Rats breed very quickly. This I have often proved by visiting a given
haunt for many years together. I remember an instance in point one June,
when out with dog and ferrets. The dog made a set under the root of a
tree. I put the ferret in and it bolted eight young Rats, nearly half
grown, still suckling the bitch Rat. When the old Rat bolted my dog
killed it, and whilst the dog was shaking it I found she was very heavy
in young again. This, therefore, will prove how quickly Rats breed.
Another result of my observation may be of interest to my readers. After
removing a lot of old rubbish when ratting I came upon a nest of just-
born Rats, and, in curiosity, I cut the tails off the lot, and then put
the young Rodents back, leaving the nest undisturbed. When I returned
next day, I found the old Rat had carried all her young away, and, later,
I found the same tailless lot in another part of the building, and, after
disturbing them again, I found the following day that the bitch Rat had
killed every one by eating off their heads. This destruction of the
offspring I have witnessed on more than one occasion. The old bitch Rat
has always killed them in the same way by eating off their heads.
I must not forget to tell you of the young Rat's dread of the ferrets. I
have often seen when the ferrets have been put in the hole the young Rats
(not many days old and their eyes yet unopened) creep out of the hole.
This is a proof that the smell of the ferrets has a tendency to bolt
Rats, either young or old.
Old Rats are very bold whilst suckling their young. I have seen them
very venturesome to get to water, and more eager for water than for food.
I have often traced their runs a long way for water, and noticed that
when crossing a field to get to a pit or river they never walk, but are
always on the run; and in the summer, when they reach the pit, they not
only drink, but often swim about. I have frequently watched them
swimming on a moonlight night, but they generally go back to the
buildings in the early morning, especially in the winter months.
Another habit I have often noticed. Take a farm, or any place where
there are many Rats, and it will be always found that when a Rat gets
very old it becomes very greyish in colour and rather scabbed, and its
hair comes off, mostly on the back. The healthy Rats will then drive the
old Rat away, and these scabby old Rats may be caught by themselves in
other parts of the buildings; and, further, I often notice that if the
ferrets are bitten with these old Rats, they "take bad ways." I never
put such Rats with the others nor allow my dog to kill them. I would
advise any gentleman having a dog he values never to let it touch one of
these old scabby Rats, as it may prove injurious to the health of the
dog.
It is surprising how far Rats will travel in the night. I have traced
their tracks from a stackyard over two or three fields to a farm to get
to their food. And you will always find that they have one time for
feeding, which is as soon as it is dusk, the young Rats being the most
venturesome for their food, always coming out first.
Rats, especially stackyard ones, are of a very clean nature. You will
find that after they have had their first feed they diligently wash
themselves. These Rats feed on nothing but good stuff, such as wheat,
corn, and meal; and from experience I find that if a man is bitten on the
hand by one of these Brown or Stack Rats it never "takes bad ways," but,
if bitten by a dirty Drain Rat, then whether he cauterises or bathes the
wound is no matter, it is sure to "take bad ways." I think the reason of
this is because the Drain Rat, when it cannot get anything else to eat,
exists on the worms and slugs, and this, I think, causes the teeth to
become more venomous. When bitten in this way blood poisoning is very
likely to ensue. Indeed, you must understand that the teeth of a full-
grown Rat are quite half-an-inch long, and the jaw is very strong, so
that if you are bitten on the finger it is almost sure to penetrate to
the bone. I have known a good many cases of blood poisoning through Rat-
bites.
The damage Rats can do to property, commodities, etc., is almost
incredible. I have had so many examples of this that I scarcely know
which to submit as illustration. I think the worst case I have seen was
where they gnawed a hole half way through a 2-1/4 inch lead pipe, and
often I have known them to bite through a one-inch lead pipe. The worst
damage is done when they get under the flag floors of cottage houses out
of the drains. They scratch the soil from beneath the flags, which then
sink, and the consequent stench from the drains is abominable,
jeopardising the health of the tenants. I have seen a great many of
these cases in the poorer parts of Manchester. The damage the Rats will
do in the silk and similar trades, to the goods of merchants, or in the
grocery business, is enormous, and not so much by reason of what they
actually eat as by what they carry away, which is often ten times as much
as they eat. I have often proved this when ferreting at a wholesale
grocery warehouse. When we have taken up the boards between the laths
and plaster we have found the ceiling almost full of lump sugar, nuts,
candles, etc., which have been there for years, hoarded by the Rats. Now,
this all means heavy loss, and that is why I say that any business man so
suffering ought to engage the services of a professional Rat-catcher once
a year in order to keep the Rats down, and catch as many as possible
before they begin breeding.
Another Rat habit may be noticed where the Rodents are accustomed to have
their holes and runs among flags and stones. If they find any soft wood
such as pine or white deal, they will nibble at it until it is eaten
through. I have often known them to eat right through the legs of tables
in the middle of cooking kitchens. This, I think, they do simply to keep
their teeth clean and in order; I have known half-grown Rats to do the
same.
Rats can exist a long time on herbage, if they can get nothing more
palatable. It is a very common thing to find Rats in the rabbit burrows
when ferreting; in fact, I have seen, not once, but many times, Rats,
rabbits, and weasels all bolt from the same burrow. I have also
unearthed a Rat and a rabbit together out of one single burrow.
