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Copyu (Ragondin) or Musk rat


Laine
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While I was walking the dogs yesterday at dusk I saw two animals hurrying towards me down the dry bed of a stream(we live in an area like the camargue)  I had an excellent view of one of them as, in the scurry of activity to escape the dogs, it walked past me and didn't seem afraid.  It was basically a very big rat, but its face was more like that of an otter with a lot of whiskers and when I looked at the picture of a Ragondin the face shape didn't fit (the Ragondin seems to have a long, strong looking face) The only other possibility seemed to be a musk rat, but I remain unsure - any ideas?

Thanks,

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Most of us don't get that close. [:P]

We have a family recently moved into our pond. I know they're a pest and I know we'll have to get rid of them but they are very sweet. We've been watching them swimming across the pond, taking vast mouthfuls of grass and swimming back to their burrows, looking like little walruses. (sp?)

They eat our brambles for breakfast... for which we thank them. [;-)]

More products of a ragondin nature than you ever thought possible... or desirable...

http://www.ragondin.com/

[:-))]

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Hi

I'm with you on this Catalpa, I know they are a pest in as much as they undermine the bank of the waters they are living around but I quite like them.  In the 5 years we've lived in France we've always had them somewhere near.  We had a family living on the island in the middle of our last lake and now that we've moved we sometimes seem them coming out of the wood and crossing the lake .  There is the odd issue with the bank but not enough to cause any panic.  I asked the vet about the infections they carry and they said it wouldn't be any than worse for the dogs than a rat or the like and we are bound to have a few (hundred) of those about.

so we have left them alone, when we first moved in they were on the house side of the bank but they have now moved away (probably because the house in now inhabited) and we only see them at dusk as they swim across the lake to the grass to feed from the far bank.

On the things you can do with ragondin front, my neighbours has offered to rid us of them and provide in return the pate he makes from them, YUUUUK.

Panda

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[quote user="Panda"]

On the things you can do with ragondin front, my neighbours has offered to rid us of them and provide in return the pate he makes from them, YUUUUK.

Panda

[/quote]

yum yum! We have traps set at our lake (a small one owned by 5 other French) Cant wait to try the Pate!

Steve

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Bet it was a ragondin.  There are supposed to be otters in the river not far from our cottage, but over 15 years all we have have ever seen crossing the lanes nearby have been 'ragondins', according to the locals.  However about 3 years ago my son was sure he did really see an otter.

Hope they were otters!

Julia

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Many thanks for all the replies. 

Chris - we live between Arles and Salon de Provence, which has some of the features of the camargue, but luckily no mosquitoes!

Pads - the tail was definitely a rat-tail.

I suppose it must have been a ragondin, but the face was that of a 'whiskery rat', with no 'heavy jaw' or squareish face shape and I didn't see its teeth! (maybe its another variety of ragondin).  Thanks again and I shall look out for more sightings (the dogs are very happy to do this also!!);

Elaine

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Thanks for the photos, Chris - they're really good.  Once again, the head seems too heavy and square, this really was a very big rat with a more pointed face.  I caught another glimpse of one swimming away from me but it was too far to get a proper look.

Regards,

Elaine

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[quote user="Laine"]

Sorry Bud I forgot to thank you for your amazing photo of the pipe-blocking ragondin!

Elaine

[/quote]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/colnefields/DSCN1645.jpg[/IMG]

My pleasure Elaine, took the above pic Friday. The heads are deceiving, the males more blocky in appearance. When they are swimming the nostrils are set high, so the profile above the water is minimal. Another interesting thing about this rodent is that the females nipples are along the side of her body, when the 'holt sette or earth' has a higher water table the young can still be fed.

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I'm no expert, by any means but have definitely seen (what we assumed to be - agouti (dead, by the side of the road) in Italy - could that be a possibility? The particular 1 I saw clearly (with my hubby) was about 1 meter long plus tail, and black sewer rat type of appearance. My father, who lives in italy, tells me he 'often' sees them when driving at night.

Definitely not porcupines or coypu.

Bet that doesn't help anyone thou
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