Help with a couple of netsuke please, & possibly translate

The 1st one, the rat or mouse, is (I think) some type of wood and about 1 1/4". I'm trying to figure out if it is one of the better one's, or one of the not so good one's. I think it looks well carved, but I am terrible at that, so could use some help. Also, can anyone translate the mark?
The 2nd one, just under 1 1/2"..is that a mongoose on the turtle?, and what is it made of? Also, can anyone translate the mark? The orange tone of it makes me wonder if it is trying to be ivory, but fake. Why are some of them sort of orange like this?
Thanks ever so much for your time.

 

The first one actually looks moulded to me. Second one has Schraeger lines, so may well be elephant ivory. it yellows with age and exposure to atmosphere, smoke and so forth. Not a mongoose with those flipper feet. Looks like a beaver. Mongoose have long narrow faces, elegant legs and a long tale.

 

2nd one's ivory and could be yellowed with tea....or age.
the top animal could be a hedgehog.
1st one could be carved from a type of nut.

 

I really like the rat, but does it have the netsuke holes? Assuming it to be carved, it's definitely the better of the two, holes or not.

 

Wow, you all are awesome! Thank you Bear, Komokwa & Moreotherstuff.
I will look into beavers & hedgehogs, thanks.
I took a few more quick pics. I don't think it's molded, but I don't know how to tell for sure. I wonder if it could be a nut? It seems to have fine lines all over it. Not like a smoothed piece of wood, so maybe a nut?
I like the rat too, I've seen a few similar, but they don't appear as well made to me, and they sold for not much at all.
It doesn't have the 2 holes but it has the area between the face a foot, for a string to come through. Thank you all so much for your great help!!

 

Definitely a rat, with the bare tail. Cute little guy though.

 

The rat is fantastic!

The ivory one does have the "proper" holes for having at least *some* age.
The horribly mass produced ones usually have holes the same size.

I don't know how much age would show on those holes on ivory - would it show much at all?

 

If that rat was mine, I would hug him, and squeeze him, and call him Setsuo.

 

Ratty could be a tagua nut.

Not a hedgehog: trust me, I've seen enough of them in the wild. And in my garden.

 

LOLOLOL!!!
Thank you, thank you evelyb, messi & bear! So kind of you to help.
Ok, I"ve looked him over much better and I'm quite sure now that he is some kind of nut. On the backside where the tail comes around seems to be a depression in the (nut?), that the tail lays on. & What I thought to be fine lines earlier, now appear to be hand carved hair around the face and feet, because those fine lines are not in other areas of the back and underside. So, if it is a nut, it would have to be hand carved...right?, and if so, it seems to be pretty well done in my opinion.
Messi, I didn't know about that about the holes, thanks!
Bear, I will look at tagua nuts, thanks!

 

What kind of nut is that large?

 

And I am not being snarky - I just can't think of one.

 

Tagua get that big, honest.

 

Yes I read they can be over 2" diameter., but after doing more digging around now I'm not sure it's a nut, lol, I don't know what the heck it is ....
I'll keep digging
Thanks all

 

Not a beaver....trust me ...I've seen a whack o' beavers !!!

 

I concur...

 

Ask the rat for help....he's good at digging !!! LOL....!!!

& he's sublime !

 

Thanks! Now I know!
I was really racking my brain, and just could not come up with one.

 

I'm wearing a tagua nut necklace as we speak. The "beads" are slices of the nut, dyed and polished. Some of the bigger ones are well over an inch wide. They call it "vegetable ivory" sometimes.

 

& the rat seems to have proper wear, and good age........
I suggest more digging Messi !!
Keep posting till someone comes by to translate the script...