Probably something other than gps, because that doesnt work when under a bunch of rubble. Well thats what i assume because gps doesnt even work inside uncollapsed buildings.
They also can detect mines and have been highly successful in saving countless limbs/lives in that field too(no pun intended).
https://apopo.org/?v=0b3b97fa6688
Thank you for writing more about APOPO. My wife and I don't gift each other things anymore. We choose a nonprofit to donate to on Christmas, anniversary, or birthdays. APOPO will be on my list.
Thanks for the link. This is really cool work! Search and pre-rescue rats are a small part of what Apopo does: they mostly do unexploded mine clearance and tuberculosis detection! 😳
I love this statue! It's in Novosibirsk. I've always wanted to go there and see it in real life. Once the war is finally over and Russia is free again I'll pay a visit to that little rodent.
Jokes aside, I do believe in a better future. As bleak as everything looks, I strongly want to believe that all the amazing people I've met who want change can achieve it. Even if chances aren't great, I do believe it is possible. After all, what life is left inside you if you decide to not have hope?
I had companion rats. I had 7 of them (almost all rescued). they’re smart little guys. they can be toilet trained and you can teach them all sorts of tricks. I miss my rats :(
it sucks that animals that can be SO affectionate (they pee on you to claim you as theirs lol) only live for 2-3 years, 4 if you're really really really lucky. It sucks :/
I assume you didn't get new ones because there is no replacement for the band of 7 that you initially had?
I had that with my cat. He lived for 21 years, we got him when I was in kindergarten. I could not imagine getting a new cat. I miss him, but I don't miss having a cat, I miss this cat. I'm not sure if it is better or worse the longer the lifespan is, I imagine losing a beloved pet after 3 years is brutal.
I didn’t get anymore because my poor heart couldn’t take losing a loved companion after only a couple years :(. I won’t get any more rats. my heart can’t take the loss
Could you imagine? You're trapped after an earthquake, and convinced you're going to die, and a little rat comes up, and you begin to get scared he's going to chew on your face, but he hands you a Bluetooth earpiece, and scurries off to get his treat. You pop it in your ear, and your rescuers are on the other end!
I'd want to meet that rat when it was over. Give him an entire granola bar.
if you get rats, you can’t have just one. they’re highly social and need other rats. two is the absolute minimum, but three is better. please don’t get just one. it’s cruel.
eta: also, they need a big cage. since they’ll be spending 20-23 hours a day in it, they need a lot of space. those little hamster cages won’t do (they’re too small for hamsters too tbh). the king of rat cages is the double critter nation. I had one. it was epic. they had soooo much room
they also need at LEAST one hour of playtime outside of the cage. but that’s just the minimum. if you can give them more, that’s even better.
sorry for the rant. a lot of people don’t realise how to PROPERLY look after rats. also, I’m highly passionate about rats and giving them best life possible, and since they only live a few short years, you will want to give them the best lif le possible
Kind of true, but it's more like an ant scent marking. They know this is a place that's safe (rats have been here). With good absorbent natural substrate in the cage, and wiping down their free roam area if needed, it's mostly unnoticeable. I like to compare it to a person needing to change their t-shirt every day, probably not a deal-breaker for interacting, unless you don't clean for way too long.
It's not "kind of true", they mark scent with urine. And they'll mark all their cage mates too, and that includes their human.
But yes, rats are tiny and don't pee on your house much, that's true. They also absolutely have bladders (what a weird myth that is) and almost always potty train themselves to do most of their urinating in certain spots when not marking scent.
45 Comments
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world · 141 pts · 182d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_laboratory_mouse
The mice get all the good statues.
ada@piefed.blahaj.zone · 66 pts · 182d
What's in the backpack?!
fossilesque@mander.xyz · 69 pts · 182d
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 37 pts · 182d
Probably something other than gps, because that doesnt work when under a bunch of rubble. Well thats what i assume because gps doesnt even work inside uncollapsed buildings.
fossilesque@mander.xyz · 42 pts · 182d
CluckN@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 182d
C4
SincerityIsCool@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 182d
Some sort of signal emitter maybe? So the rescue team knows to look where the hero rat triggered it.
bampop@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 182d
I do hope it has a little speaker that says "don't worry human, help is on its way" in a cute high pitched voice.
IntriguedIceberg@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 182d
Its little lunch and a sweater the doc packed in case it's cold.
Fizz@lemmy.nz · 7 pts · 182d
Cheese
FlowerFan@piefed.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 182d
My guess would be an accelerometer. Then you can plot out the mouses path and get the location of the person
Seaguy05@lemmy.world · 65 pts · 182d
They also can detect mines and have been highly successful in saving countless limbs/lives in that field too(no pun intended). https://apopo.org/?v=0b3b97fa6688
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de · 17 pts · 182d
Everyone needs to consider donating to them!
I have a monthly donation set up with them and get a monthly report how many mines a rat managed to find
They were also hit quite hard by the usaid shutdown, so they really can use any help they can get
Also: !petrats@lemmy.world needs more activity
frog@feddit.uk · 8 pts · 182d
Thank you for writing more about APOPO. My wife and I don't gift each other things anymore. We choose a nonprofit to donate to on Christmas, anniversary, or birthdays. APOPO will be on my list.
Really cool.
