Strange Tracks in Pen *Logical Conclusion on Page 46*

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

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i would say "both". We get some mighty big rats around here. The trap is one of the small rat/squirrel size havahart traps. i do have a larger trap sized for cats and raccoons. i should probably put that out. As for bait, i'm using peanut butter with chicken scratch mooshed in it. i'm sure it's been eating the left over scratch from the pens.

When we previously had a rat living under that playhouse, i ran a hose from the front to flood it out the back, then shot it (with a pellet gun) when it came out the other side. If we could get a day without rain here, i could try that again.

And, i don't see how it made those marks either. So i'll just keep on keeping on until i see what else wanders in. It has been raining, so wondering if it is a snake, would they not want to go out in the rain? i don't know.

 

[caral07]

It could be a nutria rat. These are giant rats about double or some are even triple the size of normal rats. Good luck finding the mystery creature. Im hooked hurry up creature!!!

 

[key west chick]

It does look like a Nutria, but they are found mainly living near water. Plus I dont think Cali has them. But I first thought that too.

 

[maryellenks]

No, we don't have nutria here, although that rat looks big enough to be one! I was thinking last night, though... could it be a digging animal? Going along, digging a shallow trench looking for worms or whatever, then moving on a little bit? The footprints would be basically in the hole, getting dragged over as the animal moved to the next spot and started digging. Something like a very young opossum would dig holes that size and shape. Or a skunk, too. And up where you live, I think you have both striped and spotted skunks. The spotted skunks are very small, smaller than that rat, so it could be digging and not leaving noticeable footprints, or the footprints could be obscured by the tail dragging. A very young and small raccoon, too, could be digging those shallow ditches and moving forward, it's tail dragging and obscuring the footprints. An adult raccoon, the footprints would be on the sides of the trench and you would be able to see them. But a smaller one, maybe...

(oh, and hi! I'm new, this is the second thread I read when I got here yesterday and I am completely hooked!)

 

[caral07]

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Well Im from Louisiana and I see these things alot although we dont have them as bad as south la. But l know that I think about it Cali. probably dont have nutias.

 

[Cass]

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Welcome Maryellenks.... You're late BTW....we've been guessing for a week now.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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From San Diego! There are a couple California threads; Northern Cali Thread, Southern Cali Thread, San Diego Thread, and the San Diego Chickens website; sandiegochickens.net

 

[mudfork]

I have a great deal of experience with game cameras, and some experience with rats as well. One thing to consider concerning the game cameras is that they operate by detecting a change in heat in the target area. A snake, being cold blooded is going to be hard to photograph, unless it has just moved from an area that had a temperature different from the target area. Rats can be very challenging to control. One MAJOR trait of rats is that they are neophobic, meaning they have a fear on anything new in their environment. This explains why the rat will not commit to going into the trap that has suddenly appeared on his home turf. Whatever you decide to use to control rats needs to be left out permanently, or at least for a long period of time. As far as the marks, I bet on the rat. The biggest reason is that I don't see a rat and a snake living in the same place regularly without the rat being eaten.

 

[GhostRider65]

I agree, if a snake was about It would surely eat the rat, unless of course it's the size of our old barn friend Godzilla, which was the most enormous
rat I ever saw, he was eating all the horses grain/ hay, whatever but he must have weighed 12 lbs, when Hollis finally caught him one night with the pitch fork.
He was way to big for any traps we had or I have seen. So maybe this guy is too big for a snake to eat.........LOL I doubt it, but hoping. Wish your find em though, cuz it sure looks like sidewinder tracks in those pictures. Be careful, he/she don't catch you.

 

[sawmane1]

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Yah i had a rat in the barn yard like that, we named it templeton and it fed on the cows hay. I had to shoot it like fifty times! well...thats an exageration but you get the point.