Rat or mouse?!

I've not gotten a positive ID. Apparently the picture is misleading in it's size because it's not a Nutria. lol

I'm thinking rat. All the mice I've ever experienced were very small and not so large around the middle. Ugh!

Carolyn

Jes' a lil ol' mouse. Rats are a lot point-y-er. Sharper nose, longer body.

I just thought rats were uglier. These little guys are really cute tho. This one is #4. Carolyn, you sure you don't want me to save some for you? You've got all those other critters out there! ;)

the whole cage

NO thanks on the offer to safe it for me, you keep it!

Carolyn

From comparing the size of your hand to the size of the animal in the last picture, you definitely have a species (don't know exactly which) of rat. That is definitely not a mouse. Plus, there isn't a mouse on the planet that wouldn't be able to easily squeeze through the holes in that trap. Adult mice can go thru holes the size of a quarter; juvenile mice can go thru holes the size of a dime.

Hmmm. I wonder if this is him?
http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/gawildlife/mammals/rodentia/muridae/sigmodontinae/shispidus.html
I still think he is kinda cute, even if he is in the rat family.

Sylvi74, that's him! He is cute, even if he is a rat! I didn't think he was just any 'ole rat, but bigger than a mouse. Took #7 off today. That link says they have 8-10 in a litter, so maybe I'm on the downward slide here. I still can not bring myself to kill them. I'm just taking them far off and figuring they can't make it past the highway back to me. There is SO much construction going on around me, thus running them out of the fields to the homes. I know they are bad, but it's still sad for them.

Am I the ONLY person that feels sorry for rats and mice?!

Oh they aren't bad! They are just doing what they do. In fact, this one is quite different from the Norway rat that is so commonly seen in cities.
I know what you mean about the construction. I found deer footprints in my yard the other day, and I live in the middle of the city in a 50 year old neighborhood. The poor little guys just don't have anywhere else to go.

Paige, Want an armadillo to keep your cute rat company? Its a come and get it armadillo, and he probably has friends, brothers, sisters to keep him company. Any time, just name the day. And just for the record, no he's not cute, ugh!

Carolyn

LOL...thanks Carolyn! What a friend! ;) I think I'll pass tho, considering I learned recently that they carry leprosy!! eeekkk!!! I've meant to look for a thread that I read a while back where someone caught an armadillo. I'll try to do that and send it to you. Meanwhile I'm busy with my own critters. I took off #8 yesterday but none yet today. Maybe that was the last one!