Seaguy05@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 181d
That is a great idea!!
spinne@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 182d
Thanks for the link. This is really cool work! Search and pre-rescue rats are a small part of what Apopo does: they mostly do unexploded mine clearance and tuberculosis detection! 😳
herseycokguzelolacak@lemmy.ml · 52 pts · 182d
Here is a lovely statue of a rat knitting DNA:
We owe a lot to rats.
volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz · 15 pts · 182d
I love this statue! It's in Novosibirsk. I've always wanted to go there and see it in real life. Once the war is finally over and Russia is free again I'll pay a visit to that little rodent.
Dasus@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 182d
I really wish that will happen as well, but when has Russia actually been free?
volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 181d
Sure, somewhen like 7000bc at least
Jokes aside, I do believe in a better future. As bleak as everything looks, I strongly want to believe that all the amazing people I've met who want change can achieve it. Even if chances aren't great, I do believe it is possible. After all, what life is left inside you if you decide to not have hope?
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 182d
That is a mouse.
Most research is in mouse models.
osanna@thebrainbin.org · 39 pts · 182d
I had companion rats. I had 7 of them (almost all rescued). they’re smart little guys. they can be toilet trained and you can teach them all sorts of tricks. I miss my rats :(
scbasteve@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 182d
I have three right now. Theyre very sweet little guys with intense personality. It should be a crime how little their life span is.
osanna@thebrainbin.org · 21 pts · 182d
it sucks that animals that can be SO affectionate (they pee on you to claim you as theirs lol) only live for 2-3 years, 4 if you're really really really lucky. It sucks :/
volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 182d
I assume you didn't get new ones because there is no replacement for the band of 7 that you initially had?
I had that with my cat. He lived for 21 years, we got him when I was in kindergarten. I could not imagine getting a new cat. I miss him, but I don't miss having a cat, I miss this cat. I'm not sure if it is better or worse the longer the lifespan is, I imagine losing a beloved pet after 3 years is brutal.
osanna@thebrainbin.org · 17 pts · 182d
I didn’t get anymore because my poor heart couldn’t take losing a loved companion after only a couple years :(. I won’t get any more rats. my heart can’t take the loss
WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today · 9 pts · 182d
Elf and human situation.
ouRKaoS@lemmy.today · 21 pts · 182d
Me in collapsed building, seeing a rat with a backpack:
HOLY SHIT; NIMH IS REAL!?
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 182d
... Yes nimh is real. It's based on the real nimh!
Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca · 20 pts · 182d
They should train them to bring down a little can on a string so you can talk to them 😂
RamenJunkie@midwest.social · 10 pts · 182d
I mean, you joke, but you couod probabky kit them out with a small Bluetooth earbud to pass off.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 18 pts · 182d
Could you imagine? You're trapped after an earthquake, and convinced you're going to die, and a little rat comes up, and you begin to get scared he's going to chew on your face, but he hands you a Bluetooth earpiece, and scurries off to get his treat. You pop it in your ear, and your rescuers are on the other end!
I'd want to meet that rat when it was over. Give him an entire granola bar.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 182d
I'm sorry but "rat backpack"? You should have said rat pack as part of a rat patrol.
billwashere@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 182d
I don’t get the hate on rats. This little guy is adorable.
Etterra@discuss.online · 4 pts · 181d
Clearly you've never been mugged by one in Chicago. We grow em extra big here.
bryndos@fedia.io · 9 pts · 182d
They can also train turtles to do ninjitsu.
postnataldrip@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 182d
Gotta love a heroic snotpest
Cattail@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 182d
Now if only we could get that rat past Israeli blockade 🇵🇸
maplesaga@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 182d
I was considering owning one, but then I read they continuously piss everywhere.
osanna@thebrainbin.org · 20 pts · 182d
if you get rats, you can’t have just one. they’re highly social and need other rats. two is the absolute minimum, but three is better. please don’t get just one. it’s cruel.
eta: also, they need a big cage. since they’ll be spending 20-23 hours a day in it, they need a lot of space. those little hamster cages won’t do (they’re too small for hamsters too tbh). the king of rat cages is the double critter nation. I had one. it was epic. they had soooo much room
they also need at LEAST one hour of playtime outside of the cage. but that’s just the minimum. if you can give them more, that’s even better.
sorry for the rant. a lot of people don’t realise how to PROPERLY look after rats. also, I’m highly passionate about rats and giving them best life possible, and since they only live a few short years, you will want to give them the best lif le possible
how_we_burned@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 181d
You can toilet train rats.
https://youtu.be/2O7Yh9qfejs
The worse part of owning rats is they only last for 3 years.
And yes as others have advised, get two unless you plan to have your little fella on you for like 15 you're a day
ThanksForAllTheFish@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 182d
Kind of true, but it's more like an ant scent marking. They know this is a place that's safe (rats have been here). With good absorbent natural substrate in the cage, and wiping down their free roam area if needed, it's mostly unnoticeable. I like to compare it to a person needing to change their t-shirt every day, probably not a deal-breaker for interacting, unless you don't clean for way too long.
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 182d
It's not "kind of true", they mark scent with urine. And they'll mark all their cage mates too, and that includes their human.
But yes, rats are tiny and don't pee on your house much, that's true. They also absolutely have bladders (what a weird myth that is) and almost always potty train themselves to do most of their urinating in certain spots when not marking scent.
lvxferre@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 182d
Triumph@fedia.io · 3 pts · 181d
Which means they're food driven, which means you can teach them tricks using special food rewards (different from their regular food).
lvxferre@mander.xyz · 1 pts · 181d
drewaustin@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 182d
I want that job!
KoboldCoterie@pawb.social · 2 pts · 182d
#Hero Snot Pests
Etterra@discuss.online · 1 pts · 181d
I'd start wondering if I was dead and hell was a RL Disney remake.