An abundant food source.

Originally posted by Muckster
reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984

 

It’s the thought of them living in sewers for months eating... well... who knows what they eat down there!!

And yet people eat shrimp, crab and other bottom feeders like catfish. Guess what those critters are eating at the bottom of the ocean or lake or river...!
It is just getting over the taboo. Meat is meat and if it keeps you alive then so be it! Fire up the grill!


I had also heard while growing up, that rabbit is safe if the month contains an "r" otherwise they carry a lot of parasites. I also grew up where it was cold during those months....take it with a grain of salt.

[edit on 12/30/2009 by nostrashawnus]

reply to post by nostrashawnus


This is what I was thinking,,, most animals are eating all sorts of cr4p but the meat is still safe to eat.

Rat's are just another useful food source as are pigeons and rabbits.

Originally posted by Incendia vox
Britons should not eat rats under any circumstances, 98%+ are infected with Weil's disease they should eat tasty grey squirrels instead.

Weil's disease is neutralised by cooking thouroughly. It is only a danger if you either get bitten or don't take precautions when preparing the meat. As i said earlier, any cut, bruise, scratch or any other damage to your skin that comes into contact with the rat puts you at great risk of infection. I'll give you the method and precautions i used when skinning, gutting and eating the rats i had.

Firstly after shooting the rat with a .22 air rifle i walked up to it and knowing rats can play dead i shot it with a small air pistol i carry when rat shooting to make absolutely sure. Using latex gloves I then picked it up by the tail (rats have been known to climb their tails so be ready to drop it) and put it with the others i had shot.

When i finished shooting i picked up all of the rats (again by the tail) and laid them in the field outside. Keeping my gloves on i first emptied their bladders by stroking hard on their belly. I then took my small knife and cut them from the neck to the back end, making sure the cut was shallow. Like with rabbits, pinch the skin and lift it up to take it away from the organs, the skin is very very thin.

I emptied out the entrails and completely disgarded all organs as i was not sure if they were safe to eat and i wasn't taking chances. I removed the rest of th skin, making absolutely sure as i did it to kep the knife well away from my hand and to make sure that if i slipped it would not cut me. Slicing yourself when skinning a rat means a sure visit to the hospital in my view.

The gloves i used to skin the animal were cheap latex ones which were thrown on a fire. When removing them make sure to turn them inside out and then put them in something else. After that wash your hands very carefully. This may seem a little strong to some but the diseases rats arry are really horrible.

After cutting off the head, feet and tail, the skin being gone i was left with a very small piece of meat. I did this with the rest of them, stripped off the meat and fried it in a pan until done. I then shoved it in a stew and boiled it for a couple of hours.

It really was tasty and i didn't get ill. I haven't eaten any more since though, to much hassle for so little meat.

[edit on 30-12-2009 by ImaginaryReality1984]

Personally, I think it would make a lot more sense to find your way out of the city and go glean a harvested corn field rather than eating contaminated rats. And as far as pigeons, when I used to work at a gas station, our friend Gus the pigeon would show up everyday for dog biscuits and wash it down with puddles of gas.

reply to post by nostrashawnus


True, they both feed on waste, but underwater creatures are being continually washed by fresh ocean water, whereas sewer animals are constantly stewing in, well, you get the idea.

I've seen the Chinese eating rat on a stick like a kabob. They seemed to like it.

Being a survivalist means....surviving. If I set out a trap and a rat gets caught in it, I'll eat it. Would prefer squirrel but I'll take my calories however I can get them.

Originally posted by venomousbird
True, they both feed on waste, but underwater creatures are being continually washed by fresh ocean water, whereas sewer animals are constantly stewing in, well, you get the idea.

It really doesn't matter what something eats because in the end it's body breaks it down to constituent components so being washed in sewage isn't a problem. Of course the only problem that can occur is if something has eatena toxic chemical that can be passed on to the consumer, like squirrels that have been poisoned with blood thinners. Still think of it this way, plants are fertilized with manure and apples have used the compounds in the manure to grow. Still you happily munch on one of those apples and it is sweet and juicy

My only problem with eating rats is that they have hardly any meat on them for the amount of work you put in to skin them. If i was hungry i'd eat them, otherwise i just won't bother.