Unusual Rat behaviour? (1 Viewer)

... or maybe just the first time that I've seen it.

I posted about this Rat the other day, and by now I should have got rid of it, but I'm curious about what it's doing. For now, I'm just watching it.

It never leaves the tree, in fact never goes below about 12 feet - I've never seen it eat anything - it only appears for a few minutes each morning and just seems to be sniffing for scent markings (that's a guess). All feeders are brought in before dark, and thanks to the Pigeons, there's no food on the ground.

So, unusual behaviour, or normal perhaps territorial behaviour?

I've attached a few grab shots that I took through the window this morning, just resized for upload... just to show that it really is in the trees. Rat is more light-brown that it appears in the pics


Thanks

Oh, related to my previous thread... the Squirrels haven't tried to kill it, but they do chase it out of the trees - actually, more like it runs off and hides when the Squirrels get within a few yards.

I looked at your shots and wondered about the bulge at the tail base. When I googled pregnant Brown Rat I got one or two pictures that showed something similar... I think you need to chop the little beggar sharpish.

John

Farnboro John said:

I looked at your shots and wondered about the bulge at the tail base. When I googled pregnant Brown Rat I got one or two pictures that showed something similar... I think you need to chop the little beggar sharpish.

John

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Thanks for replying, John

I wondered about that bulge too, but I found quite a lot of mentions online of the bulge at the base of the tail, but none that associated it with pregnancy, although many seemed to have been told it was a tumour... doesn't mean that it's not a pregnant female though.

I'm pretty sure that it's nesting elsewhere, but I can't figure out what it's doing in my trees... seems to have no interest in the food.

Anyway, I know what I have to do... succeeding is another matter.

ChrisKten said:

Thanks for replying, John

I wondered about that bulge too, but I found quite a lot of mentions online of the bulge at the base of the tail, but none that associated it with pregnancy, although many seemed to have been told it was a tumour... doesn't mean that it's not a pregnant female though.

I'm pretty sure that it's nesting elsewhere, but I can't figure out what it's doing in my trees... seems to have no interest in the food.

Anyway, I know what I have to do... succeeding is another matter.

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I'm sorry.... from watching wildlife to setting kill traps to having to finish off a trapped but conscious rat by hitting it desperately and inaccurately with a length of 2" X 2" while roaring "die you ******!" was a set of lines I never saw myself crossing, but an en masse rat invasion changes your perspective hugely. If it must be done then 'twere well it were done quickly.

John

Sorry guys, but if you've ever dissected rats you'll recognise that bulge as the scrotal sac, which is huge in rats!

Welsh Peregrine said:

Sorry guys, but if you've ever dissected rats you'll recognise that bulge as the scrotal sac, which is huge in rats!

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I have but not for a very long time, and not more than a couple - I may not have had males! Every day a school day (again!)

John