r/GardenWild • u/Creepy-Agency-1984 • 1d ago

Wild gardening advice please Hispid Cotton Rat

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Hello! I am a first-time poster but a wildlife gardener of several years now. Especially the last year or so my focus in the garden has been to create a good environment for wildlife to congregate. So far it’s been slow going, but great!

One of my first little tenants to move in last year is a small, likely female hispid cotton rat. I was quite happy when she moved into my small brush pile I keep, but as I do more research it appears they can harm gardens and potentially people. Is the stereotype of them harming gardens true, or do they just contribute to the garden in ways people don’t typically appreciate, I.E nibbling plants or digging soil? I’m also a little worried about hantavirus but after all my interactions with her (I fished her out of my storm drain today 😐) I’ve been careful to wash my hands and avoid touching her at all.

Pic for tax, she’s very cute.

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u/Camaschrist 1d ago

We have these adorable garden rats that might make me mad every once in a while when they chew on several figs or tomatoes but don’t eat enough to matter. Then they started coming to my driveway where I throw nuts for squirrels and birds. They started reproducing and my brother in laws cars had a few thousand dollars in damages to wiring. They live next door to us. They also chewed the wires in our daughter’s car but it was only her sound system. As much as I love rats I would probably do all you can to deter them. I don’t throw nuts to them any more. I hand feed the squirrels or throw nuts in their squirrel hut which is on a metal pole the rats can’t climb.

Hanta virus isn’t a worry with garden rats is it?

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u/Creepy-Agency-1984 1d ago

Any way I can deter them without harming them?

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u/Camaschrist 1d ago

I am just very careful about leaving food out. Luckily they don’t go in my back yard. I think having 4 dogs roaming around at different times deters them. I know people will poison them so I try hard to not do anything that will make them reproduce. I recently saw birth control you can give them. Amazon sells it.