help identifying yard rodents
#1
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so i was working on the yard the other day, and i stumbled upon a rodent nest! at first i thought they were rats, and today i went to go take another look and i'm not so sure that they are rats because of the coloring and the tails. i thought mice/rats were always uniform in color, but these have a white stripe on their heads. the tails (which you cant see in the pics) is a short fluffy looking thing, as opposed to a long pink tail. they are still babies, so its hard to tell.
i'm just trying to figure out if they are pests like rats and should be killed before they end up in the house, or if they are ok animals like rabbits or something and i can just let them do their thing...
here are a few pics... i cant get a good face shot of them, but lemme know what you guys think. and FYI: those arent spots in the 4th pic, they got wet from the sprinklers
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/PDRM1000.jpg)
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/PDRM1001.jpg)
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/06-11-08_1753.jpg)
i'm just trying to figure out if they are pests like rats and should be killed before they end up in the house, or if they are ok animals like rabbits or something and i can just let them do their thing...
here are a few pics... i cant get a good face shot of them, but lemme know what you guys think. and FYI: those arent spots in the 4th pic, they got wet from the sprinklers
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/PDRM1000.jpg)
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/PDRM1001.jpg)
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/06-11-08_1753.jpg)
![](http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/slayer_taunu/misc/06-11-08_1938.jpg)
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rabbits are a high probability since i have rabbits in my back yard... this is the front yard though, so i thought it to be odd that they'd nest so far away from where they live.
rabbits only eat soft plants though, right? just wondering, cuz i thought i saw a few acorns mixed in with the nesting material. it is under a liveoak tree though, so they might have just fell there. speaking of nesting material, it consisted mostly of fur and dead grass... which i guess i should go back out there and replace the nesting material since i dont think i'm really interested in exterminating these anymore.
they are significantly larger today than they were yesterday, but still a little smaller than the average hamster... i'll take a few more pics tomorrow.
rabbits only eat soft plants though, right? just wondering, cuz i thought i saw a few acorns mixed in with the nesting material. it is under a liveoak tree though, so they might have just fell there. speaking of nesting material, it consisted mostly of fur and dead grass... which i guess i should go back out there and replace the nesting material since i dont think i'm really interested in exterminating these anymore.
they are significantly larger today than they were yesterday, but still a little smaller than the average hamster... i'll take a few more pics tomorrow.
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the article on chinchillas states "chinchillas are born fully furred and with eyes open. Litters are usually small in number, predominately twins".
these have their eyes still closed, and there are at least 4 in that hole.
these have their eyes still closed, and there are at least 4 in that hole.
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pretty sure its not a chinchilla, (googled pics of baby) also pretty sure its not a rabbit cause of the long pink tail, I believe its a species of chipmunk, as they usually live underground. chipmunks shouldnt be a problem around your house/yard.
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Those are Cotton Tails... see them all the time. The white stripe on the head is a dead give away!
I will bet a dollar to a donut hole that none of those have a long pink tail.
slayer_taunu said: "the tails (which you cant see in the pics) is a short fluffy looking thing"
Are all yall city folk?
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those are rabbits. the local ones around here always nest in a yard kicking up the grass to make the babies invisible. look at the nest again around dusk and you should see a rabbit a few feet away keeping an eye on them.
i always enjoy seeing them scampering around but i have a neighbor who plants alot of stuff in their back yards and they shoot the invaders with bb guns
i always enjoy seeing them scampering around but i have a neighbor who plants alot of stuff in their back yards and they shoot the invaders with bb guns
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Yeah I would say chinchilla too..................if he lived in South America.
Looks like Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
Looks like Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
Last edited by 95TXTA; 06-16-2008 at 01:57 PM.