What's digging up my yard

I'd been seeing little holes all over, assuming armadillos...

but tonight I went out there, as Buddy was acting goofy -- i knew he heard something.

What i saw definitely a rodent of some sort. Larger than a mouse, but I'm assuming smaller than a rat ... it "bounded" off when I shown the flash light on it. It was brown, almost like bakers chocolate. [not milk, but not dark]

When I walked over... the ground was freshly dug.

Any ideas....?

googling last night, I think I came up with "Cotton Rat" -- but whatever it is, it's eating the blooms off my petunias.

I also did not see it's tail -- so I can't be sure what it was.

Rats are very common in the Florida garden and will eat some plants, especially fruits and vegetables. We set traps with peanut butter in our shed until we get rid of them.

I'd rather have snakes in the garden than rats any day, but my neighbors keep killing the snakes. We had to stop feeding the birds, stop putting food in our compost, and keep a tight lid on the garbage cans.

Just do a Google search on Rats + Florida and you'll get lots of information.

Maybe a mole or voil. I've never had one but sure have lots of armadillos.

Bonnie -- when taking Bud out at night [i generally have a flashlight] I've seen armadillos... but last night it was a rodent. Even Bailey, our youngest cat will run from window to window... so i know she is seeing something too. Went out tonight, after Bud ran to the courtyard... and nothing.

I can live with the snakes and the rabbits [we have marsh rabbits] and even the armadillos, as they seem to just dig holes... but eating my flowers, that i can't stand.

Rats give me the willies.

Can't stand rats either. Our cats kill them or I do with rat poison out in the barn. Never had a rat that ate a plant. That's weird. Talk to the extension office in Tavares for some other suggestions.