Can You Eat Pack Rats?
WouterIf you are interested in Sonoran desert cuisine, you might consider trying eating pack rats. While the white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) is technically a pest, Tucson residents are urging people to try the delicious meat. You can prepare the pack rats in many ways, including solar-roasting them. You can also find a recipe book called “Eat Mesquite and More” with more than one hundred recipes.
Pack rats are known for their high breeding rate. In just two months, a female pack rat can give birth to two babies. A pack of pack rats can number a dozen or more. The rat’s nests are usually built into the ground, on the hood of a car, in a rocky crevice, or in a storage area.
Pack rats have a complex diet of plants and animals. Their prey includes arthropods, which are insects with hard calcareous shells. Once they have eaten their prey, pack rats create a midden. These middens are rich in nutrients and promote biodiversity among other species. Additionally, pack rats help shape their environments by promoting biodiversity by creating microclimates within an ecosystem.
Packrats are not just tasty; they are also important to a healthy desert ecosystem. They eat seeds, plant parts, and aerate the soil. Their poop also helps fertilize plants. In addition, they are a good source of food for bobcats and coyotes. As long as you don’t have a problem eating pack rats, you’ll be doing your part to help the ecosystem!
