Unusual Animal Behavior

I have lived in my current home since 1999. I have never seen a rat. I have seen bunnies,oppussum,mice,coyote (I think),and a fawn in town, quite unfortunate... (mom hit by car on highway).
Any hew, at 11:05 I was getting ready to get in my car, and a rat ran into my flower bush. It almost ran across my feet. My neighbor was unloading new furniture, I asked ? Did you see that? He didn't.
Ran a quick errand and came back, my neighbor was still unloading out of his truck. I new where the rat was so I investigated. Sure enough there it was, trying to hide. It ran to another clump of perrinials. I had a piece of rubber seal on the porch from my son working on his car. I stuck the perinial and it moved. I stuck it again and low and behold it ran almost across my feet and away from my house. I hate to admit it but I screamed like a little girl.
My neighbor saw it and said he has never seen a rat here. Just wondering if this is from the warm winter or impending severe weather?
Just I side note, I have 3 Rat Terriers and a cat, I would not let them out because of traffic on the street.

Any Thoughts?

reply to post by witchof43


Unloading furniture you say?
I think that's where the Rat came from.

reply to post by witchof43


Well....thank God you have "rat terriers" in case the beast enters your home

Rats are everywhere but you seldom see them. Could be trashy neighbors attracting them, might be a new water source somewhere close, or the lack of a winter might spring a baby boom of sorts.

But be aware, were there is one, there are MANY more!!!!

Thanks, I grew up on mini farm. Have never seen them here. They used to go for horse feed. I just never expected to see a rat in broad daylight. I live in a village (3,500 people). And yes we have new neighbors.
I have standard Rat Terriers ( 20lbs) and they kill vermin. I won't let the out on the street with traffic.

Thanks

Whats even more efficient at wiping out rats are German Shorthairs. I've never seen a Rat terrier wipe out hordes of rats and mice like Spitz a friends Male German Shorthair. Who lives on a farm. He keeps rather busy with mice and rats.I've seen him take dozens out at a time. he lunges breaks neck and lunges for the next. Quite impressive. Never have i seen another dog go as nuts as he does for rodents. Farms are always spots for mice and rat populations to flourish.

Thanks , but I live in town. My dogs are quite capable of taking care of vermin.I won't risk my dog"s my dogs lives. Rat terriers have there names for a reason. They were bred to kill "RATS". I will not jeapordize my dogs life,we have heavy traffic. ( Cheasepeake Energy).

Rats survive by being elusive. Other than that, he may have gotten himself a belly full of D-Con at his last pit stop. I have seen D-con kill slowly and the animals try to hide because they are sick and suffering. Who knows....

In parts of Maryland where I have lived, it's been quite common to see rats out and about like squirrels, except, oddly enough when I lived in a run down crime ridden area. People must have been shooting at them for fun there, I guess. Or maybe all the dogs abandoned by thugs hunted them. But the pretty suburbs near the woods and creeks were a different story. I'd be out walking my dog and we would occasionally come across some fat and sassy ones rooting around in gardens like squirrels looking for buried acorns. Some had the sense to hide from my dog but some didn't pay us any heed at all.

Where I live now is newer housing and more open with no raccoons somehow. I sometimes wonder if rats and raccoons like the same kinds of amenities in their territories. Because we have yet to see rats around the houses here. We have mice of all different kinds. Blond mice, brown mice, hopping mice, skittering mice, gray mice, fat mice, skinny mice, tan mice with stripes. Brown mice with blond highlights that make me envious and want to ask them what salon they go to. But no rats...yet...praise God.

The only rat I've seen in this town lives in a parking lot of a gas station next to a McDonalds. I've seen him a few times since I've moved here. He waddles out in the open. People gawk at him but nobody bothers him. Knowing people around here, somebody likely has named him.