lynda777 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Hi thereI haven't been on here long and only just found this sub-forum. I might linger a while.I've been in Tarn et Garonne 2 months (accompanied by small person, dog, cat, 4 horses and 2 ponies).On our land we have several small ponds and in one we have a squatter but I'm not sure what. The first time I saw him, I said "Oh my god, a guinea pig!". Then sanity re-established its tenuous hold and I remembered that (a) guinea pigs didn't really like water (had 100s when I was a small person) and (b) it really was quite a lot bigger than a guinea pig. What my brain couldn't get around was the fact that it was WHITE. It was obviously a rodent and a swimmer but......WHITE??? I'm assuming its an albino mutation of......er.....something. At first I thought "Coypu" but when I checked in a friend's wildlife book, I think it was too small and more the size of a cat. Could it be a Muskrat? I was so excited about it, that I practised my (limited) French on my neighbour....."Grand Blanc Souri en Etang!" He smiled (for what seemed a long time) and left... Then I thought that was rather stoopud as he'll be round tomorrow with his dog and gun. But I guess he just thought "mad English woman".So what do you think? Are there muskrats in 82? Any other ideas? "Snowy" is very brave and doesn't disappear if you're not too noisy. Has anybody else seen an albino?Lynda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I'd like to see a photo.Musk rat is a possibility, not sure of how common they are in Tarn et Garonne but you can usually ascertain the presence of Musk rats by what they eat and the fact that they often leave bits of dinner on the ground near the waterside, so you may find discarded shells or bits of freshwater crayfish, that type of thing. A young Coypu is another possibility, they are vegetarian , so although no remains will be found in the vicinity, they often leave their excrement near the waterside, it's always very dark, like a large capsule, smooth and when mushed up has no solid contents.Good luck (try and get a photo).Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don & pat Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 We have a house in Aveyron (12) and have what we think is a Coypu living along side our etang but he is mink-coat brown. I understand from a pest control website I found that Coypus grow up to 10kg and have tails like rats. Muskrats have flattened tails.We think ours is cute too but I have been advised to contact the authorities if there is a colony as they eventually destroy the banks of rivers and lakes. We hope there is only the one and we'll give him a name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 The recent rains may have flooded them out of their holes because there seems to be a lot more activity from the Coypu at the moment. Unless they are Xmas shopping or mating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Roy Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 They make good eating, taste a bit like chicken - Christmas dinner....???[I] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caussenarde Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 If he is white then he could be an hermine. They are white in winter and brown in summer and the tip of the tail remains black.They eat mice, baby rabbits, so maybe he is after baby water rats, or he is fishing?See one here http://www.roc.asso.fr/protection-faune/hermine.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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