It will also drum when undisturbed, producing a slow, tapping sound. The bushy-tailed woodrat engages in hind foot-drumming when alarmed. They build several food caches, which they use during the winter months.
In coniferous forests, the woodrat may build its house as high as 50 feet (15 m) up a tree. When not contained within the midden, the nest is usually concealed in a rocky crevice behind a barricade of sticks. Nests are usually within the midden, but regional variations to this rule occur. Nests are the areas where the animal is often found and where the females raise their young. Īn important distinction to make is between middens and nests. Woodrat urine contains large amounts of dissolved calcium carbonate and calcium oxalates due to the high oxalate content of many of the succulent plants upon which these animals feed. Middens consist of plant material, feces, and other materials which are solidified with crystallized urine. These woodrats collect debris in natural crevices, and abandoned man-made structures when available, into large, quasistructures for which the archaeologists' term ' midden' has been borrowed. They are usually solitary and very territorial. While primarily nocturnal, they can occasionally be seen during the day. Behavior īushy-tailed woodrats are active throughout the year. įemales breed for the first time when they are yearlings. The daughters may share food caches with the mother, increasing their likelihood of survival, and the higher female density of the area may also help attract males. This is a clear exception to their territorial natures, and this relationship is not currently well understood. Females often stay in the same area as the mother, with an overlapping range. Eyes open at about 15 days old, and weaning occurs at 26–30 days. Gestation period in captivity is 27–32 days. Females have been observed breeding as soon as 12 hours after giving birth, and may be pregnant with one litter while nursing another. The females have only four mammary glands, so larger litters most likely have higher attrition rates. Litters can range in size from two to six, with a typical litter size of three. A female may have one or two litters each year. īreeding occurs in spring and summer (May through August), with a gestation period of about five weeks. Fights consist largely of biting and scratching, and may result in serious injury. Males establish dominance in their territories through scent marking and physical confrontations. These rodents get most of their water from the plants that they eat. In drier habitats, they will concentrate on succulent plants. One study in southeastern Idaho found grasses, cactus, vetch, sagebrush, and mustard plants in their diets, as well as a few arthropods. The bushy-tailed woodrat prefers green vegetation (leaves, needles, shoots), but it will also consume twigs, fruits, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, and some animal matter. They are found with greater frequency and in higher densities in more open habitats. These woodrats do not do as well in old-growth forests. They can be found from sea level up to 14,000 feet (4,300 m), but they become increasingly restricted to higher elevations toward the southern end of their range. They readily adapt to abandoned buildings and mines. Their preferred habitat is in and around rocky places, so they are often found along cliffs, canyons, talus slopes, and open rocky fields. Habitat īushy-tailed woodrats occupy a wide range of habitats, from boreal forests to deserts. Range īushy-tailed woodrats are found in western North America, ranging from arctic Canada down to northern Arizona and New Mexico, and as far east as the western portions of the Dakotas and Nebraska. The bushy-tailed woodrat is the largest and most cold-tolerant species of woodrat. These rodents are sexually dimorphic, with the average male about 50% larger than the average female.Īdult length: 11 to 18 in (28 to 46 cm), half of which is tail. They use their long tails for balance while climbing and jumping, and for added warmth. These woodrats are good climbers and have sharp claws. The tail is squirrel-like - bushy, and flattened from base to tip. The top coloration may vary from buff to almost black. They are usually brown, peppered with black hairs above with white undersides and feet. Anatomy of the wood rat's forelimb (lateral aspect)īushy-tailed woodrats can be identified by their large, rounded ears, and their long, bushy tails.
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