Toxic communities, trolling & misinformation

I've come to realize that being online with a passion that's unique like owning rats has become less of a novelty and more of an ongoing battle for who's right. I wasn't prepared for the backlash I received after creating a personal blog for my pet rats. I show my rats on different sites and apps and usually the feedback is short and sweet but sometimes it's more than just that. 

I've been accused of plagiarism on my short version of a basic rat care guide here on my website and harassed by a man who has quite a following, I simply wanted to make my own educational article not knowing I was being targeted from around the world. I received mysterious messages on my Facebook page where they would delete the accounts after sending. Let alone getting put on blast on his YT channel where he was seen laughing at my- how he said it 'so you call this art' page. He said that he hoped my local shelter won't kill the cats because of my art. He went though all my content and made me a spectacle to be laughed at.

I'm not one to fuel online drama so I let it be for a couple years, I had a family and pregnancy to worry about at the time.  Rats are something I have always gravitated towards and in times like this they are what pulls me through when people make a short coming. I would never single someone out like this to prove a point so I've held back the names of this man I speak of but for now we will call him "W"... and he's aware his wrong doings and so he knows who he is. I actually had gotten the baby blues after the birth of my child so it's been a long time coming but this is what I've got to say....

Misinformation on the internet is a real problem. Not only do people take away things that are false from seeing and reading things online but the people that want to see things unfold fast often jump to their own conclusions. I do NOT want to be affiliated with any other business other than my OWN! So let's get things straight, W has his following and I am not trying to take that from him but he needs to know that I stand alone when I'm posting and making new content but I've got my own goals and reflections, I have nothing to do with him. Yes, I saw his videos before he did this and NO I was not trying to sound like him in my article. I thought that it was BASIC information to be used for everyone! How is that supposed to belong to ONE person on YT? He doesn't even have rat guides... he has reptiles.

I was treated like I was out to get this guy who had such a massive following, he has lots and lots of reptiles and I'm running my own rattery, why I was singled out and preyed upon still misses me but he made sure that all his followers stayed loyal to him and let me take the fall for it. It took me years to figure this out, I've been through it just to come back here and tell you that it's dangerous to trust everyone online when you don't know what to expect from it. I'm here to help others learn about my experiences with rats. I'm here to reach out to anyone and help with what life has thrown at them, not the other way around. I don't need oodles of money to throw at the people so I can get views, I just need one person to walk away from my presence and feel better, heck, and maybe even take home a new pet rat!

I do not sell rats with aggression, that's the other thing, rats that bite people have serious health issues and it should be addressed appropriately. It could be that the rat is in pain or sick if it's going out of its way to attack a person. So, please, use common sense and don't attempt to handle an animal such as this, you could get severely injured or worse! Stickers saying this is okay will be cause for chaos! 

I make art for educational purposes to spread awareness about rats and their companionship. I do NOT condone the sale of aggressive or otherwise unfit rats. Beware of misinformation about rats and other pets as I have found it's more of a competition between online vloggers/bloggers and you can't always trust the sources. Do your research before buying a new pet!♡

I do NOT find it appealing to troll new upcoming ratteries from a reptiles owners perspective or any perspective online. If you can't handle someone new beginning to post online then you obviously have more insecurities than what I can address here. Don't come after people who are just trying the best they can with the resources they have.