2/19/12 Woman caught fever from love rat Sky News Australia 'Rat bite fever, as the name suggests, is usually acquired through a rat bite,' the authors write. 'However, the disease can result from handling and exposure to excreta or saliva of rodents such as rats or guinea pigs.' Historically, the disease has ... Alert on pet rats' kiss of death Adelaide Now Tara, 5, plays with Paddington the rat at the 2011 Royal Easter Show in Sydney. Picture: Lloyd Justin Source: Herald Sun AN Adelaide woman who kissed and cuddled her pet rodents was admitted to intensive care with rat bite fever, prompting warnings ... 2/14/12 Cops use bomb sniffing rats in Colombia CNN Its name is Rattus Norvegicus -- but it's more commonly known as a lab rat. During a recent training session, trainers set the white rat on a patch of grass where they had hidden an explosive device underground. It took the rat less than a minute to ... 1/16/12 Labs Size Up New Guidelines For Rodent Cages NPR Scientists do experiments with millions of rats and mice each year, to study everything from heart disease to cancer to diabetes. Recently, some new recommendations about how to house female lab rodents and their babies caused an uproar, with experts ... 12/8/11 Most rats will help release a trapped roommate before getting chocolate for themselves! http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2011/12/08/helping-your-fellow-rat-rodents-show-empathy-driven-behavior http://www.npr.org/2011/12/09/143304206/cagebreak-rats-will-work-to-free-a-trapped-pal 12/6/11 'Grimm' Videos: Take a Sneak Peek at Killer Rats in 'Danse Macabre' BuddyTV The first video of the bunch, entitled "Death by Rats," deals with just that. Nick and Hank arrive at a murder scene to find a grisly body. Even in a show that deals with the strange and borderline inexplicable, a rat-chewed corpse counts as weird. ... 12/3/11 TV Talk this week: 'Grimm' cast, crew discover a gentler rat race in Portland OregonLive.com And making matters worse, he's got company -- a pack of rats are intent on sniffing around the scene. The cameras are rolling, but for a while, the rats are seemingly too polite to nose around quite as closely as the script calls for. Rat handlers are ... Got you, you little rat - now let's save you Sydney Morning Herald In good hands ... one of the golden-backed tree rats that the Australian Wildlife Conservancy wants to ensure have a long and secure future. Photo: Nick Moir IT WAS once so common it was considered a pest, found running through the rooftops of many ... 12/1/11 Cats, Mice Working Together WKRG-TV Colombian scientists are breeding and training rats to help rid the country of its deadly landmines, planted over many years by guerrilla groups and drug gangs to deter security forces. The rats have been bred for the work over five generations and ... (Rat Lady’s note: this article includes a video which shows a little bit of the rat training, and a cat playing with a rat outside. The audio was too quiet for me to hear and in Spanish anyway.) 11/27/11 Exhibit Review | Dublin Arts Council: Sassy vermin infiltrate surreal world Columbus Dispatch Like a dog following its master, an obedient rat looks up at him, seemingly awaiting a command. In Choosing Sides, two rats stand at each side of a babylike figure wearing a striped dunce cap. Perhaps cast as the proverbial angel and devil on one's ... 11/24/11 Rats help Colombia sniff out deadly landmines The Express Tribune “We are hoping that this generation will be ready at the beginning of next year to be tested in a real environment,” he added as his favorite rat Sophie perched on his shoulder. Experts say it is impossible to estimate the number of undetonated mines ... 11/13/11 North Pole family rescues 2 rats; 14 more arrive soon after Fairbanks Daily News-Miner He said, 'look, over there,' and sure enough there's an adult white rat, a domestic rat, tripping around in front of the Dumpsters. I was just amazed,” Dowler said. Dowler's son, Dawson Verley, was concerned the rats might starve to death, ... 11/8/11 Pair found guilty of pet rodent neglect ABC Online By Josh Bavas Two residents in Townsville in north Queensland were found guilty yesterday of not properly looking after hundreds of rats and mice. Frederick Dart and Megan Harjridin were found guilty of a list of offences including failing to provide ... 11/7/11 PETA Dumps on Battlefield 3 Escapist Magazine PETA is officially unhappy with Battlefield 3 because of a callous, brutal and utterly inhumane sequence of rat-stabbing. Pop quiz, hotshot: how many rats have you snuffed in all your videogaming adventures? If you answered less than "about a bazillion ... Rats take up residence in Schönbrunn Austrian Times Visitors to the zoo will be able to meet Rolf Rüdiger, the most famous rat in Austria and organiser and ambassador of the new rat house, Robert Steiner, who has high hopes of changing attitudes. Throughout the world there are over 60 species of rats. ... 10/6/11 Man accused of animal cruelty walks free from court after filming himself ... Daily Mail Harris admitted his actions were 'grotesque' but was not cruel. He'd also claimed his actions were not cruel because the rat was going to be eaten by a snake. He added that 'for centuries rats have been a scourge to humanity and should have no legal ... 10/2/11 Oh, rats! Furry thespians take their bows in 'Dracula' Louisville Courier-Journal The rats have no lines of dialogue and no playbill credit. But the two rodent thespians alternating in the role “the rat” are just as exciting to watch onstage as the Latin bombshells they are named for — Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez — when ... (Rat Lady’s note: I sent a Facebook message to the owner of these rats about the one who bites.) 9/28/11 Portsmouth pupils take a new view of rats as they join them in the classroom Portsmouth News RAT FANS Frankie Newman and Kiana Moxon with their class pet rat Phineas. Picture: Paul Jacobs (113374-1) By Aline Nassif PRIMARY schoolchildren in Old Portsmouth are getting acquainted with two highly intelligent new classmates this term – rats. ... This is an article about the HeroRATS with more detail than I have seen before. The video is just the founder talking about the program, but there are also photos of the rats working. http://www.ontheup.org.uk/index.php/2011/06/giant-rats-to-the-rescue/ 8/31/11 Water rats good indicator of wetland health Science Network Western Australia ... or identify other sites in the South West that may be home to water rat populations, to better identify the true range of the species,” she says. While none of the wetlands investigated by Ms Smart had high levels of toxicants she found water rats ... (interesting photo) Western Queensland long-haired rat plague takes its toll on houses, cars ... Courier Mail Rats had chewed holes in walls, eaten wiring on a freezer and bitten hoses off a washing machine. "There's been quite a few cases where they've eaten wiring off vehicles," he said. "I know of a Toyota Kluger that cost $4500 to get going again. ... (note, one quote says these rats are friendly!) 