Unpopular and Maligned Animals

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by starryeyes

I have a pet ferret named Smokey. I live in California where they are illegal and not of the norm. When I tell people about him, people always freak. They say ferrets are "baby killers" and will chew the fingers and noses off babies. I don't understand where this comes from. My ferret sleeps in his hammock all day, plays with my dogs, snuggles with me, watches me take a shower (lol) and is just a pleasant little cutie. Are these "baby killer" rumors true?? I have never seen anything in print that would justify them.

Cats also have this stigma. They are rumored to steal the breath of newborn babies.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/catsuck.asp

Originally Posted by Apocalipstic

I am moved to hear that rats have empathy. So cute.

I recently learned armadillos carry Leprosy...I had no idea. With the weather changes they are arriving in TN in larger numbers now.

Possums do creep me out, I admit. One lives behind our apartment and my roommate screams her head off every time it peers in our window. Big Butch girl meltdowns crack me UP!

Bugs? Our once every 13 year cicada infestations creep me out, but individual bugs I just leave alone mostly. After living in South America and Texas, our TN bugs seem kind of insignificant.

A coworker had a pet praying mantis until it flew off a d a bird ate it.

I had a praying mantis! She was awesome. She was quiet and required little care and Hell, any creature that rips the heads off of its mate is kind of cool in my book, not that I recommend that for us humans.

Originally Posted by RiverBoi

Bats would fit into this category. I personally think that they are kinda cute. AND I love the fact that they eat mosquito's (which is a WONDERFUL friend to have in the south) Bat's eat around 250,000 pounds of insects a night. I suppose many people are scared of them due to rabies or Ozzy lol. I haven't heard of a rabid bat swarm, targeting humans however.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-...17_1_bat-house

http://blog.liveattheorchard.com/fil...ustin-bats.jpg

Originally Posted by kannon

It's a baby gargoyle! Okay, not really but it does kind of look like it.