Where They Live, Came From, And Kinds:

Wild rats live around houses and buildings, in towns and cities. They originally came from Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. They got to other places by sneaking on ships. There are 80 species of rats. There are 2 common rats which are called Norway rats: black rats and brown rats. Some other kinds of rats are: rice rats, water rats, Rio rice rats, Yucatan vesper rat, American cane rat, Peruvian rat, South American water rat, Chilean rat, Andean swamp rat, wood rat, cotton rat, Allen's wood rat, fish eating rat, white tailed rat, and a whole lot more. Both brown and black rats live in sewers, rubbish dumps, farms, and river banks. You can find them almost everywhere. Brown and black rats are very good swimmers.

Feeding Habits: Rats eat eggs, meat, fruits, stored grain, vegetables, cereal, table scraps and anything they can find. Pet rats like to eat lettuce, carrots, and food from pet stores. Feed your rat every 1 to 2 days a week. If you feed your pet rat meat it will become vicious because it will then only want meat. Predators and Dangers: Wild rats have many predators: owls, snakes, hawks, eagles, cats, dogs, and humans. Humans can kill rats with traps and poison. Dangers for a pet rat are cats, dogs, human feet, hot things, and tables or counters. Make sure your rat's cage is closed before leaving the room and make sure there is no cat in the room.

What To Do On Vacations:

When you go on a long trip without your rat make sure it has plenty of water and food. Also make sure the cage is closed before you leave. When you take your rat with you on a long trip you should use a traveling cage. And be sure to keep your rat out of sunlight.

Great Plague (disease):

Wild rats get a disease from their fleas called The Great Plague. That is what the song "Ring Around the Rosy" is about. Where you were bit by the rat you get a red ring. In the middle of the red ring it would be rosy red. That is what the line "Ring Around the Rosy" is about. When people died from the disease other people put flowers called Posies in the dead person's clothes to cover up the smell. That is what the line "Pocket full of Posies" means. Before you would die you would get a bad cold. That is what the line "Ashes, ashes (which was originally achoo, achoo) we all fall down" means. Rat-borne diseases have killed more people than any wars fought.

Burrows:

Rats that don't live in cities or towns dig burrows with little rooms for eating and sleeping. More than fifty brown rats can live in one burrow. If a strange rat comes in one of the entrances it would be chased out by one of the other rats. When rats come out of their burrows they will stay close to the ground to see if there is any danger.

Rats live almost everywhere on earth. This map shows where rats live in South, North, and Central America.