Remarkable Rats: not all rats deserve a bad rap

Do you have rats in your backyard or bushland? Are you wondering if they are friend or foe? Australia has many native rat species, three of which commonly occur in the Hills and Fleurieu region, providing important ecological services.

Our continent has been home to rodents (a placental mammal) for millions of years, in addition to better known mammals like marsupials (kangaroos) and monotremes (echidna and platypus).

Take some time out of the rat race to learn about our unique and important native rat species with ecologists from Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu.

At this workshop we will gnaw down on the facts about native rats and their exotic cousins.

Topics include:

• how to identify native versus exotic rats
• the benefits of native rodents to our natural environment
• methods for controlling exotic rats and avoiding off-target impacts to other species
• strategies for living with and minimising the impacts of native swamp rats in your gardens
• how to deter rats from chicken pens, compost, sheds and roofs
• native rats in bushland
• swamps rats and revegetation
• and much more.