8/26/11 Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian ... New York Daily News BY Barry Paddock, Mark Morales and Mike Jaccarino Housing Authority worker Jose Rivera was photographed with this giant rat at the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. It sounds like an urban legend: giant mutant-looking rats roaming a city housing project. ... 8/18/11 Sister Marie Therese Encourages Rodent-Human Relations in NYC Village Voice (blog) 17 2011 at 5:52 PM Apparently, August is the month of the rat. Last week, Rosie Gray explored rat bites, which, it appears, are down this year, and on Monday, Jen Doll shared a new fan trailer for the rats of Tompkins Square Park. ... 8/17/11 Black Death study lets rats off the hook The Guardian Mortality continued to rise throughout the bitterly cold winter, when fleas could not have survived, and there is no evidence of enough rats. Black rat skeletons have been found at 14th-century sites, but not in high enough numbers to make them the ... Rats being beaten during JHB campaign Citizen (Johannesburg, South Africa) It shows a large rat being repeatedly beaten on its head with a stick, and then poked a number of times to make sure it was dead. NSPCA members said the rats were killed this way as gassing their habitat only rendered them drowsy. ... 8/11/11 'Virtual rat' project earns grant for Medical College of Wisconsin Vancouver Sun The five-year grant, one of the largest awarded to the Medical College in recent years, is significant because the rat has become one of the most common stand-ins for the human body in scientific experiments. Humans and rats share about 90 percent of ... Aussie Boguls take on a rat race for Sydney's future ABC Online What would you say if someone suggested the solution to rat-infestations is... rats. That's what one Sydney academic thinks and she explains why... "We're putting the native bush rat in [to parts of Sydney]," explains Dr Grainne Cleary from the ... 8/9/11 U. study looks at how desert rats avoid poisoning themselves Deseret News Six generalists were removed from the study because they lost 10 percent of their body weight. Scientists theorize that generalist rats have special gut receptors that monitor poison intake and signal the rat to stop eating. 8/3/11 African Rat Smears Poison On Its Fur to Protect Itself From Predators Popular Science Also, scientists have reported accounts of dogs getting sick and dying after coming into contact with the rats, which are also called maned rats. But instead of producing poison itself, the rat grabs it from nature, researchers say. ... 7/18/11 'My Strange Addiction' season premiere: An exclusive sneak peek of 'The Rat ... Entertainment Weekly (blog) You can watch an exclusive clip of Theresa, 56, who splits her love unevenly among her 52 hairless rats and her own daughter, after the jump. But since I understand you probably cannot (because EWWWWW.com), I've put together a fun/tragic list of the ... 7/6/11 Homes sought for 30 domesticated rats Seacoastonline.com As a result, the department took the remainder of the rats. In the meantime, Mainely Rat Rescue volunteers and Buckley called numerous rescue organizations in Maine and New Hampshire. All but 30 rats were taken — eight here, 15 there, from as far ... 7/3/11 Nonfiction review: The Lab Rat Chronicles Richmond Times Dispatch "Today, 85 percent of all biomedical research in the world is conducted on rats and mice," Lambert writes. And that translates into a lot of rat-tested scientific publications — the equivalent of one every hour, she adds. The reasons for lab rats' ... 7/2/11 Animal Friends: 300 rats still need good homes San Jose Mercury News Lissa Shoun of Andy's Pet Shop was kind enough to offer the space to house the rats. Grace loved helping the little critters that had been fending for themselves in a trashed LA home, carpeted with rat feces, but she tried to resist adopting one. ... 6/15/11 Domestic Rats dumped at copeyon Park Ludington Daily News Mason County Animal Control Officer Joe Marion and Lakeshore Animal Friends volunteer Cassi Johnson rounded up the 11 live rats, and Ludington city workers recovered two dead ones. Marion said a passerby noticed bedding and rat exercise wheels dumped ... 6/7/11 Rat chat Scienceline But it turns out that when you listen, rats are actually pretty chatty. Researchers can tell a lot about a rat's emotional state from these super high-pitched calls. Distressed rats sound like this: A growing number of studies are trying to use these ... 6/1/11 Oh Rats! Woman Gets Debilitating Spasms, but Pet Rat Senses Them ABC News Dani Moore of Hesperia, Calif., owes much of what she can do in her life to a rat. The rat, named Hiyo Silver, has the unique ability to feel when the 56-year-old Moore's body is just starting to shake because of muscle spasms. ... 6/1/11 Cops stop rats' nest on wheels ABC Online The front bumper was held on with duct tape. The officers inspected the bumper and then lifted the bonnet and were shocked to see two rats jump out. Police managed to grab another rat by the tail and three more scurried back out of sight. ... 5/30/11 New York City's Latest Pet Craze: Couture Fashion For Pet Rats Inventorspot It's a real rat race out there... It's good to be home: Photo by Tim Gorta/DNAinfo.com Ada Nieve's couture was a big hit, of course. The well known dog fashion designer talks here about the special fashion needs of the rat. Rats are very smart and can ... 5/30/11 New York fashionistas splurge on designer outfits ... for their pet rodents Daily Mail By Daily Mail Reporter First there was doggy dresses, and coats for mini pigs, now trendy pet owners are ordering designer clothing for their rats. Pet fashionista Ada Nieves is selling rat tuxedos, wedding dresses and bridesmaids gowns among other ... 5/28/11 Rats! Much-hated rodent has growing fan club in New York City New York Daily News Ruby, a rat owned by writer Mil Scott, models a plaid kilt. While most New Yorkers have a hate-hate relationship with the ubiquitous street rodents, a surprising number say the domestic creatures make perfect companions. After all, rats are very ... 