Victoria Clare wrote:
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in
ill.network:

An adult mouse will get through a 1/2" dia hole no problem, 3/8"
will
slow it down but will still get through. Rats no problem at an
inch,
3/4" is starting to get tight.

A hole a rat has made for itself will be around 1 1/2" dia, for a
mouse 3/4" dia or there abouts.

The rat that came to my garden made holes that were about 3 inches.
It was definitely him - I saw him at it. Mind you, it was a
mega-rat
- about the same size as my rabbits. They aren't all that huge,
luckily.

Thank you for that second opinion Victoria.
Despite Dave Liquorice's authoritive statement, my rats indulge
themselves with 3 inch holes as well. Maybe our rats are just well
adjusted.
Mind blowing though I find it, it might well be that when needs must,
a rat could squeeze through a 1.5 inch hole, but what intelligent rat
in its right mind is going to displace its cranial plates when it can
simply make its hole a bit bigger in open ground?
The largest specimen that I have measured was 10" head/body, 8" tail.
But, I understand that they can get up to 11.5" head/body, 9" tail.
Now that must be one to steer well clear of.

--
ned