Pecking Order

[poliphilo]

I was thinking the magpie would top the pecking order too, but actually, no, the magpie is at the bottom. The squirrel and the rat both took a run at it when it got too close and saw it off.

The squirrel is in the middle.

And the rat is boss. It may be smaller than the others but it's an aggressive beast. Infringe its personal space and it makes like a torpedo. Every time this happened the squirrel gave ground.

Comments

[oakmouse]

Rats are dangerous little buggers, and their bites can be very nasty indeed.

[poliphilo]

My friend Matthew has a story about a man he knew who woke up in his tent to find he was being eaten by rats.

[oakmouse]

Doesn't surprise me. My mother had a huge scar on her leg from where a rat climbed into her cradle and bit her when she was a year old or so. From the size and shape of the scar, it wasn't a "you moved and scared me while I was exploring your cradle" nip; the rat bit a mouthful out of her. She screamed, of course, and Grandma ran in and killed the rat with a hot flatiron (she'd been ironing clothes at the time).

[poliphilo]

Rats wiil eat anything.

But they're intelligent and make excellent pets. I knew a girl once who carried her rat everywhere. It used to hang round her neck like a fur stole.

[oakmouse]

Tame rats are great pets. I had a pair of them when I was about 12, and even Mom, who hadn't wanted me to have them, admitted they were a different kettle of fish from wild rats. Mine were leftover pups from a lab rat litter, and were very docile and sweet.