Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Title
Cotton Rats
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
July 1994
The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon
hispidus) is a moderately large, robust
rodent with a scaly, sparsely haired
tail that is shorter than the combined
head and body. Cotton rats have relatively large eyes.
The ears are large but almost hidden in
the fur. They have four toes and a
small thumb on their front feet and
five toes on each hind foot. The cotton
rat has very small internal cheek
pouches. Distinguishing characteristics
are the rough grizzled appearance of
the blackish or grayish fur and the
rather stiff black guard hairs.
The hispid cotton rat occurs over most
of the southern United States, from the
southeastern tip of California, southern
Arizona and New Mexico, north to
eastern Colorado, eastward through
the southern portions of Kansas and
Missouri, through Tennessee and
North Carolina, and southward along
the Atlantic coast through Florida, the
Gulf states, and up the Rio Grande
Valley.
Two other species of cotton rat, the
least cotton rat (S. minimus) and the
yellownose cotton rat (S. ochrognathus),
occur only in small areas of southeastern
Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. They are very similar to
the hispid cotton rat.
Exclusion:
Usually not practical.
Cultural Methods:
Remove dense vegetation.
Repellents:
Not effective.
Toxicants:
2% zinc phosphide on dry bait.
Fumigants:
Not practical.
Trapping:
Snap traps (rat traps).
Live traps.
Shooting:
Not practical.
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