“The giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared” (Sherlock Holmes)
I come across bamboo rats frequently – they wander along by the side of the road once darkness falls, a slow moving, juicy meal that is half blind and whose only defence lies in powerful front teeth that can, I was told, bite straight through your finger, bone and all.
One of my dogs, misjudging an attack, was bitten through the cheek by a bamboo rat leaving a hole that took weeks to heal.
As with scorpions, a threatened bamboo rat will back away from you, keeping its head faced towards you in the hope of getting a bite in, all the time spitting with fury. With one hand you can keep them faced forward whilst reaching behind the rat with the other and – with confidence, pick them up – but don’t get it wrong!
They are a source of food for the survivalist (a full grown bamboo rat can weigh well over 3kg) and one that the Orang Asli will go out of their way to hunt. Interestingly, when I asked them about eating common rats in a survival situation the Orang Asli looked at me as if I were mad; but bamboo rats are clearly considered to be in a different culinary category.
There is however, one thing to be wary of – the noise of a cornered bamboo rat is very similar to the noise made by a spitting black cobra, indeed I mistook the two once with almost disastrous consequences – so if you do go hunting for them make sure it’s a rat you grab hold of and not the tail of an angry cobra!
aha! you finally solved a mystery . I saw one of these fellas once, peeping out of a hole under some bamboo roots and was asking around if anyone knew what it was . Now I know.
the one I saw wasn’t too frightened by our torchlights, but when I went to get my camera, it disappeared, probably back into it’s cosy hole.
Hi Nadir,
Thanks for the comment (and Happy New Year!). I know exactly what you mean about these bamboo rats being fearless (or stupid)….last week I was walking the dogs and one came out to have a look at us, only a few feet away – luckily the dogs were on leads but you have to wonder how these bamboo rats survive as they don’t seem to have much common sense! I guess they breed fast!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul, those are pretty fierce animal huh? I would not dare to pick them up with my hands. Hahaha. How did you manage to catch it? Didn’t it run away when it saw you?
In case I don’t see you before Christmas, I would like to wish you and your wife a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Cheers! Kenny
Hi Kenny,
Thanks for the comment and, with that little bamboo rat, I simply picked him up and dropped him in the bucket. They do try and run away but, honestly, they move so slowly that it’s easy to catch them. I used to own ferrets and, unlike rats, they are amazingly flexible and can twist round and bite you if they’re in a mood….if you can pick up a ferret, you can pick up a bamboo rat! Saying that you do need to be very careful as they have very powerful jaws!
Anyway, hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year!
Cheers!
Paul
I think it may be a country rat vs city rat kind of thing when it comes to the Orang Asli not eating a common rat, you kind of know what a country rat has been into and has been eating, but a city rat? Who knows!
Losmandy
Hi Losmandy,
Many thanks for the comment and I agree with you….bamboo rats eat bamboo shoots (they’re like the rat equivalent of corn fed chickens!) whereas city rats are far less refined!
Anyway, wishing you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2014.
Cheers!
Paul
I guess if I looked like that I would have a bad attitude too. I see a potential income in a rat farm if needed.
Hi John,
Yes indeed! They are actually quite nice rats but seem poorly equipped with any sort of defence system. I guess it is because they only eat bamboo shoots that they are prized as food source but, having never tried one myself, I couldn’t say for sure.
Cheers!
Paul