5/4/11 'Tommy and Melanie have two rats and one syndrome' Orléans Star (press release) The book, which has enjoyed wide success, tells the story of two siblings and their pet rats Cinderella, Ninja and Smokey. “Melanie holds her pet rat every night and every morning. If Melanie has a tantrum the pet rat will calm her down. ... Video: Sad Rat Man Loves His Babies Gothamist Like every other hygienically-minded NYer, we've been fascinated by the elusive Sad Rat Man, whose job seems to consist of riding the subways and freaking out tourists. He may not be the rat enthusiast we want, but he's the guy-who-makes-out-with-rats ... 4/1/11 Can you help me with rat over there? Service rat approved 3News NZ When her rat feels Moore shaking, he starts licking her neck, so she can take medication and stop the spasms before they start. Moore has been using rats trained with pudding treats for 10 years. She keeps a pair, alternating them every 90 minutes. ... 2/14/11 BRISTOL Dogs and Cats Home has been overrun with domestic rats in need of a ... Bristol Evening Post They are all different ages and we are able to accommodate anyone looking for a single rat, pairs or even a group of rats." 2/13/11 Rat disrupts Alaska Airlines flight Examiner.com Rats are present on the grounds of many airports, as well as in the natural environment. They are opportunists who seek out sources of food. ... 2/12/11 Meet the Critter: Lestat the Giant Jumping Rat Patch.com Rats might not be your first pick to visit at the zoo, but Lestat and family are worth the time. They may look like rabbits, or tiny kangaroos, ... 1/28/11 Weird News: There's a rat in my kitchen, bedroom, toilet, living room... Scottish Daily Record Welcome to the Rattray house, where the parents are GP Kate and lab supervisor Kevin and the children are TWENTY-NINE pet rats. ... 1/27/11 Rats Now Riding the Subway Like Regular Passengers Gawker (blog) And now: alarming video evidence shows that rats consider themselves normal subway riders. Notice how the presence of the rat on this R train car ... (There is also a link here to a video that shows a rat climbing up on a subway passenger, and I think this is a domestic rat that has been put on the floor of the train. I don’t think a wild rat would do this.) 1/4/11 Must see 'Hoarders' finale preview: Man hoards rats Entertainment Weekly The rat-tastic Hoarders finale airs Monday, Jan. 10 at 10 pm on A&E? Will you watch? UPDATE: A reader below points out that the rats were taken to a local ... 12/9/10 Animal welfare is integrated into AVMA's revised veterinarian oath The AVMA has revised the oath taken by new veterinary graduates to include the words "animal welfare," defined as both the physical and mental well-being of non-humans. "The message is we as the AVMA and veterinarians in general do recognize that protecting animal well-being is what we're all about," said John R. Brooks, the AVMA's executive board chairman. 12/9/10 Obama enacts bill outlawing animal "crush" videos The Charlotte Observer (N.C.) The Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, backed by Sen. Richard Burr, has been signed into law by President Barack Obama. The new law bans the production, sale and distribution of animal "crush" videos, or depictions of animals being tortured to death. 12/8/10 Antics of a pet rat result in a bizarre flat fire Lancashire Evening Post Katie Addis, a vet at Bay Veterinary Group, said: “Rats do like collecting things and they're very inquisitive creatures. “The rat might have thought the ... 12/4/10 On Colombian minefields, rats may become man's best friends Los Angeles Times "The more I work with rats, the more I am amazed at what they can do," said Luisa Fernanda Mendez, a civilian behavioral veterinarian in charge of the rat-training project.... 12/3/10 Former Petco employee sues rodent breeder after diseased rodent bites him New York Daily News "There are nice rats and bad rats - that was a bad rat," said an employee at the pet shop who declined to give her name. Petco purchased the rat for $5 from ... 12/2/10 New mousetraps in use at NYPD headquarters after PETA complaint ... NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department has been commended for a new method to catch trespassers — the small, furry ones running loose at the headquarters ... 11/24/10 1000 Minor-Celebrity Rats Available for Adoption Asylum The rats have been moved to San Jose from Los Angeles, where they were stars in an episode of “Hoarders.” Apparently just one pregnant rat was brought into ... 10/23/10 On the Positive: Of rats, mice and men Las Cruces Sun-News In the process, the view of rats as lovable and affectionate pets emerged. A rat liberated from a psychology lab taught her rescuer how and when she wanted ... 10/21/10 Too Many Sisters Affect Male Sexuality HealthNewsDigest.com ... finds that the sex ratio of a male rat's family when he's growing up influences both his own sexual behavior and how female rats respond to him. ... 10/20/10 Rat dad's diet affects pups Scientist A father's diet can directly affect his daughter's health, according to a study in rats published today (October 20) in Nature. For the first time, ... 10/17/10 For rat owner, too much of a good thing Washington Post A man surrendered 12 pet rats to the animal shelter because he could no longer care for them. The man said he had bought what he had thought were three male ... Rat’s Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture - Hamilton, NJ ... Rat’s Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture is a Contemporary French restaurant in Hamilton, NJ. Read 353 reviews, view the menu and photos, and make reservations online ... 10/10/10 Oh rats! Manhattan woman's pets are rodents that the whole city hates New York Daily News BY Rich Schapiro Dianne Rochenski holds her pet rats Remalina and Christiana. The Manhattan mom is not alone in her unusual choice of pet. She keeps rat ... (Note: includes a video interview where Dianne prepares one of her rats who died 4 weeks earlier [obviously frozen] for burial.) 10/6/10 Pest-control firms might be prohibited from using some methods in D.C. A measure that would ban pest-control companies from using methods such as using glue or traps that crush the bodies of wild animals, such as raccoons, foxes or snakes, was given tentative approval in Washington, D.C. If the D.C. Council approves the bill, homeowners and property managers still will be able to handle the animals how they choose. The Washington Post Rat Lady’s note: While this is a sign of a good trend, rats and mice are excluded from this measure, which means they can still be killed in nasty ways. 10/4/10 DC Council to vote on law to protect rat families WTOP ... health care issues and easing traffic congestion, they're also working on other legislation - like protecting families of rats and squirrels. ... 