Maybe those in the Florida Keys can do what those in Louisiana do with the nutria another invasive species.

big rascals...and like the tiny Key Deer that live there....not at all afraid of humans...

and(thankfully)never saw a rat like that. I loved going to see the Key Deer I had a friend who lived on Big Pine and the little guys were always visiting his yard.

I still miss it there...

A Tanzanian social enterprise founded by two Belgians called APOPO, trains Gambian pouched rats to detect land mines and tuberculosis with their highly developed sense of smell. The trained pouched rats are called HeroRATS.

Currently studies are being conducted in the USA and other locations about the best ways to train these creatures and their abilities/limits to detecting the mines.

I'm not sure how I'd feel if he/she popped out from under my bed

There is a huge drinking party that commences every year at midnight on February 2 to celebrate the prognosticating rodent.

Absurd, but true. Tell those people in the Keys that booze helps a lot.

Oh wait...they're already in the Everglades

Burmese python here

Nor a 3 foot rat. Think I'll stay up here in NH where it gets too cold for freakish stuff.

I hear it goes well with Gambian rat-atouille.

can't think of a good pun ATM

Their Merlot has a nice nose with a smoky touch of oak and a satisfying fruitiness that is just perfect for Gambian rat. Yes, I think you've come up with a good alternative to the cab. Well done!

Globalization - it's what's for dinner.

But not as frightening as the upcoming SyFy documentary/thriller/gorefest, Ratnadozilla!

gerbils and hamsters. I just did a bit of research and apparently it is so far limited to Grassy Key in Florida. A breeder let some go on purpose.

We had gerbils as pets when I was a kid. I don't think I would want a three foot gerbil, with a three foot tail as a pet. I can't imagine feeding it let alone clea ing up after it. We kept our gerbils in an aquarium. These thing would require an aquarium from Sea World.

...a bigger hamster wheel?

Seriously, how is this going to be stopped from moving to other key islands? I don't know anything about their swimming ability. They seem too large to hitchhike on autos traveling on the overseas highway. Maybe that's a good thing. I think people need to set traps, capture them, and eat them.

when I was a student the college had large white male rats. They were about 1 1/2 foot long.

The freaky thing is that in my war stories they get bigger with each re-telling. You can't explain that!

They will. Not. Go. Away.

My bad!