• SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      15·
      2 months ago

      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

    • spinnetrouble@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      9·
      2 months ago

      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! 😳

  • Pyr@lemmy.caEnglish
    18·
    2 months ago

    They should train them to bring down a little can on a string so you can talk to them 😂

    • ThanksForAllTheFish@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      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.worksEnglish
        12·
        2 months ago

        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 you and 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.