When is a rat, not a rat?

When is a rat not a rat?
Small furry creatures with sharp teeth and claws and evil beady little eyes get a lot of bad press in our culture thanks to the feral rats that have followed the spread of humans across the planet. However, we also have many native rodents and other small furry creatures that are important part of our local ecosystems that are unfortunately tarnished with the bad publicity generated by their jet setting rodent cousins.The local Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes can be found in our local forests and heathlands and is quite cute and timid compared to the imports, although they can still give you a nip when cornered. They feed on native fruits and seeds but are also important spreaders of seed through our local forests. Also found in our area are the amazing Antechinus.  Antechinus are not rodents at all but miniature versions of the “Tassie Tiger”, they are in the family of unique native carnivorous marsupials, known as the Dasyurid’s. They are high energy predators that have short life spans, especially the poor males, who only live for about 9 months before going out in a blaze of glory after exhausting all their energy in the mating season. Both Bush Rat and Antechinus are vital players in our local ecosystems and are doing their best to survive in the changed landscape around human settlements, unfortunately having to compete for food with introduced rats. Which brings me to the delicate issue of rodent control, please consider carefully when deciding how to control those annoying little critters that are scratching in your ceiling. Many rat poisons, particularly the Warfarin based ones are systemic poisons (these rodent poisons don’t just kill the rats but also the animals that eat the poisoned rats). Owls, Tawny Frog Mouths, Carpet Snakes and Quolls are just some of the many native predators that can die as a result of eating rats or mice that have consumed these poisons. Always enquire about non-systemic rat poisons that will kill the target species only (and make sure you don’t leave them somewhere that possums can get them). If you think you might have Antechinus instead of introduced mice, consider using a trap that will catch animals live, so that you can release them outside. If however, you do have an Antechinus in your house and can tolerate them (they can stretch the friendship at times), you will never have a mouse or cockroach problem again!So remember, next time you are jumping onto the table as a small furry creature scurries by, it may just be a friendly local and not necessarily a “dirty rat”!