The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word AGOUTIS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "rodents" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rodents = agoutis.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does AGOUTIS mean?
AGOUTIS noun- A rodent similar in appearance to a guinea pig but having longer legs, of the family Dasyprocta.
- A fur containing a pattern of pigmentation in which individual hairs have several bands of light and dark pigment with black tips; any of several genes responsible for this pigmentation.