Rat
Rescue :: Living
with a ship rat
Living with a ship rat
Ship rats or black rats (Rattus rattus)
are a separate species from brown rats (Rattus norvegicus)
which are what lab rats and our domesticated rats are. In Roman
times ship rats were in Britain and were the common rat here
until the early 18th century when the brown rat arrived from
Asia and took over! Ship rats are now very, very rare in Britain
though common in other parts of the world.
Friends had a colony of ship rats which they had
acquired from two sources (one was the Isle of Lundy a few years
before a wildlife cull which aimed to eradicate all of the rats
on the island and the other a well known pest control company).
The Lundy rats were much more healthy physically
and mentally. They were not tame but some were hand reared by
my friend which made them trusting and I was lucky enough to
have several as pets.
Contrary to what you would expect, quite a number
were agouti with white tummies. The majority were black or very
dark grey.
The hand reared ones could be handled and let loose in the room.
I could catch them fairly easily in my hands though not as easily
as domesticated brown rats, most of whom will come when called.
Ship rats are smaller than brown rats and more
delicate with large eyes and ears and very long tails. They
were quite something to live with.
I had one, Timbers, free range in my house for several weeks
after she leapt past my hand when I was putting food in her
cage. She was virtually wild as she was not hand reared and
it was like living with a poltergeist. Things got moved and
some of my post disappeared behind a cupboard.
If I had visitors she was invisible but when we
were alone together she would sit on the stairs and watch me.
She knew I didn't have a hope of catching her. I left food in
her cage with the door open hoping that I might surprise her
in it but she was far too wary.
Eventually my friends bought a humane trap. I
set it up in the dining area and then went to the kitchen to
find some bait. Meanwhile nosy Timbers went in and got caught.
She swore and swore. (They are noisier than brown rats and more
temperamental).
She was decanted back into her cage and we made
a deal - she would not try to escape and I would not try to
touch her. Timbers spent the rest of her life in a compost heap
in her cage which was never completely cleaned. I think this
suited her.
We undoubtedly had a relationship but I would
not say we were equals. She knew she was cleverer.
Article by : Veronica Simmons from
Kropotkin Stud
Images of Ship Rats
Ship Rat on Rope: Derek Middleton
Ship Rat on Sofa: Jan Stowe
