Pest Guides

Wild Rodents of Libya - Fat sand rat

Psammomys obessus

Appearance

Fat Sand Rat (medium) - Psammomys obessus | Rentokil Pest Control Libya

Fifty-six kinds of rodents comprising 7  families, 14 genera, 28 species and 48 subspecies in Libya. Wild species belonging to genera Gerbillus (gerbils), Psammomys and Merions (Jirids) and Jaculus (jerboas) show the widest range of geographic and individual variation found among the Libyan rodent fauna.

The faunal areas, which coincide roughly with the major physiographic, vegetation and climatic features, are  recognized in Libya based on the distribution of rodent fauna. These areas are: The Mediterranean, Saharan Steppe and Saharan Desert.

Among the most health  importance as a reservoir host of Leishmaniasis and Plague and agriculture pest is the Fat sand rat, Psammonys obesus.

  • Head and body 130-185mm; tail length 110-150mm.
  • Male weight 125-208g; female weight 146-207g. 
  • Heavily built, rat-like gerbils with fully haired and tufted tails. The tuft of hair on the end of the tail measures about 14mm.
  • They have large, black eyes, round ears, robust limbs, and heavy feet with black 4 to 5mm claws.
  • Dorsal fur varies from light-brown to red to yellow and is speckled with black. The underbelly is a grayish/white, with the area under the chin slightly whiter than the rest of the ventral surface. The last third of the tail is black, including the tuft, while the underside is whitish.

Lifecycle

  • Life expectancy in wild is 14 months; gestation period is 24 days and litter size is 1-7 and litters per year are 2-4

Habits

  • Natural food is a meager diet of the leaves and bark of the salt bush; these are sometimes harvested and stored in chambers in the burrow system.
  • Fat Sand Rat is highly tolerant to all anticoagulant rodenticides with an advanced liver function as a result of natural diet.     
  • Colonial; sandy sometimes rocky desert; burrows under bush on which they feed; burrows 3-5 wide openings and tunnels complicated with many chambers.
  • Diurnal; activity depends on temperature. In winter will be active in midday sun and in summer may be active in mornings and evenings.
  • Female home range about 75m sq and dominant male range about 190m sq.