Giant Pet Rats Banned in Florida!

By Tuesday June 12, 2007


Pouch Rat

GRASSY KEY, Fla. (AP) – The Gambian pouch rat is no longer welcome in Florida. The state has banned private ownership of the rodent to keep them from escaping or being released into the wild. The rat is one of the largest in the world. Officials say they eat crops and spread the monkeypox virus.

Who would want a giant rat as a pet anyway? And I sure wouldn’t want to catch the Monkeypox Virus as it’s similar to smallpox!
From WINKnews.com.


13 Comments
  1. tallwookie says:
    6/12/2007 at 5:58 am

    the symptoms for monkeypox sound fun – especially the “bumps go through several stages before they get crusty, scab over, and fall off” parts!!

  2. Misanthropic Scott says:
    6/12/2007 at 6:03 am

    I like the rat. But then, I like a lot of wildlife. I don’t, however, think that every cute animal in the world from rat to monkey to leopard to crocodile needs to be someone’s pet. Let’s leave the animals happily in their natural habitat. And, let’s try to leave them as much of their habitat as possible.

  3. RTaylor says:
    6/12/2007 at 6:43 am

    “This is a writ, written for a rat”
    Rooster Cogburn

  4. BubbaRay says:
    6/12/2007 at 6:46 am

    #2, Scott, I agree. I’ve never seen a sugar glider but here we go, scroll down to the middle of the page.

    http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/weird-pets.html

    I’ve got an aquatic frog that is near Guinness World Record status, raised him from a tadpole, Kermit is 22 years old and has traveled thousands of miles. 🙂

  5. Misanthropic Scott says:
    6/12/2007 at 8:57 am

    #3 – RTaylor,

    A writ written for a rat writ large, methinks.

    #4 – BubbaRay,

    I’d love to meet Kermit. Sounds cute. What species? (I’ll have to tell my wife about that. She’s the real frog lover in the family.)

  6. BubbaRay says:
    6/12/2007 at 10:41 am

    #5, Scott,

    We got this frog as a tadpole in 1985 as a project for my (then) six year old daughter. Now she’s 28 and guess who’s taking care of the frog? Could it be –ME–?

    The company is still in business and the project is called “Grow A Frog”. He still sings every day, very soothing.

    http://www.nature-gifts.com/grow-a-live-frog.html

  7. mark says:
    6/12/2007 at 11:00 am

    6. I thought you were kidding, now I know your just CRAZY : )

  8. OhForTheLoveOf says:
    6/12/2007 at 11:51 am

    #4 – That page lists Ferrets, Snakes, and snake food.

  9. BubbaRay says:
    6/12/2007 at 1:03 pm

    #7, #8, A “sugar glider?” I don’t have any of those weird pets (well, except for Kermit and two cats who are entertained daily by his antics and singing). And yes, I am crazy for letting my daughter get away with making me take care of the little guy. Hello, Guinness Book of World Records.

    Some folks have aquariums, I end up with a 22 year old science fair project.

  10. Improbus says:
    6/12/2007 at 3:03 pm

    And I sure wouldn’t want to catch the Monkeypox Virus as it’s similar to smallpox!

    If you get monkeypox you are less likely to die when a terrorist group re-releases smallpox upon the world. If I remember correctly the vaccine for smallpox is made from dead monkeypox.

  11. MG says:
    6/12/2007 at 3:09 pm

    [Double post. – ed.]

  12. MG says:
    6/12/2007 at 3:10 pm

    Good thing I don’t live in Florida or I would have to turn in my ROUS collection.

    Inconceivable!

  13. Angel H. Wong says:
    6/12/2007 at 5:15 pm

    Do you think Taco Bell is behind this giant rat ban?


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