# Holy shit! My pet rat ate my dead skin! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727 "2002-08-07T07:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/1 "2002-08-07T07:06:10Z")
I had let her out to run around the room and get some exercies. I was ambsentmindedly peeling off huge swathes of skin from an incredible sunburn I got on my legs a week ago, and rolling it into balls. (Hey, I know this is gross, but there was nobody else home. What do YOU do when no one else is around?) Then I looked down and saw her FEASTING on one of the little balls of my dead skin! She seemed to be enjoying it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/2 "2002-08-07T07:34:52Z")
I’d sleep lightly from now on, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/3 "2002-08-07T10:19:28Z")
I had a parrot once that also liked the taste of peeled-off human skin. Actually, he probably would have liked it while it was still attached, but that’s not the sort of thing you encourage in a pet. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/4 "2002-08-07T12:18:48Z")
The only fun part of a sunburn: peeling! Especially if you can get it to come off in nice big sheets. Disgusting yet satisfying. As for the rat eating it, that’s pretty gross, but why not? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/5 "2002-08-07T12:38:14Z")
So. Somebody named **Lizard** sheds his skin, huh? And saves it. And has a pet rat. And _feeds_ the rat on the skin he has shed. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/6 "2002-08-07T15:18:28Z")
Heh. I never thought of that; “Lizard” shedding his skin. But I might point out that she went and helped herself. I didn’t deliberately feed it to her. Maybe she’s messecd up in the head. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/7 "2002-08-07T16:36:46Z")
I dunno, **Lizard** , the rat that passed away recently used to “groom” my hands by nibbling delicately at the backs of them; I have to admit I always kind of assumed he was getting some dead skin when he did that. Besides - she probably didn’t know it was your skin; it just smelled like meat ( :eek: ) to her… ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/8 "2002-08-07T16:45:39Z")
You win Lizard. I was hungry for lunch, but I think I’ll go puke my brains out instead. The idea of a rat running around eating skin that you just leave laying on your floor is just too… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/9 "2002-08-07T17:33:48Z")
Er. Yuk. So tell me Lizard, when the rat is large enough, do you unhinge your lower jaw and swallow it whole? That’d teach it to eat your skin! ---
**Author:** ![ratty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ccd318/32.png) [@ratty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratty)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/10 "2002-08-07T23:21:53Z")
Okay guys, it seems sorta gross, but let’s think about this rationally. Skin comes off of you all day long. It’s usually in tiny, near-microscopic bits, so I suppose not seeing it makes it somehow better. But you do see it when it piles up as dust- yes, almost 70% of the dust in your house is composed of dried human skin. And the shed exoskeletons of the mites that eat your dead skin. And the mite’s poop. (Allergies, anyone?) So along comes a rat, very similar to a human insofar as both are omnivorous and prone to scavenging. Rat eats skin sheets from shedding, sunburnt human. It’s food, for god’s sake! (To the rat, anyway.) Now, while I do not advise feeding shed human skin to any of your pets, taken rationally, this is not actually an unusual or really that gross a thing for an animal to do. Think about it- most humans eat meat. If you were tooling along and came across a big slab of prime-rib, would you not eat it? Do you not pay for the privilege of eating other creature’s skin? Do you not wear their skin on a regular basis? I’m not trying to be a smart ass, but it’s always confused me why something is gross if another species does it, but completely normal for a human. Can anyone explain? ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/11 "2002-08-07T23:27:13Z")
When I have a sunburn I peel off large pieces of skin and feed it to my dog. Hey, she seems to enjoy it – who am I to deny her? ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/12 "2002-08-08T03:43:04Z")
I have fed hemo skin to my rat also. And started a thread on it a few moths ago. Everyone thought Finnegin would do me in while I slept. It was then that the february crash happened and my computer broke and I didn’t post for about 3 months. Don’t frighten us Lizard. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/13 "2002-08-08T04:10:53Z")
I used to catch my cat’s fleas, rich with his blood, and feed them back to him. He loved eating the fleas! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/14 "2002-08-08T22:45:03Z")
I think **Bryan Ekers** is right. Once a pet has eaten human flesh… ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/15 "2002-08-09T01:45:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ratty \* > \*\*Do you not pay for the privilege of eating other creature’s skin? Do you not wear their skin on a regular basis? > > I’m not trying to be a smart ass, but it’s always confused me why something is gross if another species does it, but completely normal for a human. > \*\* I think the difference **ratty** (gosh, what an ironic name) is that his is HUMAN fleshe we’re talking about. Nobody eats human flesh or wears human skin, anymore than there’s a difference between seeing marilyn Monroe naked and seeing your mother naked. It’s all in the feelings you assign to things. Even so, I wasn’t as grossed out as it might seem. It sure took me by surprise, though. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/16 "2002-08-09T01:58:45Z")
I guess it’s the idea of someone sitting around, peeling their skin off, leaving it to just lay on the floor and then watching a FREE ROAMING RAT (I don’t care if it’s domesticated or not) eat it. It just…seems…Silence of the Lambs-ish. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/17 "2002-08-09T07:01:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\*I guess it’s the idea of someone sitting around, peeling their skin off, leaving it to just lay on the floor and then watching a FREE ROAMING RAT (I don’t care if it’s domesticated or not) eat it. > It just…seems…Silence of the Lambs-ish. \*\* Thanx **jarbaby**. Now I know what to tell my next blind date:[deep, faintly British voice]I’m told I’m just like Hannibal Lecter.[/deep, faintly British voice] They should be impressed as hell! 😃 But seriously, that was the mother of all sunburns. I’ve been peeling over about 20% of my body for more almost week now, with no end in sight. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/18 "2002-08-11T01:26:32Z")
You’ve painted the walls of your bedroom black, haven’t you? And covered them with Metallica & AC?DC posters, too? Green hair? Blue? Mohawk? ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/19 "2002-08-11T12:55:32Z")
I only have one word to say: EW! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727/20 "2002-08-11T13:05:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\*I guess it’s the idea of someone sitting around, peeling their skin off, leaving it to just lay on the floor and then watching a FREE ROAMING RAT (I don’t care if it’s domesticated or not) eat it. > It just…seems…Silence of the Lambs-ish. \*\* “It rubs the lotion on its _skin_!” “It puts the lotion in the _basket_!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-my-pet-rat-ate-my-dead-skin/122727.md?page=2)