9/12/10 Research suggests a different way to pick up lab mice Research suggests that cupping lab mice in the palm of your hand or transporting them in a small tunnel can reduce rodents' anxiety during the study. Nature News 8/27/10 Pack rats poised to rule the world, outlive humans, cockroaches Tucson Citizen For starters, pack rats are much cuter than roaches. People are immediately inclined to squash a cockroach to pulp. A pack rat, on the other hand, ... 8/24/10 Struggling pet owners get help with emergency veterinary bills The Sacramento Bee A nonprofit group in Sacramento, Calif., is one of a few organizations that provide financial grants to low-income owners of pets that have life-threatening conditions and a good chance of survival when treated. 8/19/10 Ginormous Rats Invade U.K. Housing Complex FOXNews This giant critter, either a rat or a South American copyu, was killed in a housing complex in England. Horrified UK residents claim their homes are being ... (Rat Lady’s note: This animal is really big, and from the photo you can’t tell for sure what it is, but it’s much too big to be a Norway rat.) 8/17/10 AOL News published an opinion piece about HeroRATs, the giant pouched African rats used to sniff out land mines and TB. http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-support-your-local-hero-rat/19595717 8/16/10 French Hotel Lets Guests Live Like Hamsters! Click here to to know how! 8/14/10 Pet rat show pulls in Lincoln crowd The Lincolnite The North of England Rat Society's Pet Initiative rat show, held at Fiskerton Village Hall, saw dozens of locals, young and old, coming to see the rats. ... 7/28/10 Rats Run Wild In Collect Pond Park (VIDEO) Huffington Post (blog) The video's narrator sums it up best. "There's no drinking, no bicycling, no dogs, no skateboarding. You will disturb the rats in Collect Pond Park Rat Zoo. ... 7/28/10 Upcoming AVMA conference to tackle pocket pets The upcoming AVMA conference, to be held July 31 to Aug. 3 in Atlanta, will provide veterinarians with the opportunity to participate in a hands-on activity on how to handle pocket pets. Millions of rabbits, hamsters, ferrets and guinea pigs are now being treated as pets in the U.S., and the trend is expected to alter the course of pet management in the country. 6/23/10 Rat-A-Rama 2010 Boise Weekly And, possibly worst of all, rats influenced one of the worst hairstyles in history: the rattail. But movies like Disney's Ratatouille--the story of a rat ... 6/13/10 Cancer drug for pets advances to human trials The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)/Australian Associated Press EBC-46, a drug derived from the seed of a rain forest plant in Australia, has been successfully used to treat cancer in some 150 cats, dogs, horses and a ferret. A 10-year-old beagle with a deadly facial tumor recently was treated with the drug and is recovering. QBiotics, which developed the treatment, is looking to raise $10 million to fund human clinical trials slated early next year in Australia. 6/4/10 California cops can enter homes when pets are in peril, court rules San Francisco Chronicle California police officers are within the law when they enter homes without a warrant after receiving a call about an animal in distress, a state appeals court ruled this week. The court upheld an animal-cruelty conviction against a Los Angeles County man whose lawyer argued that police only had the right to enter if they believed a human was in distress. Study: Anti-Aging Supplements Best Taken in Middle Age FOXNews Middle aged rats showed improvements in their physical abilities after receiving anti-aging supplements, while older rats did not, the researchers said. ... 5/20/10 Hundreds of rats found in hoarding case Las Cruces Sun-News ... rats for food. "It's that or kill them and put them in the dump," said shelter director Beth Vesco-Mock, who also said she'd never seen a rat-hoarding ... (Please note that I called and talked with the population director at the shelter taking in these rats, and the rats released to reptile breeders will be humanely euthanized with carbon dioxide—Deb) ICFF 2010: Future Perfect Brings The Whimsy With... Rats? Fast Company The Rat Lamp, as the name suggests, is a cluster of rats (stuffed, thankfully) clawing fiendishly to a bulb as if it were the Pied Piper of Hamelin. ... (Warning: the stuffed rats are real taxidermied rats) 4/29/10 Manon Cleary’s Long History with the Patron Saint of Adams Morgan—Rats …my editor said, the rat is the patron saint of Adams Morgan. “It is, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” says the Adams Morgan-based artist Manon Cleary, whose varied and celebrated career has included 25 or 30 paintings depicting white rats. 4/20/10 Rat Grandmas' Diet Linked to Granddaughters' Cancer Scientific American A high-fat diet consumed by female rats was associated with a greater risk of breast cancer in her next two generations of female progeny, who ate a normal ... 4/14/10 BC rat, Matilda, spared Calgary death sentence Vancouver Sun ... discovered a second dead rat, Bruce said. "One resident . . . did confess that they had purchased these rats frozen from a pet store, which is perfectly ... 4/11/10 Steve Hickoff: For the love of a rat Foster's Daily Democrat Rats are smart; savvy; they are survivors. Ask any New England big city dweller. The rat named Templeton (a thinker with a robust appetite as you remember, ... 3/22/10 A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup ... Princeton University The first study showed that male rats given water sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup in addition to a standard diet of rat chow gained much more weight than those with access to table sugar... 3/15/10 Rats! Fans Say They're the Perfect Companion Pet ABC News By SUE MANNING AP Writer AP History and Hollywood cast them as vermin responsible for plagues, famine and famous movie lines like "You dirty rat! ... 3/7/10 PETA protests lab course The UTD Mercury By Lauren Buell Animal rights activists protest the use of rats in a senior-level course March 3 on the southeast corner of campus. ... 