Day Thirty One

Creepy Crawlies

Even though I'm an animal lover, I had to learn to appreciate some creatures more than others.  For example, I was comfortable around turtles - I had lots of tiny turtles before some stupid kid licked their fingers after playing with theirs and got Salmonella. No more turtles. I had lots of ducks, chickens and rabbits. But I never really wanted a snake as a pet. If I had requested a rat, my father may have considered it but my mother would have vetoed it and had one more reason to want to send me to boarding school.

When I had my own children, I wanted them to appreciate all creatures, whether or not I could be in the same room with them. Like the snake. Our son was about four, and he acquired a snake somehow. I have blocked out the details. Anyway, he was in pre-school at a church. When it was his turn to take something for Show and Tell, he wanted to take his snake. Oddly enough, the snake died overnight at the church/school. I considered it a sign.

Then there were the rats. I worked for a time at our kids' elementary school. One of the teachers, John, was a fellow Pittsburgher, and we became friends. He was a dynamic teacher and all the kids loved him. He had a variety of animals in his classroom, including domestic rats. I would not go into his classroom. So, one day, he announced one of his rats had babies and he needed to find homes for them. I wished him well. Then, he said, "You know, rats are extremely intelligent and make very good pets."  All I could picture was the movie, "Ben." So, this went on for a few days. John would have made a good salesman if he ever tired of teaching. I would have bought a car from him before I would take a rat, however. But he was persistent. And, he started working on my kid. When Andy asked if we could just look at them, I caved. When I opened one eye, I was surprised at how not awful they were. Instead of blackish brown, with red glowing eyes and fangs, they were black and white and very cute.  John handed one to my kid and that was it. We took two.

As it turned out they were quite nice pets. They were smart. And sweet. And one boy, one girl. Soon we, too, had baby rats to find homes for. We also separated the mommy and daddy so there would be no more babies. I was very grateful they were content and well fed, so no one felt the urge to eat the babies. Explaining the miracle of birth to two small kids was enough for this mom. Speaking of parents, the male one never got used to the rats. We would sit at night holding them, with their tails curled around an arm and he would have to leave the room. For some reason, those tails really got to him. If you think about it, a rat is a two-fer - a rodent with a snake attached!  We only did rats that one time. 

Over the years, the kids had quite a variety of exotic pets from hermit crabs to fish and chameleons. The killer bunny was an interesting experience. For some reason, this rabbit was as mean as a badger. It would growl if you came near it! We tried everything but eventually gave up and just let it live out its nasty life in peace. One day, I was cleaning out the garage and thought it would be nice for the bunny to get some sun. Maybe the cage was in the sun too long, or it was just her/his time to go, but it started screaming and ran around the side of the cage like a race car at Indy - then dropped dead!  I mean this was a fitting end to its dramatic life.

We did draw the line at ferrets. Maybe it was because the neighbors across the street had several and they escaped a lot. So, one of their ferrets got loose one day and decided to hide in the drain at the end of our driveway. When my unsuspecting husband took the trash to the curb that night, the sneaky ferret popped out of the drain and ran up his leg! If he was ever going to have a heart attack, that would have been the time. No ferrets for us.

I've said this before, and I'll most likely say it again, and again, living with other creatures is good for kids. It teaches them so many lessons about life. It's important they're taught the proper way to care for whatever creature it is - from not over-feeding the fish, to the right way to hold a puppy or kitten. Your child will receive unconditional love in return and somebody who will be a very good listener.

So cute..

Just one of God's creatures...