The Good, Bad and the Ugly @

The Dirty Rat

Desert Woodrats are commonly know as  Packrats because they collect objects and materials to use in the contraction of their nests.

A popular superstition is that the Desert Woodrat is a fair tradesman who when he takes away something always leaves something behind of equal value.  In fact, while carrying one treasure, he may see another treasure that is brighter or shinier, so he puts the first down to pick up the second; he can carry only one treasure at a time.  He is active at night foraging for food and stockpiling, and is hardly ever seen during the day but scampers if he is spotted.   Mr. Packrat becomes quite a nuisance, getting into everything from attics to car engines, stealing treasures, damaging electrical wiring and just causing havoc.

The little fellow meant no harm.


As packrats go, he surely was an upstanding member of the community.  Like most of us, he was working diligently to bring home the bacon (er...seeds) and trying to avoid doing business with any snakes.  He didn't realize that bright, fresh strawberries growing on your porch weren't put there for his dining pleasure or that rustling around in those delightful paper-stuffed boxes in the garage was keeping you awake and jumpy all night.  If only these issues could have been resolved between human and animal neighbor in a civilized fashion.  Little CC& Rs could have been posted so that everyone might live together in peace.  But of course there was no formal hearing with the Association and Mr. Packrat was roughly evicted without so much as the chance to defined his rights.  Brooke Bessesen

(Copyright 2012)