Roof Rat

Habitat

Roof rats live in any room or area of a house or commercial building, but are usually found nesting in attic spaces. They can climb trees, power poles, siding, even multi-storied buildings. Sometimes in the early evening they can be found walking the power lines and fences between structures. They seem to feel safer from predators at higher altitudes while engaging in their activities. Some roof rats known to inhabit New York City in the high rise buildings have never seen the ground! The roof rat survives well on fruits, grains, and cereals.

See video below...

Identification

The Adult roof rat has 3 possible color varieties, black to slate gray, tawny above with grayish white below, and tawny above with a lemon to white belly. Their muzzles are slender and pointed, their tails are longer than the head and body combined, their ears are large and prominent. Their average weight is 8-12 oz. Their young are smaller than the adult and have large heads and feet, and their tails are longer than the body. There are usually 6-8 young per litter and they have about 4-6 litters a year. Average life cycle s 1 year. Most of the Rats you see in pet stores are of the roof rat variety.

Treatment

The preferable method is to trap and remove roof rats, this usually takes 1 to 3 weeks to eliminate the population. We maintain prevention using Bromethalin baits used in the crawlspace and other inaccessible areas of the building.

Media

 

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