3/1/10 Peanut butter cures black plague Daily Telegraph It follows a pilot study at Taronga Zoo to see if native bush rats could drive off black rats. "The Aussie battler, the native bush rat, won the fight," she ... (the headline for this is quite misleading) 2/26/10 The new face of toile Frederick News Post (subscription) The Frederick-based artist began painting repulsive, frightening or otherwise unpopular animals after reading about the Karni Mata Temple in which thousands of rats scurry the floors. The temple, located in India, serves as a tribute to the rat goddess Karni Mata, and, ... 2/11/10 Broadway couple celebrate their love of rats with new magazine Lehighvalleylive.com Mil recently released the first issue of her own magazine, The Rodent Reader Quarterly: A Magazine of AristocRATS, Artists o' RATS and Insane RAT love. ... (To subscribe: www.rodentreader.com/the_rodent_reader.htm) Zoo plays a role in recent revival of the wood rat Tampa Tribune ... a species of rat has returned to its native habitat after being pushed to the brink of extinction more than 25 years ago. Seven Key Largo wood rats born ... 2/8/10 ITV fined £1600 for cruelty over 'rat risotto' AFP ... said: "I saw one of these rats running around. I got a knife, I got its throat, I picked it up." The RSPCA said that killing a rat as part of a TV stunt ... 1/31/10 'Wild Child: And Other Stories' by TC Boyle Los Angeles Times By Mark Rozzo In "Thirteen Hundred Rats," one of the 14 stories in the latest collection from the seemingly inexhaustible T.C. Boyle, a recent widower finds himself the owner of a python. He's allergic to cats and dogs, those more cuddly and condoned companions of the grief-stricken. But then something really unexpected happens. The white rat he's purchased for his new pet's sustenance proves unusually adept at eluding its fangs. The rodent's improbable athletic performance elicits astonishment, sympathy and, eventually, love. The widower spares the rat -- supple as suede, a tiny creature quivering with hope and optimism -- and decides to give the soulless python the heave-ho. "The situation was novel," Boyle's narrator declares, "to say the least." 1/25/10 PETA Calls On University of Texas at Dallas to End Deadly Experiments on Rats ... PETA (press release) An interactive computer program that simulates all aspects of the UT-Dallas rat experiment has been developed with funding from the National Science ... 1/19/10 PetCo Blamed for Case of Rat Bite Fever Courthouse News Service PHOENIX - A man says he was hospitalized with rat-bite fever he got from a rat he bought from PetCo. 12/9/09 Students turn rodents into (basketball) team players Spartanburg Herald Journal A rat drops a ball into a hoop as part of an experiment Wofford students are doing that has the rats playing basketball. ... 12/8/09 In Cancer-Ridden Rats, Loneliness Can Kill: Isolation and Stress Identified as ... Science Daily (press release) Social isolation and related stress could contribute to human breast cancer susceptibility, research from a rat model designed at the University ... 12/7/09 Rats! Reality stars charged over jungle meal Columbus Dispatch Get Me Out of Here! have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming. Chef Gino D'Acampo, ... 12/3/09 Folkmanis Pack Rat puppet Boston Herald Even children who don't consider themselves fans of real rats will fall for this roly-poly 12-inch tall Pack Rat ($21.99). With his movable mouth and arms, ... 11/22/09 Stockings, a rat, makes her movie debut Poughkeepsie Journal Lagrange resident Sandy Essington replied, stating her daughter, Dana, has three rats — one of which is very special. Antonia subsequently met the rat ... 11/2/09 The Pet Pundit: Every critter deserves a good home The Maine Campus Since I was 12 years old, I've loved rats. I am well aware that to many, a rat is not a conventional pet. However I guarantee that if you ever own one, ... 10/28/09 Junk food junkies Science News Rats on a junk food diet behave like drug addicts. ... 10/23/09 What Is the Most Disturbing Thing About This Picture of a Rat Stuck in a Sidewalk Crack? NYMag Is it: (A) that some modern-day Weegee saw this happening and instead of trying to help, took a picture of it, and then sent it to Gothamist for people to ogle, … 10/19/09 Smart Rat 'Hobbie-J' Produced By Over-expressing A Gene That Helps Brain Cells ... Science Daily (press release) But even a super rat has its limits. For example with one test, the rats had to learn to alternate between right and left paths to get a chocolate reward. ... 10/15/09 Man who killed pet rat faces animal-cruelty charge Orlando Sentinel He then placed it back into a tank with two other white rats, which were found eating the dead animal. The rats, along with a coiled-up python, ... Court allows man to let rats rot United Press International PULASKI, Va., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A Virginia judge is allowing a man to let the hundreds of rat carcasses on his property decompose naturally, provided he does ... 9/8/09 Bosavi woolly rat, new species of giant rodent, discovered in ... New York Daily News Think the New York subway system is home to the biggest rats around? Think again. Scientists have discovered a new species of giant rat in the Papua New ... This Week in Wildlife: Scientists Discover Giant Rat, Ziggy ... Popular Science The rat is almost three feet long, and is one of the largest rats ever found. It looks like the newly discovered rat-eating plant may have met its match. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/07/discovery-species-papua-new-guinea  Giant Rat Discovered In Crater Of Volcano Science Daily (press release) Weighing nearly 3.5 pounds, and measuring 32 inches from nose to tail, the Bosavi woolly rat is one of the biggest rats in the world. ... 8/9/09 Pet-lovers make a rat-tling choice! Times of India “In the film 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na', the female protagonist's brother was shown having a white rat as a pet, and that seems to have started off a veritable ... 7/24/09 In pictures: Musical rats BBC News - UK Roland rat... a tiny tunesmith tickles the ivories - but on an accordion rather than a synth. Rats Domino... rodent jazzes it up by plucking away on the … (These photos are incredible!) 7/23/09 Report: Infant died as result of rat bites United Press International (subscription) - USA WESTWEGO, La., July 23 (UPI) -- The coroner's office in Jefferson Parish, La., says a 3-month-old girl died of blood loss caused by numerous rat bites she ... 7/21/09 Rat bites tied to loss of girl's toes Columbus Dispatch - Columbus,OH,USA ... after authorities discovered that a 6-week-old girl who lived with them in a Pike County mobile home had lost two toes to what appear to be rat bites. ... (As of 10/5/09 the mother’s boyfriend gets a 2-year prison sentence. Trials for the mom and others still pending.) 