I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

"kay" wrote


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.


Any water near there? Like a small stream or similar. I'm thinking Water
Vole.
Lots of photos here...
http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arv...ge-A22614.html
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 29/12/2013 15:48, Bob Hobden wrote:
"kay" wrote


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.


Any water near there? Like a small stream or similar. I'm thinking Water
Vole.
Lots of photos here...
http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arv...ge-A22614.html


I'd have said it was probably a weasel or just possibility a young otter
if there is water around. though they will stray a mile or more from water.
David @ a cool but almost rain free Swansea Bay

"David Hill" wrote ...

Bob Hobden wrote:
"kay" wrote


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.


Any water near there? Like a small stream or similar. I'm thinking Water
Vole.
Lots of photos here...
http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arv...ge-A22614.html


I'd have said it was probably a weasel or just possibility a young otter if
there is water around. though they will stray a mile or more from water.

From Kay's description I would have thought that a weasel was unlikely, it
looking like a the inside of a kitchen roll with legs and normally very fast
moving, darty. Whilst an otter would not normally be described as having a
long thin tail, it's quite muscular looking.
Any water voles may well have found their riverbank homes flooded recently
so may well be out and about looking for food (grass) and a new place to
stay and they do look like a round dumpy rat with a cute face.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

In article , kay.d35e955
@gardenbanter.co.uk says...

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Janet

In article ,
Janet wrote:
In article , kay.d35e955
says...

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Far more likely to be a mink. They are bred to have all sorts of
strange colours, and are much more common.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 29/12/2013 15:48, Bob Hobden wrote:
"kay" wrote


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.


Any water near there? Like a small stream or similar. I'm thinking Water
Vole.
Lots of photos here...
http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arv...ge-A22614.html


I'd have said it was probably a weasel or just possibility a young otter
if there is water around. though they will stray a mile or more from
water.
David @ a cool but almost rain free Swansea Bay

I won't be a weasel, they are the size of a pencil and brown.
It's probably a squirrel with a mangey tail. Nothing else is silvery grey.

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article , kay.d35e955
@gardenbanter.co.uk says...

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Janet

I considered this, but they don't have roundish heads.

In article ,
says...

In article ,
Janet wrote:
In article , kay.d35e955
says...

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Far more likely to be a mink. They are bred to have all sorts of
strange colours, and are much more common.

and much bigger than a grey squirrel

Janet

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Janet wrote:
In article , kay.d35e955
says...

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Far more likely to be a mink. They are bred to have all sorts of
strange colours, and are much more common.


It would be unusual to see a mink in a retail park, though.
Unless there was a river very close. My money is still on a squirrel with a
skin problem.

On 2013-12-29 11:42:12 +0000, kay said:

I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

Ferret? There are variations in colour and bushiness of their tails, too.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 29/12/2013 18:47, Christina Websell wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 29/12/2013 15:48, Bob Hobden wrote:
"kay" wrote


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.


Any water near there? Like a small stream or similar. I'm thinking Water
Vole.
Lots of photos here...
http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arv...ge-A22614.html


I'd have said it was probably a weasel or just possibility a young otter
if there is water around. though they will stray a mile or more from
water.
David @ a cool but almost rain free Swansea Bay

I won't be a weasel, they are the size of a pencil and brown.
It's probably a squirrel with a mangey tail. Nothing else is silvery grey.


You must have very large pencils

Gosh! What a lot of replies!

Not any of those.

Water vole - tail too long, and it was light silver grey
weasel - too fat and stationary
polecat/ferret - body too short, tail much thinner
stoat - body too short
otter - tail too thin
squirrel - it was not a mangey tail, it was a perfectly well-formed thin tail, like a rat or mouse.

The closest I can think of is a degu. While it's not totally impossible (it's also a residential area, and there's a nearby petshop), rat is still looking the best bet.

In article ,
Christina Websell wrote:


I saw a small animal scurrying around in the undergrowth near a suburban
retail park towards dusk - light silvery grey, size and shape of a very
well fed grey squirrel. But wrong behaviour for a squirrel - and when it
came out on to the grass, I saw it had a long thin tail. Unless anyone
has a better idea, it is probably a rat - but it was too light a colour
for a rat, and the head was too large and too rounded.

polecat? A neighbour used to keep them for rabbiting; his were greyish
and the size was midway between a stoat and a ferret.

Far more likely to be a mink. They are bred to have all sorts of
strange colours, and are much more common.

It would be unusual to see a mink in a retail park, though.
Unless there was a river very close.

Don't you believe it! They aren't as urban as some animals, but
get to a lot more places than people realise. And they aren't
exclusively aquatic, unlike otters.

My money is still on a squirrel with a skin problem.

That's certainly a very likely scenario. It might have caught
its tail in something, for example.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Definitely not. It was an immaculate mouse/rat type tail. No hint of scarring.