Rat chews off part of baby's face

[fergie]

I was just checking through the news on yahoo and came across a headline about a premature baby being attacked by a rat. As the story goes the rat chewed off the childs nose and part of its lip. You can barely imagine the horror the parents must of went through when they found the kid after being alerted by the babys heart and breathing moniter. I have included a link to the story but i'm sure many of you's have came across the story seeing as it happened in Kansas. Are there any rat breeders who are parents who would contemplate such an incident occurring if one of their rats were to escape. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/27022007/14...by-s-face.html

[Snakeman]

that had to have been horrible.i cant imagine what the parents must've gone through.

[djansen]

i hate rats, thats why i dont mind feeding them to snakes

[SarahMB]

That is truly horrible, but I just have to ask....How come the parents didn't hear the baby cry from the very first bite? At 4 weeks old, my kids were still sleeping in my room.

[djansen]

was it a pet rat or a wild one?

[SatanicIntention]

And also with that baby still being on a heart/breathing monitor, an alarm would have sounded if anything got out of whack(faster heartrate, odd breathing pattern, etc).

I doubt it was even a rat, as I know my rats would probably lick the inside of my nose and then go on to find a place to sleep. I would think these people would be aware that their baby's room is infested with rats, hungry, flesh-eating rats at that...

Maybe it was their RAT Terrier

[Sputnik]

And also with that baby still being on a heart/breathing monitor, an alarm would have sounded if anything got out of whack(faster heartrate, odd breathing pattern, etc).

I doubt it was even a rat, as I know my rats would probably lick the inside of my nose and then go on to find a place to sleep. I would think these people would be aware that their baby's room is infested with rats, hungry, flesh-eating rats at that...

Maybe it was their RAT Terrier

It is very sad, I'm sure they are feeling terrible and probably feeling guilty. If a rat finds its way into a room like that, then yes it is very possible. Rats are also a predator. The room does not need to be infested with rats, one rat is very capable of doing that much damage.

There have been many pictures of dead soldiers that have had their face eaten off... stripped to the bone from world war 1.

Don't under estimate what a rat can do, especialy to a baby!

[KittyJ]

That is truly horrible, but I just have to ask....How come the parents didn't hear the baby cry from the very first bite? At 4 weeks old, my kids were still sleeping in my room.

EXACTLY what I was thinking!! Especially with a premature baby! Poor thing though Poor rat too. I have great sympathy for the child and parents. But this shouldnt of happened, I think they could've prevented it.

[SeraphimScum]

Somehow I doubt the rat chewed off part of the face. I don't see how the baby wouldn't be screaming either. The most I can think of is if there was milk on the babies mouth and nose ( which obviously means the parents didn't clean up after it?) Then maybe the rat licked and maybe chomped but I doubt he "ate it". Rats aren't known to just go up and bite, and if it was a wild rat and he did bite and the baby moved I am sure it would scurry off in no time and not stick around to continue "eating the babies face". If the baby is premature and has heart monitors and breathing things why would it not be in a hospital as opposed to a home with wild rats running in it. This doesn't add up to me.