7/19/09 Frozen rat art project appals activists Stuff.co.nz - Wellington,New Zealand By LOIS WATSON - Sunday Star Times Animal rights activists are appalled a fine arts student at Canterbury University was allowed to freeze a rat to death ... 6/20/09 Pet rats bring reading program tale to life Peoria Journal Star - Peoria,IL,USA “I've petted a snake before, but not a rat,” said Kylie, 10. “It's not scary. I sort of like rats. I think they're cute.”Kylie was taking part in the ... 6/17/09 Rats play odds in gambling task BBC News - UK One of the authors of the study, Trevor Robbins from the University of Cambridge, explained that the rat task was based on an existing clinical experiment ... 6/17/09 Rats! This new zoo specimen is cute! BrooklynPapers.com - NY, United States Pretty hard when you're a RAT!, but dad Armand and mom Vonjy are said to be proud as rats can be. Now, before you start making more rat jokes, ... 6/9/09 Clint gives $500 to rat fund Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA By Dan Gross SCREEN LEGEND Clint Eastwood recently donated $500 to Rat Chick Rat Rescue, a rodent-adoption service run by South Philly's Maria Pandolfi, ... 6/7/09 Science sheds light on Baltimore rats Baltimore Sun - United States More grossly interesting, or interestingly gross, facts about rat life: There's only room for one alpha pair per burrow, so eventually some rats leave home ... 5/16/09 Their Calling Is Defending Rats, Yet These Folks Aren't Lawyers Wall Street Journal - USA So, rat lovers have a tough job. Researchers who use federal funds are asked to adhere to basic guidelines for rodents, such as avoiding overcrowded cages. ... 5/12/09 Rats supposedly being trained to predict the stock market. Very silly! http://theridiculant.metro.co.uk/2009/05/rat-traders-getting-rodents-to-predict-the-stock-market.html 5/9/09 Oh, rats: The maligned pets Aizona Daily Star – USA An article about Brandi Saxton who publishes It’s a Rat’s World magazine. 4/30/09 Cowpox Outbreaks in France and Germany Linked to Pet Rats Associated Content - Denver,CO,USA According to the report ‘all 4 patients reported scratches caused by rat claws, not bites, while handling the rats as pets.’ In 3 of the 4 cases, ...(Note: cowpox is not a serious disease in humans [it has been used to vaccinate against smallpox] and it really is strange that rats are still considered exotic animals when they are truly domesticated.) 4/16/09 Run, rodent, run … a tradition endures Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA Flood's Ratalina Jolie beat out seven other rats yesterday in the featured race during the annual Running of the Rodents, a tradition at Spalding University ...(the video is lame, you can barely see the rats) 4/6/09 Researchers hope changes in desert rat can help other animals KSL-TV - Salt Lake City,UT,USA By Ed Yeates SALT LAKE CITY -- Because of climate change in the Mojave Desert, the pack rat is eating an extremely toxic plant that would have killed its ... (includes news video of pack rat in captivity) 4/3/09 Science Museum rats predict UConn to win NCAA title Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond,VA,USA Last year rats playing basketball picked the winner of the NCAA Torunament. Can the rodents repeat? BY JUAN ANTONIO LIZAMA Times-Dispatch Staff Writer You ... (includes video of rats playing basketball) 3/16/09 Rats offer endearing qualities Red and Black - Athens,GA,USA Hairless rat and dumbo rat Spraynard and Robert Stack are living the good life with owner Rachel Blair, who escorts them around the house in what can be ... 3/14/09 Rats take fight to toad WA today - Perth,WA,Australia A native rat has shown it really is cunning as it battles to avoid the cane toad. With the first sighting of a toad within the WA border recently, ... 2/27/09 Bristol Zoo Welcomes Birth Of Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News - Lorain,OH,USA By Lucy Parkinson Bristol, UK - A baby Malagasy giant jumping rat has been born in the Zoo’s Nocturnal House - Twilight World - after a ‘love match’ was ... 2/26/09 Rat dumpers are caught on CCTV BBC News - UK Two people who dumped rats are being sought by an animal charity after they were filmed with a full and then empty animal cage in Devon. ... 2/18/09 Giant rat caught in China Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom A giant rat with one-inch-long teeth has been caught in the southern Chinese province of Fujian. By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai The rat, which weighed six ... 2/8/09 Oh, rats, let go of my socks Charleston Gazette - Charleston,WV,USA I should probably pause here to emphasize that this is my home office I'm talking about, and that technically, Lucy and Ethel are fancy rats, not packrats. ... 1/22/09 RI man spared jail term for abandoning 280 rats Boston Herald A man who abandoned 280 white rats found dead and dying in crowded carriers was ordered to pay $1,000 restitution and perform 50 hours of community service. … 12/14/08 The Tale of Despereaux Variety - Los Angeles,CA,USA One of the rules of this storybook realm is that mice, rats and humans speak the same language, so it's not long before Despereaux forges a heartfelt bond ... 12/14/08 SF courtroom goes to the dog, cat and rat San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA A few minutes later, a cab pulled up and out stepped Pike, his dog, cat and not one but two white rats. The whole menagerie was ushered through security and ... 12/9/08 A hands-on pet experience/Caring Paws program Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA "But if a kid sees that another kid is not afraid to let a rat walk on her head, things change quickly from 'Rats are gross' to 'OK, I'll kiss the rat, too. ... 12/9/08 It's 'Rat Chick' to the rescue: They're 'underdogs,' she claims Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA But, so do the brass rat paperweight, the decorative bowl full of stuffed-animal rats, the rat clock, the rat artwork and the metal letters on the stairwell ... 12/7/08 Author’s adventures with rats build schools San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA "I decided my rat Stitch was a special rat, and I could write a book about her to get the rest of the money," Stefan said. Using a family camera and ... 12/5/08 Mobile Phones Affect Memory In Laboratory Animals Science Daily (press release) - USA Yes, at least it does so in rat experiments at the Division of Neurosurgery, Lund University, in Sweden. Henrietta Nittby studied rats that were exposed to ... 