A Pied Piper for Paluma

Rain, Rats, and Cannibalism

The wet weather always brings birds and a few bush creatures to shelter and seek food on my back deck.  For the last two mornings birds in greater numbers than usual have come in, ravenously emptying the food dish then sitting huddled together, wet and bedraggled along the railing.  Even a brush turkey, much to my chagrin, joined the throng.  Lord Victoria (the senior Rifle-bird) was first in, just on daylight clinging to the back door and screeching for attention.  He was joined by a junior male and a female; a Catbird (who didn’t stay with the mob); two female Bower-birds; about a dozen Macleay’s honey-eaters, who fly into the kitchen if, in an unguarded moment, I leave the screen door open, and a mob of noisy Lorikeets who squabbled and jockeyed for position all morning.

A not so welcome guest was a huntsman spider, fortunately not a big one, who moved into my bathroom but the most unwelcome guests over the past three weeks were rats.  Bush rats have invaded the laundry while White-tailed rats have patrolled the laundry and decks, creating havoc.  An Antechinus made it to the kitchen and I dread the day when a White-tailed Rat discovers it can enter the house with no effort at all by using the dog-flap. 

 Every night for the past three weeks I have set mesh traps and almost every morning had a captive to take to the release site at the forest edge.  First was a White-tailed rat who did considerable damage in the laundry before he was trapped.  Then, for five days in succession I took Bush Rats to the release site. Next was a young White-tailed rat.  There was a lull for two days then two bush-rats and an Antechinus went to the release spot.  Yesterday, a very big White-tailed rat was captured – so big he totally filled and could not move within the trap.  In another small trap two bush rats were caught.  To my horror, one rat had begun eating the other. Is this cannibalism a symptom of stress?   Is this behaviour rare?

Again, this morning I took a Bush Rat out to the release site.   I wonder if any other residents are experiencing unusual numbers of visiting rats.

I am beginning to feel that I need a Pied Piper in Paluma.

• Bush Rat – Rattus fuscipes;
• Yellow-footed Antechinus – Antechinus flavipes;
• Giant White-tailed Rat – Uromys caudimaculatus

Text and Photos by Colwyn Campbell