The Bush Rat
is a small nocturnal mammal, found in coastal areas from Rockhampton
through to Victoria.
It is seldom
seen in the wild, unless trapped, due to it's preference for dense
ground cover in Eucalypt and rain forests, sub alpine woodland
and coastal scrub. Preference is given to areas where low growing
ferns, shrubs and fallen trees can provide shelter. It's diet
consists mainly of insects, but fungi, seeds and vegetation such
as roots and plant stems is also consumed, in fact this mammal
will eat anything it can find if food is scarce.
It spends most
of the time within a burrow, coming
out to forage for food after dark.
It has soft
brown or grey fur, underbelly is much lighter, as it the feet,
it's ears are large and rounded.
Young are born
weighing about 5 gram, and become independent at about 40 gram.
Males and females disperse from the maternal territory to establish
small individual home ranges. 10 individuals may occupy 1 hectare,
and it is not unusual for a male to travel up to 1 km a night
foraging for food. During breeding time, he may travel up to 2
km in search of a female.
The Bush Rat
may even survive a bush fire as it shelters in burrows or rock
crevices throughout the fire. Coming out after the fire it can
survive on unburnt plants, and new young shoots of plants that
emerge sh
ortly
after a bush fire. The population greatly increases 4-5 years
after a fire, due to the lush habitat of rapid regrowth, but as
the habitat returns to normal, and the predators return, the population
once again goes back to normal.
Head and body length is 111mm-194mm.
Tail length is usually slightly shorter then the head and body
length. Average weight is 125gram, but populations can vary greatly.
Females are usually slightly smaller than males.
Living in the bush we see these small
mammals on a regular basis, and on occasion recieve them in
to care when found as small orphans. They grow fast, so time
in care is short compared to a wallaby or possum.
Considering that they are able to breed
at 4-5 months old, you would not want to keep them longer
than nessesary. Most will however wait till the following
spring before breding for the first time. Those that breed
will usually die before or as winter approaches. This ensures
plenty of food for the new generation the following year.
Reference:
Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife.
Readers Digest 2005 edition
The Australian Museum Complete
book of Australian Mammals
