Thread: Native or not?

Originally Posted by Fourgearsticks

Colour looks too dark for a mouse. We have bush rats around here, looks a bit like one of those, they seem to have a higher arched back and appear to be shorter in the body to a rat.
Bush Rat - The Australian Museum
The fur is more like a rabbit fur, feels denser and softer than a normal rat.

That looks most like it. A bush rat (Ive just learned there are native Australian rodents as well as small marsupials). Certainly not an introduced black rat
I have a cage trap and will try and get a better closeup look

FWIW,most rats are native.

We get heaps of them here,i have two elliott traps set here permanently with no bait.

I have caught two full grown rats in the last three days.

I usually catch the young ones,often 5 or so over a week or so,then none for a while.

Once their natural food source drops off,i do, on occasions, catch adults,but some are very difficult to catch.

I know they are around because i find their craps here and there,particularly on our deck.

I think the neighbours chooks attract them.

The dog gets a few as well,once she is onto one,she never gives up.