The Return of Sparkling Adventures - Merge

[blatantlyeggplant]

Yeah, I'm a vegetarian who tries to keep vegan, and my diet is primarily coffee, alcohol, and popcorn. So I agree with you. Vegan =/= healthy.

People who think "vegan" and "healthy" are synonymous drive me crazy. The example I like to give is this fast food chain we have here in Melbourne, called Lord of the Fries. They sell burgers, fries, poutine, hot dogs, etc and it's all vegetarian and most things have a vegan option. There is not a single thing on the menu that is close to healthy.

Also, I wonder who specialises in non-yummy food.

[ladyaudley]

Also, I wonder who specialises in non-yummy food.

Scottish take-aways ^^

[August]

If you saute'd practically anything with garlic and a shitload of butter it would be awesome . . . .

I mean snails? Frogs' legs? (Both of which I've eaten and enjoyed, but which tasted mostly of garlic and butter.)

Can I just eat the garlic and butter?

[Trudestar]

From Lauren's Facebook:

:oops:

I....I give up. I got nothing.

The mind boggles. I'm actually stuck for words too.

All I can think of is rat poo everywhere, food nibbled, and well.... Nothing good. :angry-banghead:

[truthseeker]

The mind boggles. I'm actually stuck for words too.

All I can think of is rat poo everywhere, food nibbled, and well.... Nothing good. :angry-banghead:

And are we saying "getting" as in getting a domesticated, parasite-free pet rat, or just taking advantage of the wild kind that moved into the van while they were in Bali??????

I'm picturing the difficulties in even driving safely with something like wandering around under the pedals. I'm confident that cages would be out of the question ...

[ladyaudley]

It'll be fun to watch her try and rationalise rat-bite fever away. Surprised none of the girls have tetanus, tbh

[tankgirl]

Seriously, a rat ugh! While they can be awesome pets, they also have a very strong smelling urine, that would be ever so fun in a small environment like a bus. They require some training to use a litter box, or a freed rat will just piss on everything, I am not expecting good training here. They are chewers, so that will be swell, and where the hell would they even put a decent size cage, unless she is going to go the reverse and get some dinky little cage. It will be so nasty in that van very shortly. Poor kids and poor little ratty. JUST ugh!! :angry-banghead: :cray-cray: :wtf:

[martian]

Oh, I know. But considering how bad Lauren is at even feeding her own children when she isn't mooching off others, I don't see pets getting treated much better. Also slightly terrified at the idea of the rat nibbling quietly away at whatever holds up their hammock at night.

I don't really see them getting a cage/basket/other poo-ing place for the rat, either. Hygienic!

If the rat is well cared for it will be in stark contrast to how the children are treated. How exactly would Lauren explain to the girls the responsibilities of being caregiver for another living thing? That all creatures need loving attention, regular meals of appropriate food, plenty of clean water, a clean home and place to sleep and that it is their responsibility to provide those things? I wonder if Lauren has the self-awareness to find that conversation awkward and if some of the girls are old enough to find it ironic.

I'm suddenly reminded of how, in the U.S., in the first case of child abuse to make it to court, it was the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that advocated for the child.

[tankgirl]

Ewwww just had a realization, Lauren has her kids all free range on food, unless the rat is caged, it will most likely be walking all over and helping itself to the fruit she leaves out for the kids. Great, now the kids have to fight a rat(s) for their own food, that image just pushes the level of horror to a new level. Again, while I love rats, I would never get a pet of that sort in their situation, in fact I think a nice digital animal is the only way to go for them. Now if we could just substitute Laurens kids out with robots and get those kids into a healthy and happy environment. UGh!

[lilith]

I'm sure Lauren will grow bored and "gift" the rat to another family soon enough.

[happy atheist]

Assuming it lives that long, what will she do with the rat the next time she jets off to Bali for a month? Does Australia have rat kennels?

I imagine she thinks she'll just take it as a carry-on, and won't understand the airline's refusal to allow it.

[ladyaudley]

Assuming it lives that long, what will she do with the rat the next time she jets off to Bali for a month? Does Australia have rat kennels?

I imagine she thinks she'll just take it as a carry-on, and won't understand the airline's refusal to allow it.

She'll hide it in her sparkly dreads, pirate captain style.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I hope its an actual pet rat and not something they found rummaging through some trash somewhere which probably has diseases.

She can barely look after her children, let alone a pet.

[Shoes Grace]

If it's winter in Oz, I predict there will be a dead rat in the engine compartment within two weeks. Probably curled up next to the radiator or right on the engine coil, where it'll be warm even after the bus stops.

[ThatSnark]

From Lauren's Facebook:

I had not been waiting for confirmation that she was completely crazy. I felt like I already had that.

[CheeseDeprived]

Scottish take-aways ^^

And Kale farmers. :P

I'm surprised they're getting a pet. How unauthentic. :mouse-shock:

[miffy]

If it's winter in Oz, I predict there will be a dead rat in the engine compartment within two weeks. Probably curled up next to the radiator or right on the engine coil, where it'll be warm even after the bus stops.

My sister had a rat set up house in her car. It was noice!

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

22 & gorgeous & sunny here in Syd today. That said it was 11 when I left for work. And as previous poster said it does cool down quickly.

[miffy]

Melbourne is cold & wind. Ick!

I'm kind of glad its a rat. Rats are better at fending for themselves & not getting run over. I don't think a truly domesticated pet would have a very long life with Lauren in charge.

[Flossie]

I've seen irresponsible parents give their equally irresponsible kids pets before and it usually doesn't turn out well:

A friend of mine years ago bought her daughter a white rat and it disappeared the very first day. She let her daughter take it outside to play with it in one of those plastic balls that are supposed to let rodents move around safely. But the rat couldn't get the ball to move because it was on the grass, so the girl got bored and took it out to start handing it around to her friends. Eventually someone just put it down and forgot about it. Poor thing was last seen in the mouth of one of the neighbor's 15 cats. They owned that rat for exactly two hours.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

I know people say that rats can make good pets, but OMG, do they gross me right the fuck out.

[miffy]

I know people say that rats can make good pets, but OMG, do they gross me right the fuck out.

I convinced myself some time ago that merely breathing the same air as a rodent would make me get hantavirus & die. So yeah, i'd never have one as a pet. Plus the smell. :ew: I'd rather a fluffy little bunny if I was looking for a small pet that doesn't make constant demands about food & meddle with my stuff.

[August]

22 & gorgeous & sunny here in Syd today. That said it was 11 when I left for work. And as previous poster said it does cool down quickly.

Are you prepared for that drop to 11 degrees? Do you have enough salt? One of those collapsible shovels to keep in the car in case a parking space needs digging out? Grips to attach to the bottom of your shoes? Down underpants?

:D

[ladyaudley]

I convinced myself some time ago that merely breathing the same air as a rodent would make me get hantavirus & die. So yeah, i'd never have one as a pet. Plus the smell. :ew: I'd rather a fluffy little bunny if I was looking for a small pet that doesn't make constant demands about food & meddle with my stuff.

Rodentia and Lagomorpha are of the same clade, Glires. Not much difference between the two ;)

[miffy]

Rodentia and Lagomorpha are of the same clade, Glires. Not much difference between the two ;)

Noooo, don't say that. I'm completely unreasonable and paranoid as it is.