Ice scrabbler

Ice scrabblers (also known as frozen carrions) were furry, land-scavenging rodents native to the icy wilderness of the planet Hoth. They were the most abundant species on the planet, making up 32% of the world's animal population. Until the Alliance to Restore the Republic encountered wampas, these creatures were thought to be the only other native lifeform on the planet other than the tauntaun.

IceScrabbler-ThreatOfTheConqueror — An ice scrabbler.

Having sharp claws and pronounced beaks, ice scrabblers were able to burrow into the icy surface of the planet to build dens and find food, sometimes delving as deep as twenty-five kilometers under the ice. They had a very keen sense of smell which enabled them to detect a form of lichen, their primary food source, even under layers of icy crust.

It was this powerful sense of smell that likely drew large concentrations of ice scrabblers to pester Echo Base. They were able to smell the Rebels' food supplies. This concentration of the vermin is also what probably attracted wampas there as well.