Bandicoot or Bandicota rats are a genus of rodents usually found in Southeast Asia, such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, etc.
Bandicoot rats are also known as pig rats because of their skin colour and nature. However, in countries like Australia and New Guinea, marsupial bandicoot rats are found that are different from Bandicoot rats.
Top 6 Most Asked Questions About Bandicoot Rats On The Internet:
People often have many questions about Bandicoot rats but not much information is available on the internet.
In this post, we have tried to solve the top 6 queries people often search on the internet about Bandicoot rats.
1. Which Kind Of Animal Is Bandicoot?
Bandicoots are a type of rodent usually found in Southeast Asian countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, etc.
Bandicoots are usually large-sized rats which are 35-45 cm long and have a 28 cm long tail attached to their bodies.
Bandicoot rats are dark grey or brown colored with a few long black hairs and a few grey short hairs are also present on the sides. Depending on locations, their names, and skin colors change.
2. Are Bandicoots Harmless?
No, Bandicoot rats can be extremely harmful to humans and other pets. Many deadly viruses and diseases such as Salmonella, Weil’s disease, E. coli, and TB are attributed to Bandicoot rats.
Bandicoot rats not only spread diseases but also significantly threaten foods, grains, and vegetables. Greater Bandicoot rats cause diseases such as leptospirosis, hantavirus, babesiosis, and bovine schistosomiasis.
There is no concrete evidence found that Bandicoot rats spread rabies. However, in a study, it was found that these rats possess rabies virus in their saliva but no evidence proves that they spread rabies.
3. What Do Bandicoots Eat?
Bandicoot rats are usually found in gardens and cultivated plains. They feed on vegetables, grains, fruits, seeds, insects, larvae, smaller mice, lizards, snails, and some fungi.
4. What Is The Lifespan Of A Bandicoot Rat?
Bandicoot rats are wild animals and not much information is available about their life expectancies. However, Lesser Bandicoot rats have a lifespan of 8-9 months.
5. Why Did The Bandicoot Become Extinct?
The mainland Eastern Barred Bandicoot or Pig-footed Bandicoots are on the verge of extinction due to various reasons. The introduction of predators such as foxes, feral cats, wild dogs, etc, in those areas results in heavy destruction to their population.
Also, anthropogenic factors such as increasing human settlements, food shortages due to decreased farmlands, light pollution, and excessive use of chemical fertilizers are the main reasons why pig-footed Bandicoots are on the way to extinction.
6. How To Get Rid Of Bandicoot Rats?
We don’t recommend you harm Bandicoot rats, but farmers to save their grains from these rats use various techniques such as removing their food sources, creating Bandicoot-proof fencing, using chicken manure and excessive smell of ammonia, etc. Bandicoots also don’t prefer lights and people flood the area with lights to get rid of Bandicoots.
At last, we wanna conclude the post by saying Bandicoot rats are not only harmful but also clean the ecosystem by consuming many unfriendly insects, larvae, etc. We must save these rats from extinction and create public awareness about them.
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