rats! (Atlanta, East Point: new home, construction, landlord)

[Ericmrtt]

I came across what I thought was a huge rat in my basement. Now I'm from NYC, where the rats are huge from what I know. Now I never came across one of NYC's infamous sewer rats but the rat I saw looked as big as what I think a NYC sewer rat would look like. So what are the common rodent found in the Atlanta burbs? How big do they get?

[BobKovacs]

Are you sure it was a rat, and not a possum? There's plenty of wildlife in the burbs, but I don't think I've ever seen "rats" on the list of species that frequent the area.

[NorthmeetsSouth]

I am also from NY and in all my years there I have also never seen one of the fabled NYC rats as big as a cat!
I did, however, have a possum out on my deck trying to open the cover on my grill(!) He was very persistent and didn't "play possum" when I turned all the lights on and tried to scare him off. A possum looks kind of like a giant rat. It's got the same nasty little face and tail as a rat, just furrier in between. It looks sort of like a winterized armadillo.

[IntownHomes247]

There are certainly rats in Atlanta suburbs, particularly if you live in an area near one of the many creeks. However, they are typically normal rat-sized. I'm with Bob. It's probably a possum, which look slightly like enormous rats and definitely have a hairless, rat-like tail.

[Britishintown]

It could have been a genetically enhanced rat, bred for combat purposes and escaped from a military facility, was it wearing any insignia?

[K'ledgeBldr]

Did it look like Ben?
If you're not sure, send Willard a picture!

[atlantagreg30127]

It could have been my ex neighbor. She had a tail. And body hair.

But really, it probably was a possum. They're everywhere around here and especially in the burbs. Even with three dogs I get them in my yard now and again. Overall they're not dangerous. You don't want to corner one and push it, but generally they run from you. Now, if it's in your basement, you want to call some critter-catcher type of business, 'cause it might be a mom about to have a litter looking for a place to have the youngin's. I doubt you want a whole family of them down there.

[hunter0182]

ok as a kid up til i was 14 my aunt and uncle lived in fulton county off of moreland ave, the sewers were big granite slabs one i could see from the living room window,i watched a rat the size of a cat walk around,my uncle had very large traps set with a chain and spiked in the ground,they were a little smaller than a opossum,i have seen warf rats down near the feed plant here in augusta as big,but they eat very well,i have watched rats at my neighbors bird feeder bigger than genia pigs,i did the trap thing and have cought 5 since friday,

[Mgyeldell]

My mom had a big humongous rat in her house in East Point but she also lives over a sewer and the weirdest creek I have ever seen. My mom said that the landlord said that the rat went under the stove and got stuck and the only thing that was showing was his head, She said it was the biggest rat she has ever seen and she is from South Side Chicago

[pinetreelover]

Lots of rats around areas where there is new home construction as their habitat gets disturbed.

That said - I'm with everyone else - I bet it was a possum.