The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Wildlife => Topic started by: Dreich Pete on April 26, 2014, 02:06:01 pm
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We've known for a couple of months that there was a rat in the wood store, but no sign of multiple rats, breeding or bothering the hens in any way so I haven't been too worried. However this morning I went out and found a dead rat in the middle of the lawn. The only sign of anything wrong with it (apart from being an ex-rat) was a small cut on it's face, so I'm wondering how it died. We haven't put out any traps or poison, and we're quite a distance from any neighbouring buildings so not likely to be an interloper, so what might've killed it?
Our dogs gave it a little sniff this morning then wandered away - very unusual for them - but I did wonder if one of them might've caught it during the night and broken it's neck (it was too stiff to check that theory). It wasn't a bird of prey otherwise I would expect it to be at least partially eaten, if not carried away. My only other working theory is that it was an interloper and got caught by the resident rat - or vice versa - but with only a small cut to the face it seems unlikely to have been in a fight.
My only concern is that it is from a neighbour's land and was poisoned. That's a concern for my dogs, although they did show little interest in it.
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We did have a thunderstorm last night but as the rat didn't look charred I'm ruling out a direct lightning strike. :raining:
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Cats generally don't eat rats they kill. I've never been sure why, but am glad, because it means I don't need to worry about them ingesting poisoned rat.
I can't think I've ever seen any of the dogs eat a rat, either, although they're all extremely interested in the live ones!
Could it have been a cat?
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rigor doesnt last for ages so you could actually check its neck later on.
no sign of multiple rats....are you sure the rat you have seen is the same one each time? ;D i used to think that with this black beetle we kept seeing in the house, til i finally decided to kill him, then found him coming back every night whether i killed him again or not. :roflanim:
rats are highly social so i doubt hes a loner.
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I would guess a cat.
I found one(rat not cat) dead in the middle of my allotment. I knew it was around because it was nibbling at a potato that had been left lying around. It was found near the spud.
A few cats wandering around and as said earlier cats dont tend to eat the bigger rodents they catch.