Now as to keeping Rats in store cages at home. Look well after them, and
I think it is possible to keep them alive for quite a year; but if you
keep, say, 20 in one store cage and neglect their feeding,, you will find
that when hungry in the night they will kill the weakest of their number
and eat it, sometimes even eating two or three in one night, leaving the
skin as clean as if a man had skinned them. It is always the best plan
to put the Rats in different cages, according to their sizes. The young
ones together, the old ones together, and the middle-aged ones together,
as they keep themselves much cleaner when thus divided, and do not fight
so much as they would otherwise. They must also be kept in a warm place;
if not, they soon have cramp. Also keep them in a dark place and see
that they have plenty of water; sprinkle them now and then with it so
that they will wash themselves. It is astonishing what a hungry Rat will
do. I have seen them in the summer at dusk run at an old hen with her
chickens under her, and almost as quick as I tell it, the Rat has
snatched a live chicken and run with it under a pigsty floor.
I have known them to take half-grown young ducks from the water side. I
remember once ferreting round a pit, near a barn, and when I put my
ferret in the hole, it pulled out two dead chickens and three
middle-sized dead ducks, and behind them, not more than a yard deep in
the pit bank, was an old Rat. I have also known them to get into the
coops where a gamekeeper was rearing his pheasants, and to kill nine
young ones in a single night all from under the same hen.
Rats are also fond of eggs. I have read of many ways in which Rats take
eggs, but in my quarter-of-a-century's experience of Ratting I never saw
Rats take eggs save in one way, and that is, dragging or rolling them
along the floor with their front paws, until they get them to the mouth
of the hole. I remember one place where I was ferreting. There was an
old cellar, the door of which at the top of the steps had to my knowledge
been nailed up two or three years. Out of the hen house the Rats had
eaten a hole at each side of the cellar door at the bottom. One day we
burst open the door, went into the cellar (where it was impossible for a
hen to get whilst the door was closed) and beneath the bottom step we
caught two Rats. On lifting the flag at the bottom of the steps, we
found 15 whole eggs, some good and some bad, all of which I am quite
satisfied the Rats had carried down those nine stone steps! How they had
done so I cannot explain, but content myself with stating only the plain
facts of my own personal observation.
Rats are also very cunning in the water, say a pit or a river. Now, a
Rat can exist in water for at most about seven minutes, and you will find
when a dog is swimming after a Rat that the Rat is watching the dog all
the time, for as soon as the dog gets within a yard of the Rat the latter
will dive under water and come to the surface again about 15 yards away.
When the dog has tired the Rat out with swimming, you will very often see
the Rat dive again and come up very quietly and just put its nose out of
the water, or rest its head on a floating leaf. It is so cunning that it
will remain still there, and if the leaf or reed gives way it will come
up at the water side and just thrust out its nose to breathe. By this
means the dog loses full scent of the Rat.
I have also noticed how useful are the Rat's front paws and tail. I have
seen a Rat on the top of a swill tub at a pigsty, when the swill has been
about ten inches from the top of the tub. The Rat was too cunning to
jump down on the wet swill and drown, but I saw it reach as far down the
inside of the tub as possible with its front paws and scrape the grease
from around the sides! I have also seen the same Rat, when unable to
scrape any further down the tub sides, turn round, clutch the top of the
tub with its front paws, dip its tail into the swill, and then gain the
top of the tub and commence licking its tail.
I have also tried an experiment with the same tub, which consisted of
covering the top of the wet swill with bran, which floated on the
surface, and placing a bit of lumpy swill in the middle of the bran, in
the hope that the Rat would jump on the bran in the expectation of
getting at the swill in the middle. However, it did not do so, no doubt
instinctively guided against the danger.
I have also watched Rats run round a set wire or cage trap for a full
hour. I have seen them go half way in and out again, look at the bait
and never touch it, but go away and never return to the same trap that
night. These examples show the cunning instinct of Rats.
There is, however, one power that the Rat is not favoured with, and I am
afraid if they were they would be a greater pest. It is the ability of
high jumping. A Rat cannot, I think, jump higher than three feet six
inches, and will have to be very hungry before doing that to obtain food.
Many people may not know how fierce Rats are when fighting. Let me
instance. I have often taken, one in each hand, two good Rats from my
cage before a hundred spectators and set the Rats at each other on the
top of a table. To see them fight would be surprising. They will fight
like two bulldogs. When they have got a grip of each other with their
teeth I have taken away my hands, and they have stuck and shook one
another for at least half-a-minute, although you must understand that the
moment they are loose of one another they are off if you don't catch them
again.
There are several other cunning ways of Rats which I can scarcely
explain. One must be amongst them regularly to know their wonderful ways
and habits. Yet another little incident, in conclusion, may be of
interest. I once called at a farm where they had been threshing a wheat
stack. A Rat-catcher had been there but without a dog, and when I
arrived two hours afterwards my dog made a set, and commenced scratching
amongst the old chaff left at the bottom of the stack, and to the
astonishment of myself and the farmer I pulled out of the hole where the
dog was scratching 73 live Rats! The other Rat-catcher, who had been at
the threshing all day, had caught only 14 Rats. This will serve to show
that a Rat-catcher must not be without a good dog.
And now, respecting the ways and habits of Rats I think I have given my
readers interesting and varied illustrations of what I have seen and
experienced during my time.