Hi Val,
I am wondering if any of your other readers have encountered our latest
visitor which would appear to be a Spanish Tree Rat.
We have a tall mature Hibiscus tree just at the rear of the house and our
dogs have alerted us several times at about 10 pm to the presence of a
rodent high in the tree which at this time of year has huge globular
buds/fruits' which look like large hazelnuts. It is certainly a rat but
unlike any other species of rat in that it is a pale brown/beige on the back
and white underneath. It also has an incredibly long tail, much longer than
its body. Its face isn't altogether rat-like, being a little more like a
squirrel or loir but it definitely isn't either of the latter as its size,
colour, markings and ratty tail are very different. It seems to be feasting
on the hibiscus 'buds'
My searches on the net suggest that it is a tree rat of the kind found in
Calpe and other areas of southern Spain so presumably this one is on
holiday.
Any information from others would be of interest.
Helen
Hi Helen,
Rats - this spring I was shutting the chickens in & saw a rat - beige on top/white belly wandering very nonchalantly along the top of the chicken wire, a very long tail... the chicken run began to show quite a lot of evidence of rats - they were high profile, numerous sightings at around the same times & various holes, the cats got one & then we moved the chicken house & found a nest 2 adults, 2 teenagers & 4 babies, offed some, some were too fast... in the end we put traps down, haven't come across them since. Rats/tree rats not sure but they fit your description & I think came from a large bale of straw the farmer had delivered, we now have a terrier! Laura
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