5 ms·

Rat Tickling

98 points by type0 5y ago

jonpalmisc 5y ago
> An online course created by Dr Megan LaFollette and colleagues (funded by AWI) allowing you to become certified in the correct rat tickling technique. For anyone interested in getting certified: https://storage.googleapis.com/ecourses/Rat%20Tickling%20Certification/story_html5.html https://storage.googleapis.com/ecourses/Rat%20Tickling%20Cer... This seems like it would certainly be a fun résumé item to have.
- beaconstudios 5y ago
  I was thinking the same myself, until I saw it was a 2-hour course. Now I'm just considering whether I'm invested enough in the joke. [edit] https://imgur.com/a/EUXC4A5 https://imgur.com/a/EUXC4A5
  - turtlegrids 5y ago
    You, sir/ma'am, are an inspiration. brb in a couple hours.
  - jonpalmisc 5y ago
    Update: It's a good day to be a certified rat-tickler. https://imgur.com/a/WZdpTKl https://imgur.com/a/WZdpTKl
    - beaconstudios 5y ago
      there are literally dozens of us!
  - GloriousKoji 5y ago
    If I ever become famous and am featured in an interview I'll be sure to mention you as someone who actually inspired me to directly achieve something.
alan-crowe 5y ago
There is not just tickling, there is also bruxing and boggling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S8PX5UDrk0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S8PX5UDrk0
- goldenkey 5y ago
  How soothing. Rats are so zen.
vgeek 5y ago
The last time I tried tickling a rat, I was asked to leave Disneyland.
geocrasher 5y ago
Weirdest euphemism ever.
civilized 5y ago
I'm relieved that this is about literal rat tickling and isn't a cutesy name for some technical programming or Agile or Scrum thing.
- jareklupinski 5y ago
  it sounds like what happens right after yak shaving
  - siltpotato 5y ago
emptysongglass 5y ago
I have five rats and I've tried variations of this tickling technique on them both dorsal and ventral and they do not like it. They don't come back looking for more tickles, in fact they actively avoid it. If you're wondering if I then continued this torment, no. I stopped with only an occasional revisit to see if my technique had improved. Maybe the rats need to be tickled from an earlier age? I don't know.
- keyanp 5y ago
  Yes, juvenile rats respond better to tickling and tickling just after weaning will get the best results. Starting tickling past 3 months of age is harder and there is less research on it. That said, some rats just don't respond well to tickling so if you see obvious negative behavior after 2-3 sessions then you should stop trying. Source: Recently certified rat tickler (proof: https://imgur.com/rzdvf61 https://imgur.com/rzdvf61)
cies 5y ago
Poor animals. Locked up in small confinements. Tormented. Bred as we see fit, killed as we see fit, experimented on as we see fit (but it's for Science!). There's quite some research to prove the whole animal testing is now mainly done for compliance reasons, that for their actual benefit is preventing bad stuff to happen to humans. I hope one day we can do (largely) without test-animals.
- rhaps0dy 5y ago
  I agree. The treatment of animals destined to be eaten is way worse, as well. You should consider going vegan.
  - cies 5y ago
    > You should consider going vegan. I am. Obviously. And it's so easy not to contribute to the demise of animal individuals, that I dont understand so many humans do not seem to care.
- kypro 5y ago
  I love rodents and as someone who's owned rodents (and has had problems with mice and rats in the past) I'm always shocked at how social and intelligent they are. I do think it's sad how dismissive people are about testing on rodents because they're often viewed as dirty, stupid animals because that's not true. That said, I do prefer rodent testing over testing on primates which I find horrifying in most cases. One thing that gives me some peace is knowing how hard natural lives are for these animals. It's not like rodents have a particularly pain-free, happy life in the wild. I think a better solution than avoiding animal testing all together is just to ensure that the majority of them have good lives.
  - goldenkey 5y ago
    That doesn't give me peace at all. We can not ameliorate the torturous acts we commit by making comparisons to the worst natural scenarios. Santa doesn't exist and we are dirty, stupid monsters.
- 5y ago
bdsa 5y ago
Did you see Daniel Sloss last night?
hazza_n_dazza 5y ago
This is to raise awareness for the mistreatment of rats in laboratory research situations.

