Giant Plated Rat
Isabell Patience Latimer opened the doors of her family house, escorting half a dozen guests through the hall. The middle class members were awed by the large ferns that met them, growing on both sides as if they were walls surrounding a street. They gave careful compliments, eager to show off manners of self-restraint. She understood what they were doing, and hated it. It was how society functioned, which was something she hoped to change eventually. In the tea room, her father took over, greeting the guests with a smile and a cup of tea. She said her goodbyes, then walked towards the door. Immediately four plated rats ran up to her, as if they had waited for that very moment. Behind her, the guests gasped in shock. One of them immediately asked the question they were all pondering. "Short Furs, miss Latimer? I thought those only lived in the rainforest?" An unmannered question, but reasonable. She turned her head towards them with a friendly smile. "We Latimers came from the rainforest many generations ago, so I keep them as a way to honour our ancestors." Behind the nodding guests, she saw her father lose his composure for a second, making an ugly face at her explanation. She kept her smile in check, but laughed on the inside. She knew he hated their looks, which worked perfectly for her. The better to keep him away from her.
The Giant Plated Rat is a large rat-breed which is covered by fuzzy scales. A domesticated species, they are kept by The Grayfolk all over Grayburn. They get attached to their homes, so are often left to wander freely. Those forced to leave their homes, will simply find another home to live in instead.
Plated rats are often kept by people to keep houses clean. They will eat all kinds of dropped food, and are territorial against other species, chasing off any vermin. Their size and scales make it very hard for other animals to hurt them, so owners have little reason to worry about their health.
When it comes to their own kind, plated rats are extremely social. They will eagerly welcome others into their home, and if a family only keeps one, they will often wander out and spend time with others during the day. However, if they spend a lot of time with the same person, this also satisfies their social needs.
Extremely intelligent, plated rats can be taught many kinds of tricks. Doctors and Alchemists have even taught them to sniff out specific smells, such as certain illnesses or rare plants. But most people keep them simply for adorable pets, where their aid with keeping a clean house is merely a fortunate side-effect.
Anatomy
Giant Plated Rats have two rows of scales as their skin, each scale having hair follicles in them, though only the outer layer will have growing hairs. As rats grow, or recover from injuries, they will eventually moult a layer of scales. The next layer will be covered in short hairs, growing longer over time. There is some differences to plated rats from the various parts of Grayburn. In the north, they tend to have curly hairs, which seem to help them stay warm. In the south, they tend to only have really short hairs, seeming nearly-nude, to better handle the heat. These 'hairless' rats also have longer tails. Theoretically they can reproduce after half a year, producing three litters a year, each with an average size of four rittens. However, in practice only some feel the need to mate, doing so between the age of two and four. Some people let them mate freely, others will hold them at home during fertile periods. Foodwise they are omnivores, eagerly eating leftovers and crumbs, while also eating insects. It is recommended that they are fed properly, offered a mixture of seeds, bugs, and dry bread. If offered meat they will gladly consume it, but it is bad for their health to give them meat too often.Female 1.2 - 2.5 kg
Short Furs: 43 - 68 cm
Entry for WorldEmber 2020
In response to the prompt I want to adopt a cute pet in your world. What is it and how do I look after one?
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