11/24/08 Featured pet care video of the week: caring for pet rats Examiner.com - USA by Erin Paquette, DC Pet Care Examiner This week’s featured pet care video has to do with pet rat care. The video below (produced by the Virginia Network) ... (Rat Lady’s note: This video is okay for the time allowed, although my advice is slightly different, but I’m most disappointed it didn’t mention the need of rats for companionship. Just below this video, however, is one of an interview with me at the Superzoo trade show about the goals of the non-profit RATS!) 11/16/08 Rats Pass the Taste Test Science Now - Washington,DC,USA First the researchers got a rat hungry enough that it would be willing to nibble at some raw cocoa. Then they put another rat in with it so rat number 2 ... 11/15/08 Rats left to die in the cold Winsford Guardian - Northwich,England,UK By Frances Kindon » A BABY rat nearly lost its life to hypothermia after being dumped in Little Budworth with its mother and seven siblings by its cruel ... 11/6/08 Ryn: Three cheers for (eek!) rats Tucson Citizen - Tucson,AZ,USA Rats can be warm, cuddly and easily trainable. With a little bell and a few broken dog biscuits, you can have a rat eating from your hand faster than that ... 11/1/08 Rattie Ratz group matches rats with owners San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA After decades of enduring demeaning expressions such as "rat fink," "drowned rat" and "you dirty rat," that whiskered icon of filth and disease has enjoyed ... 10/18/08 Surf's up for rat-ical rodents Times Online - UK With the help of custom-built foot-long surfboards, the two white rats have been making waves at Hawaii's Laniakea Beach. Trained by 14-year-old Boomer ... (Be sure to click the arrow for the second photo.) 10/12/08 From The Sunday Times Times Online - UK Can you identify these rats? In which books do they appear, and who are the authors? 1He had a brown little face with whiskers and twinkling eyes, ... 10/4/08 Animal magic guardian.co.uk - UK Books define Firmin's life, expand his imagination, infest his dreams and cut him off from his fellow rats, who do not share his literary enthusiasms. ... 9/08 “A Tail of Discovery”, a story about rats in the MENSA Bulletin, the magazine of American MENSA. http://www.artistinsane.com/mensa_article_9-08.htm 9/25/08 Rats to cats and dogs, rodents are a furry favourite The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia Jaimey Unwin takes her rats shopping, even bowling. This week they've gone to the Show. Photo: Angela Wylie JAIMEY Unwin's four rats are more than pets to ... 9/24/08 Rats can sniff out the new cat on the block New Scientist (subscription) - UK Iain McGregor and colleagues from the University of Sydney, Australia, found that rats would stop reacting to the smell of a cat that they had been exposed ... 9/22/08 Building trades exterminate their rat Buffalo News - NY, United States By Matt Glynn NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER Top, scissors are used to cut off parts of the Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council’s inflatable rat, ... 8/27/08 Polegate's rat rescuer The Argus.co.uk - Brighton,UK Emma Dickson spends her spare time caring for 70 mice, between 50 and 60 rats, three gerbils and two guinea pigs. The 22-year-old runs Rodent Rescue from a ... 8/22/08 Rescuing rats a full-time pleasure BBC News - UK From a tiny house in Polegate, near Eastbourne, 22-year-old Emma runs Rodent Rescue which gives a home to unwanted rats, mice and hamsters. ... As pets, girls say, rats are the cat's meow Foster's Daily Democrat - Dover,NH,USA these sisters would reply, "Ooh, rats." Sierra and Hannah Ashley have a cat and a dog. Seven months ago, they acquired two new pets. ... 8/4/08 RSPCA investigate QLD couple over record rat seizure Brisbane Times - Brisbane,Queensland,Australia Animal welfare authorities have confirmed a North Queensland couple is under investigation after more than 600 rats and dogs were seized from a single ... Rats need homes! 7/31/08 Bob Mount: Momma rat prevented chaos Opelika Auburn News - Opelika,AL,USA Last week, I remarked that a tame Norway rat might have saved my career and quite possibly most of my earthly possessions. I’m sure that anyone who read the ... (a rat gets the best of a snake) 7/26/08 Treynor boy's rat wins pet show at Westfair Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs,IA,USA Small household pets are not being left out of the fun, including 12-year-old Tyler Patterson's rat, Cheddar. Cheddar was named Grand Champion of the Small ... 7/25/08 Tails of Marin: It's their year, so why not discover the joy of rats? Marin Independent-Journal - San Rafael,CA,USA New Year celebrations are long gone, but the Year of the Rat is still here, creating the perfect opportunity to celebrate this often overlooked and ... 7/2/08 Know Thyself—Man, Rat or Bot Newsweek - USA In the latest study, scientists tested for introspection in rats. Jonathon Crystal and Allison Foote of the University of Georgia trained rats to push one ... 6/27/08 Award-winning book illustrator reveals her secret: rat pee guardian.co.uk - UK Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears is in fact dedicated to Button and Mr Moo, the rats, now deceased, which obliged the author by passing urine on cue. ... Survivor rats get last laugh on breeder Scene - Queenstown,New Zealand Rat breeder Keitha Webb, 30, left 21 of the critters without food and water for more than two weeks when she moved from her Sidey Street home in ... (Only 6 rats survived, but Webb eventually went to jail.) 6/18/08 Flagstaff startup to test rodent-control technology on rice-field ... Arizona Republic - Phoenix,AZ,USA It will be the first such large-scale chemical-spay experiment on the rice-field rats, which are prolific procreators. A single female rat can have three litters of ... 6/15/08 Festival calls for cozying up to rats Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA Rats aren't usually one of them. Yet acceptance was the central message yesterday at the sixth annual Fab Rat and Animal Friends Festival in South ... 6/12/08 Wanted: Good homes for furry, whiskered creatures (OK, rats) Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA "We had rats everywhere,'' Johnson said. "We had to get the word out." Rat adoptions have since whittled that number to about 70, which is still more than ... 5/28/08 Mother sets up rat club for her 10-year-old son Hunts Post - Huntingdon,England,UK A MOTHER has set up her own club for rat owners after her son became a fan of the pets. Iona Deards, from Buckden, said she had become fed up with taking ... 