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comment by humanodon
humanodon  ·  3723 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is That Sausage Worth This?

This article begins somewhat oddly. No one is "turning pigs into cannibals". Pigs sometimes eat their young and will sometimes eat a dead pig, but they do not hunt each other or large game in general. I disagree with industrial meat on the whole, but feeding pigs pork is a lot more "normal" than giving cows feed containing cow blood and other beef byproducts, which of course is the cause of mad cow disease.





b_b  ·  3723 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I've observed the same behavior in mice and rats. They do it for the same reason pigs do it: stress. It's a weird stress response, borderline psychotic. They don't typically ever do it when they're happy and well maintained.

humanodon  ·  3723 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Which part, the eating of babies or the eating of a dead animal of the same species? Pigs are very opportunistic and will eat whatever unless they have a whole lot of choice. Or sometimes whatever is within reach. My pig (who was well-fed) ended up eating a couple ducklings and a young chicken that my then-girlfriend left in his enclosure with him.

b_b  ·  3723 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The eating of the babies.

humanodon  ·  3723 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I've heard that lab rats are bred to be very uniform genetically, is that right? If that's so, are there different "kinds" of lab rats and mice used for different kinds of studies?

b_b  ·  3722 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yes. Almost all of them come from the species Rattus norvegicus (white rats). However, within that species there are many strains of genetically similar animals that, say, are prone to diabetes or hypertension, or have differences in immune function. There's a million ways these animals have been bred for studying this or that disease.

humanodon  ·  3722 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Poor guys . . .