Queensland rodent fanciers at 2018 Pet expo

Written by Lincoln Pedersen
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What a day! Here I was thinking that 2017's Pet Expo couldn’t be topped but I stand corrected. 2018 was amazing! Here are a few of my highlights of the day (Not including lunch, which was AMAZING!).

Having over heard one person telling their child that rats are vermin, my response, grab their attention and express how amazing our little guys are. The person came closer to my surprise and we got talking, and surprisingly enough the person listened to me and even had a pat of a few (highlight #1).

The amount of people that swarm the cages and us during lunch and just after is overwhelming and all the children asking some wonderful questions. One child was asking me some ridiculous questions and the parent said “Now *so and so* think before you ask a question.” Children come out with some great things – (highlight #2).

Seeing the mums and dads embrace our small friends even though they themselves have a fear just to prove to their child/ren that there’s nothing to be frightened of – (highlight #3).

Last but not least being able to say “come a long to a show,” and their reaction to finding out that there will be a hall full of these amazing little creatures is absolutely amazing and what I as a member of QRF look forward to, and additionally when we get a message from a person we have met that day on Facebook thanking us for a wonderful job at the expo and that they themselves are looking forward to coming to show is satisfying – (Highlight #4).
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It truly amazes me how many adults say that they have had a rat or mouse when they were younger but still grimace at the sight of a rat with pink eyes!
In conclusion, I very much look forward to 2019 Pet expo and meeting a whole bunch of new individuals who hopefully one day feel the same way that I do about rats and mice.