5/25/08 'Cool Daddy Rat' and 'Bad Rats' San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA Just in time for Father's Day comes the jazzy picture book Cool Daddy Rat by Kristyn Crow, illustrated by Mike Lester (Putnam; 32 pages; $16.99; ages 4-8). ... 4/28/08 All eyes are on flash Harold Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia Harold, a two-year-old black-footed tree rat from Taronga Zoo, had been gradually going blind, but now has new $4500 inplanted lenses… 4/18/08 Loopy rat race marks 36th year Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA Many of the rats were named in keeping with the theme: Won Ton Suzie, Rickshaw Rat, Chop Stick and Top Suey. Each of the 11 rats was trained by teams ... 4/7/08 Rodents' fans pipe up with their pets' rattributes Boston Globe - United States They think of a sewer rat, a junkyard rat," said Barbara Leger, 41, of Salem, who has owned 13 domestic rats, including Tulip, barely 4 inches long (not ... Includes short video. Rat-or-two-ey? Dorset Echo - England,UK By Fiona Pendlebury DOGS have a reputation for being man's best friend but rats could be a strong contender for the title. The highly intelligent creatures ... Help home a rat Daily Echo - Southampton,England,UK THEY have an unfortunate image as dirty, disease-ridden creatures . . . but rats just want to be loved. As today marks the sixth annual World Rat Day, ... 3/26/08 The smell of a rat to catch a rat New Zealand Herald - New Zealand The smell of a lab rat is being used to attract the millions of wild rats that are threatening New Zealand's native species... One of the interesting bits in this article is that scientists walked some of the lab rats on a leash outside to attract a wild rat! 3/18/08 Trash-Talking From the DC Metro? New York Times - United States This text followed: “Unlike some subway systems (which will remain nameless), you don’t see rats the size of house cats roaming the Metro. Why not? ... 3/6/08 At new North Shore Rat Club, owners meet and share information Salem Gazette - MA, USA But they are incredibly proud rat owners — nine rats to be exact. The couple recently formed a Salem-based group called the North Shore Rat Club where ... 2/25/08 Rats galore at humane society Belleville Intelligencer - Belleville,Ontario,Canada What kind of a rat would dump 20 pet rats in a bucket in the doorway of the local humane society? It’s a question that’s vexing workers at the Avonlough Road ... 2/23/08 Year of the (wet) Rat parade for stormy SF San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA A whole bunch of giant rats were getting gussied up…(be sure to click on the photos to see the giant gold rat) 2/21/08 Rescued rat is star attraction Wiltshire Times - UK 2/21/08 Year of the Rat, and why they're such great pets Chilliwack Times - Chilliwack,British Columbia,Canada 2/17/08 Silly Rat Jokes http://www.thestar.com/living/Starship/article/304306 A great 5-minute clip from the TV show Animal Cops San Francisco with an officer rescuing a roof rat from a glue trap. The rat must be in shock because he does not even try to bite. It appears that the officer uses an alcohol-based solvent to remove the glue from the rat, but vegetable oil will remove the glue too. http://animal.discovery.com/beyond/player.html?playerId=203719213&categoryId=210013720&lineupId=37046453&titleId=29691039 12/10/07 A Rat rides on a Cat who rides on a Dog. (Also several other clips of these 3 animals who live with a homeless man in Santa Barbara, CA.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuesBhOR9g 2/13/08 Don’t use glue traps for rats, say animal rights activists 2/6/08 Genetic studies show that most populations of roof rats, also called black rats, (Rattus rattus) originated in India. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm 2/3/08 A blog including photos of Year of the Rat items, including a beautiful Hong Kong stamp. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/redlantern/archives/130935.asp?from=blog_last3 2/3/08 Red rat-motif panties popular (no photo) http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/3/nation/20030007&sec=nation also rat folklore http://thestar.com.my:80/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/2/3/lifefocus/20189942&sec=lifefocus and http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/2/3/lifefocus/20199582&sec=lifefocus 2/3/08 In celebration of The Year of the Rat, The San Francisco Chronicle featured 2 articles: Little known facts about rats (pet rats!) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/03/PK71UGEMH.DTL Rats in the movies http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/03/PK71UGEKS.DTL 1/23/08 Film Ratatouille blamed for unwanted rats Northampton Chronicle & Echo - Northampton,England,UK A county animal charity has blamed a children's film for a big rise in the number of unwanted rats. 12/18/07 Scientists have discovered a new giant rat in the jungles of New Guinea. Very cute! http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/monster-rat-found-in-lost-world-jungle/2007/12/17/1197740165020.html 11/28/07 The November 2007 issue of the BBC Wildlife magazine has a wonderful article about wild rats! The article is very positive about rats and presents them as interesting wild animals, debunking some of the myths about them. The best thing about it though is the photos…amazing and beautiful. One is a full page of a mother rat carrying a baby who looks like she is smiling! You can buy a copy of the magazine at http://www.bbcwildlifemagazine.com/viewIssue.asp?id=880 11/10/07 Where the Rats Come Out to Play New York Times Blogs - New York,NY,USA In City Hall Park, rats scurry about during the day. “At first I thought it was a squirrel,” said one man who was eating his lunch on a bench. ... 8/4/07 A review of the book Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, including an interview with author Jonathan Balcombe, with a good portion about rats. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=10455669 7/10/07 A study shows rats are kind and generous and will work to provide food for other rats. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/science/10rat.html?_r=1&ref=science&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin 7/24/07 A positive article about rats in the New York Times! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/science/24angi.html?em&ex=1185508800&en=4da6c888c62a83a3&ei=5087%0A The Rat Fan Club, 857 Lindo Lane Chico, CA 95973 (530) 899-0605 ratlady@ratfanclub.org Copyright 1999-2014