# Native or just a big rat??



## borntobnude (May 8, 2013)




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## disintegratus (May 8, 2013)

I'm not 100% sure but it looks feral to me.


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## Zipidee (May 8, 2013)

I suspect it's _Rattus rattus _- Black Rat - by the shape of the ears, and the fact it is near suburbia, but not 100% sure. The give away would be the tail. Bush Rats (natives) have tails shorter than their bodies, where Black Rat tails are as long, if not longer, than the body. BTW - this is based on some work I did a few years ago with a scientist called Dr Grainne Cleary - to clarify.


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## borntobnude (May 8, 2013)

ok long tail = rat is Rat 

I thought it may of been an Antechinus stuartii , but am happy to go with RAT 
if its not a rat it shouldn't of eaten my Rat bait


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## Zipidee (May 8, 2013)

We had massive rat problems for years. Baited and baited. We'd kill a few and then more would come along. Now we have a few wild Diamonds living around - including one in the ceiling. Haven't had a rat in about five years! Next time one of your snakes sheds, go and toss the shed where the rats are. I'm not sure if it's true - or a myth - but someone suggested to me that the signs of a snake (such as poo and shed skin) will help keep rats away. As I said, probably a myth, but I can tell you a real wild Diamond does wonders! And people still want to spade them!! Give me a snake over a roof full of stinking dirty rats any day.


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## Umbral (May 8, 2013)

I saw a mouse nibbling on one of the sheds I kept so I'm not sure it works. I'd say the diamonds just eat th rats.


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## TNT78 (May 8, 2013)

Definitely not antechinus, just a big ol' spunky rattus rattus I reckon!


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## prodigy97 (May 8, 2013)

as said befor snake poo keeps rats away infact i have seen it sold in petshops


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## Umbral (May 8, 2013)

We also see heat rocks sold in pet shops, they sell what makes money not always what works the best or in this case perhaps not at all.


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## borntobnude (May 8, 2013)

Alice -BHP just pooed so i will put it next to the fresh bait and see what happens !! 

Should i put a heat rock out to see if it electricutes them ???:lol:


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## Umbral (May 8, 2013)

Might work better than poo lol.


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## Marzzy (May 8, 2013)

borntobnude said:


> Alice -BHP just pooed so i will put it next to the fresh bait and see what happens !!
> 
> Should i put a heat rock out to see if it electricutes them ???:lol:



You mean burn them lol


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## GeckoJosh (May 8, 2013)

Snake poo doesn't work but man do I get a laugh out of convincing my dead beat neighbours to put it around there house!


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## Ambush (May 8, 2013)

Seen Rats running all over an Enclosure. So pooh or sheds would do nothing.


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## serpenttongue (May 8, 2013)

prodigy97 said:


> as said befor snake poo keeps rats away infact i have seen it sold in petshops



This isn't true.


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## Bluetongue1 (May 9, 2013)

Looks a Bush Rat (_Rattus fuscipes_) to me. The ears are too large for a Brown Rat (_R. norvegicus_) or the Swamp Rat (_R. lutreolus_). They are also more rounded than the ovate ears of the Black Rat (_R. rattus_). The snout is shorter and more bent than the Black Rat. As some one already pointed out, the length of the tail is diagnostic. Without a look at the tail and only one camera angle to go on, I am only 80% confident as both species are variable, especially in colour. The sub-species of R. fuscipes found along eastern NSW into Qld is called "assimilis" after the similarity it bears to the Black Rat. Bush Rats, as mentioned,are very much animals of native bushland and shun areas of human habitation. I therefore would be most interested to know in what circumstances you came across it.

By the way, the Dusky Antechinus (_A. swainsonii_), while significantly larger than the other local Antechinus and Common Dunnart, is still only half the size of the rat and with differing body proportions. Other than size, the most visible difference in these marsupials is their sharp, pointed snout.

Blue


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## Tsubakai (May 9, 2013)

Snake poo or shed skins won't keep rats away. People just assume that it will given the lack of rats in areas with snake poop. They overlook the fact that there are plenty of rats around still - only they have been converted into the aforementioned poop.

Its because of our human nature to see two phenomenom that appear to be linked and we automatically try to ascribe a cause-and-effect relationship to them.


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## borntobnude (May 9, 2013)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Looks a Bush Rat (_Rattus fuscipes_) to me. The ears are too large for a Brown Rat (_R. norvegicus_) or the Swamp Rat (_R. lutreolus_). They are also more rounded than the ovate ears of the Black Rat (_R. rattus_). The snout is shorter and more bent than the Black Rat. As some one already pointed out, the length of the tail is diagnostic. Without a look at the tail and only one camera angle to go on, I am only 80% confident as both species are variable, especially in colour. The sub-species of R. fuscipes found along eastern NSW into Qld is called "assimilis" after the similarity it bears to the Black Rat. Bush Rats, as mentioned,are very much animals of native bushland and shun areas of human habitation. I therefore would be most interested to know in what circumstances you came across it.
> 
> By the way, the Dusky Antechinus (_A. swainsonii_), while significantly larger than the other local Antechinus and Common Dunnart, is still only half the size of the rat and with differing body proportions. Other than size, the most visible difference in these marsupials is their sharp, pointed snout.
> 
> Blue



Thanks Blue , we live in suburbia , but have ring tail possums ,foxes , blue tounges flying foxes yellow tail black cockatoos, galahs, correlas , loriketes,and much more visit or live in our yard and the very occaisonal echidna and the ever present smacky theif from the 1/2 way house up the road 


there are several Large parks within 1km, two of which have lots of bushland


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## borntobnude (May 9, 2013)

Bait gone --poo untouched


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## Bluetongue1 (May 10, 2013)

Unfortunately that shoots my 80% ID down in flames. I got it wrong! These guys are denizens of the forest – shrubs and Bracken and fallen logs and low grass trees are their favoured haunts. They basically won’t enter open areas, not even grasslands. I am afraid you have a sub-adult Black Rat. Did you take the photo? The tail length is diagnostic. Bush rats are highly insectivorous with a percentage of vegetable matter in their diet. Black Rats are omnivorous, eating what ever is available. 

Damn! I was all excited for you until now.

Blue


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## SteveNT (May 10, 2013)

prodigy97 said:


> as said befor snake poo keeps rats away infact i have seen it sold in petshops



A woman I work with asked for some snake skin sheds to keep rats away from her home. Next day she found the rats eating the snakeskins!


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## Zipidee (May 10, 2013)

SteveNT said:


> Next day she found the rats eating the snakeskins!



Seems only fair - since the snakes eat the rats - skins and all. 

I knew we had Diamonds around, but didn't realise the work they were doing up in the ceiling until we had our annual pest inspection. The pest guy came out of the ceiling with a severe case of the shakes. When I asked him what was wrong, he replied "your rat problem is solved." Since that time I've seen Diamonds in and on the roof dozens of times, and never heard a rat once. God bless pythons!!!!!!!!!!!


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## borntobnude (May 10, 2013)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Unfortunately that shoots my 80% ID down in flames. I got it wrong! These guys are denizens of the forest – shrubs and Bracken and fallen logs and low grass trees are their favoured haunts. They basically won’t enter open areas, not even grasslands. I am afraid you have a sub-adult Black Rat. Did you take the photo? The tail length is diagnostic. Bush rats are highly insectivorous with a percentage of vegetable matter in their diet. Black Rats are omnivorous, eating what ever is available.
> 
> Damn! I was all excited for you until now.
> 
> Blue


yes the pic is mine


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