FreeLists / bristol-birds / [bristol-birds] Cotton Rats

[Susie Stout <susiestout@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

on 6/5/02 8:46 PM, Jack Litz at wjlitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> 
> COTTON RAT
> This isn't a bird, but I also spotted a Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) =
> in a corner of a hayfield.  Anybody ever heard of a Cotton Rat?  It is a =
> rodent about the size of a Guinea Pig and has a tail shorter than its =
> body.  It is the first of its kind that I have ever seen.  Here is a =
> picture that I lifted off of the CDC web site linked below.  CDC is =
> interested because It is the reservoir of Black Creek Canal virus, a =
> hantavirus, but the disease is evidently not a current problem anywhere. =
> =20

I have cotton rats in my backyard and have had for some time. When
developers cleared all the trees and brush around my yard (while developing
a new subdivision), they moved to my yard where there is lots of shelter. (I
have a wildlife habitat, especially for birds, but apparently good for
cotton rats too. I plan to clear out some of the cover nearer the house so
they move back into the edges more. They LOVE black oil sunflower so I don't
feed on the ground any more. I do have snakes and hawks around, so the
population is not out of hand although sometimes I see more than others. My
dog chases 'em some too. I guess if there gets to be too many, I may resort
to traps.
Susie Stout
Knoxville, TN

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