Rodent Log

User Guide: Logging Your First Rodent Sighting

Thank you for participating with the EUREKA project! The data you collect here can help guide future research, support sustainable rodent management, and enable data-driven decision-making and policymaking.

There is a long wish list of data we’d love for you to collect and share, but we know your time is money, so the only required data to make a submission is two photos and if the rodent was trapped or found.

You are encouraged however, to submit as much data as possible, including biological specimens, and we are keeping a scoreboard to highlight our power users to track:

  • the most data submitted (photographs, tail snips, carcasses)
  • highest number of rats caught overall
  • highest number of rats caught on one call
  • confirmed alpha rat catches
  • largest alpha

–as we think these users have made the greatest, validated impact on managing rodents in California.

Instructions

A. Getting Started: Download & Login

  1. Download
    • iOS Users:  Download Rodent Log on the App Store.
    • Android Users: Please note there is no Android application available. At this time, you must use an iOS device to participate.
    • Why? You need the correct digital tool to log standardized data efficiently in the field.
  2. Request Account
    • Email partners@eurekalliance.org to request an account. You cannot use the app without us creating a login for you. Once your request is processed, you will receive an email with your login credentials. Use these to log in.
    • Why? This app is designed specifically for industry professionals, not the general public. Verification ensures data integrity and professional standards.
  3. Grant Permissions
    • Allow access to Camera and Location Services when prompted.
    • Why? The app needs these permissions to capture evidence and automatically tag the specific GPS location of your find.

B. Prerequisites & Settings

  1. Photo Format

    • iPhone Pro: Enable AppleProRaw (Settings > Camera > Formats > AppleProRaw).

    • Standard: .jpeg is acceptable if RAW is unavailable.
    • Why? RAW files contain more data and detail, allowing researchers to better analyze the specimen later.

  2. Geotagging

    • iPhone: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Camera > "While Using"

    • Why? Precise location data allows us to map pest populations and track movement patterns across specific zones.

C. Adding a Log

  1. Context Photo (Required) Take a wide shot of the environment or capture location.
    • Why? We need to distinguish the context—a rat found near a newly constructed school requires different analysis than one found in an industrial waste plant.
  2. Specimen Photo (Required) Take a close-up of the specimen.
    • Why? This confirms species, size, and condition. The photo metadata verifies the location for tracking pest activity and control efficacy.

  3. Found State (Required)

  • Trapped: Select if the specimen was found inside a trap.

  • Found: Select if the rodent was found outside of a trap (carcass recovery).

  • Why? The type of death is crucial for determining cause and informing control efforts.

D. Specimen Profile (Recommended)

  1. Weight (grams)
    • Don PPE.
    • Use a digital scale on a flat surface.
    • Place a clean container on the scale and tare it to zero.
    • Add the rodent and record the weight in grams.
    • Why? Heavy rats often indicate well-fed populations, helping us track growth and food source impacts.
  2. Length (centimeters) To be measured from Nose to tail
    • Don PPE.
    • Collect a tape measure, fixed or flexible using cm as the unit of measure;
    • Record the body length from the nose to the base of the tail (nose to anus);
    • Optional. If possible record the length of the tail in a separate box;
    • (the average body length is around 15-25 cm, and the average tail length is 11-24 cm).
    • Why? Accurate body measurements support species identification and age/growth comparisons.
  3. Species Identification
    • Norway and roof rats can be difficult to distinguish unless seen side-by-side. The simplest way to differentiate them is by their location: Norway rats typically inhabit ground-level areas, while roof rats are found in elevated spaces.
    • Why? By recording this information you are helping assign metrics taken above to either roof rats, norway rats, house mouse or other rodent. This information guides control strategies, and can relate to efficacy. For instance, if Norway rats are now absent, but roof rats remain.
  4. Maturity Stage
    • breeding males “boomers” have prominent testes that extend behind the legs (figure 1);
    • if a clear view of the testicles aren’t available, then examine the head for the shape of the snout. Boomers often have large robust snouts (figure 2).
    • Why? Identifying breeding males helps determine if an infestation is well-established or just temporal.
    • Figure 1: Red circle highlights testes
    • Figure 2: Red circle highlights Robust male snout
  5. Alpha Rat ID (optional field for male specimens)
  • Measure testicle size from left to right (mm).
  • Why? This data supports theoretical research into dominance ("Alpha" status) in urban rat populations, as we assume testis size impacts dominance.

E. Sample Inventory

Tail Snips:

  1. Tail snips are straight forward and only require a sharp instrument such as a razor and a small tube such as the microcentrifuge tube pictured (Figure 3). (if you need tubes please reach out to EUREKA at our contact information). The following has been adapted from the University of Kentucky.
    • For further information regarding the collection and submission of biological specimens for analysis, please contact EUREKA Lead Researcher Dr. Michael Parsons at parsons.hmichael@gmail.com
    • Don PPE. Your continued health and safety is the most important aspect of sustainable research.
    • Cut the tail. Cut a small piece of the distal (end/tip) of the tail (2–5 mm from the tip) and place it directly into the pre-labeled microcentrifuge tube. The label on the tube should contain a number or notation that allows it to be matched to the corresponding picture submitted to the app. A larger sample is not more effective, and minimizing the size helps conserve the sample.
    • Store the sample. Ideally, for long-term preservation, store the sample in a freezer at -20°C. However, DNA will remain usable even if left out at room temperature.
    • Why? Tail snips are tissue snips that include somatic (body) cells each containing a full genome of DNA in the nucleus. They provide DNA for population level metrics and analysis. For instance, widespread genes across a 1km street indicate rat movements, duration of infestation and burrowing activity.  Additionally, they provide information on control resistance, such as SGARS.