How Rodents came to be kept as pets

May 18

Rodents live in close proximity or among people for thousands. It is true that they can get food easier from the scraps and storage they have than they could in the wild. However, unlike pets that were kept for millions of years such as dogs and cats who provide companionship, protection, help hunting, and other pest control, rodents can only be kept as pets in the past few centuries.

A Brief History on Rats

Both yellow rats and dark rats are Asian. They moved west with traders or travelers, though black rats migrated west approximately a thousand years before brown rats. In Europe, rats developed a very bad reputation for spreading bubonic plague though technically it was spread by fleas in the rats - and not the rats.

The Victorian era was when the European rat population had caused serious issues..., particularly in England. Ratcatchers worked harder than ever before and started to earn additional income through a bloodsport called rat-baiting which attracted gamblers. Around 40 rat-baiting locations were open in London in 1840, its most popular year. Although rat baiting was ultimately banned, it was practiced 70+ years earlier.

Around this time, Jack Black was a bat catcher and even Queen Victoria's ratcatcher. He began training rats and kept them around, which was the beginning of domestication. Black divided the rats into two groups. In one group he taught how to run and jump while discussing the effectiveness of his rats catching methods. This group of rats also served as a demonstration of the rapid results of the rat poison he used.

Another group of rats he kept was "pretty", with unique or attractive colors. These rats were given ribbons by him and sold to women as pets. The trend spread to other parts of Europe and, by 1901 Mary Douglas had organized an England pet rat exhibition at the National Mouse Club. Douglas' passing caused a slow down in interest. It was revived after the National Fancy Rat Society, which was formed in England in the 1970s.

What's the Difference Between Fancy Rats and Rats?

Fancy rats are another way to describe domesticated dogs. There are many differences between wild and domesticated rats.

Wild Rats don't socialize except for mating. The most aggressive and powerful rat will survive in the wild. If they are threatened or caught, they tend to bite and fight. Technically, any kind of rodent can bite and fight if threatened, but wild rats are more inclined towards aggressive behavior.

Domesticated rats or fancy are more docile, as that trait has been encouraged through breeding. They also tend to be very clean. Because they are more attractive than wild rats, they also come in a wider variety of colors.

Are Rats Aggressive?

Any animal is capable of being aggressive in times of danger. However, wild rats are more hostile than domesticated and "fancy" rats. high levels of stress can cause general aggression in all types of rats.

What's the Life Expectancy of Rats?

Rats live on average two years. It is possible to live for longer, particularly in domesticated rats. However, a three-year-old rat is still a very old mouse. Wild rats can live up to 1.8 years.

How long has it been since people have kept rats as pets?

Humans have observed mice since before the advent of civilization. Actually keeping mice as pets is something that has been documented since the 1700s. Europeans brought in " fancy" mice from Japan and China to raise them and then began to breed them with native mice. "Fancy mouse" was so popular during Victorian times that England created a National Mouse Club.

It is a relatively recent trend to keep rats as pets. It was around the time of the peak of the "fancy mice", an English pet craze, that it began.

Tampa Pest Busters Rodent Experts

Tampa Pest Busters professionals can help you if there is a rat infestation or other rodent problems. Most rodents will hide from you if they are seen one time. You can live in a critter-free area by contacting us sooner than you think.

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Tampa Florida

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