98 points by type0 5y ago

> An online course created by Dr Megan LaFollette and colleagues (funded by AWI) allowing you to become certified in the correct rat tickling technique. For anyone interested in getting certified: https://storage.googleapis.com/ecourses/Rat%20Tickling%20Certification/story_html5.html https://storage.googleapis.com/ecourses/Rat%20Tickling%20Cer... This seems like it would certainly be a fun résumé item to have.

beaconstudios 5y ago
I was thinking the same myself, until I saw it was a 2-hour course. Now I'm just considering whether I'm invested enough in the joke. [edit] https://imgur.com/a/EUXC4A5 https://imgur.com/a/EUXC4A5
- turtlegrids 5y ago
  You, sir/ma'am, are an inspiration. brb in a couple hours.
- jonpalmisc 5y ago
  Update: It's a good day to be a certified rat-tickler. https://imgur.com/a/WZdpTKl https://imgur.com/a/WZdpTKl
  - beaconstudios 5y ago
    there are literally dozens of us!
- GloriousKoji 5y ago
  If I ever become famous and am featured in an interview I'll be sure to mention you as someone who actually inspired me to directly achieve something.

alan-crowe 5y ago

There is not just tickling, there is also bruxing and boggling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S8PX5UDrk0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S8PX5UDrk0

goldenkey 5y ago
How soothing. Rats are so zen.

vgeek 5y ago

The last time I tried tickling a rat, I was asked to leave Disneyland.

geocrasher 5y ago

Weirdest euphemism ever.

civilized 5y ago

I'm relieved that this is about literal rat tickling and isn't a cutesy name for some technical programming or Agile or Scrum thing.

jareklupinski 5y ago
it sounds like what happens right after yak shaving
- siltpotato 5y ago

emptysongglass 5y ago

I have five rats and I've tried variations of this tickling technique on them both dorsal and ventral and they do not like it. They don't come back looking for more tickles, in fact they actively avoid it. If you're wondering if I then continued this torment, no. I stopped with only an occasional revisit to see if my technique had improved. Maybe the rats need to be tickled from an earlier age? I don't know.

keyanp 5y ago
Yes, juvenile rats respond better to tickling and tickling just after weaning will get the best results. Starting tickling past 3 months of age is harder and there is less research on it. That said, some rats just don't respond well to tickling so if you see obvious negative behavior after 2-3 sessions then you should stop trying. Source: Recently certified rat tickler (proof: https://imgur.com/rzdvf61 https://imgur.com/rzdvf61)

cies 5y ago

Poor animals. Locked up in small confinements. Tormented. Bred as we see fit, killed as we see fit, experimented on as we see fit (but it's for Science!). There's quite some research to prove the whole animal testing is now mainly done for compliance reasons, that for their actual benefit is preventing bad stuff to happen to humans. I hope one day we can do (largely) without test-animals.

rhaps0dy 5y ago
I agree. The treatment of animals destined to be eaten is way worse, as well. You should consider going vegan.
- cies 5y ago
  > You should consider going vegan. I am. Obviously. And it's so easy not to contribute to the demise of animal individuals, that I dont understand so many humans do not seem to care.
kypro 5y ago
I love rodents and as someone who's owned rodents (and has had problems with mice and rats in the past) I'm always shocked at how social and intelligent they are. I do think it's sad how dismissive people are about testing on rodents because they're often viewed as dirty, stupid animals because that's not true. That said, I do prefer rodent testing over testing on primates which I find horrifying in most cases. One thing that gives me some peace is knowing how hard natural lives are for these animals. It's not like rodents have a particularly pain-free, happy life in the wild. I think a better solution than avoiding animal testing all together is just to ensure that the majority of them have good lives.
- goldenkey 5y ago
  That doesn't give me peace at all. We can not ameliorate the torturous acts we commit by making comparisons to the worst natural scenarios. Santa doesn't exist and we are dirty, stupid monsters.
5y ago

bdsa 5y ago

Did you see Daniel Sloss last night?

hazza_n_dazza 5y ago

This is to raise awareness for the mistreatment of rats in laboratory research situations.