Rats, Norway Rat, Wood Rat, Roof Rat

Scientific Name: Roof Rat aka Black Rat: Rattus rattus , Norway Rat: Rattus norvegicus

Range:

Wood Rats are found especially around Arizona, New Mexico and California

Roof Rats are generally never found more than 100 miles away from the coast.

Norway Rats are found everywhere there are humans.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Roof Rats: Tail is longer than the body and the head combined.

Habitat: Everywhere there are humans. Rats are known as commensal rodents, meaning they live with people.

Access to Homes

• Rats only need a hole the size of a quarter to enter a structure.
• Can climb walls. Roof rats are especially good climbers.
• Can swim
• Can enter buildings through toilettes. Although rare, we have personal experience with this reality.

Methods of Control

• Remove all food sources, including trash.
• Remove open water sources to every extent possible.
• Remove harborage. Don't leave debris around your property. This includes, wood piles, tall grass, creeping vines or bushes, scrub brush etc.
• Stop access to buildings. Warning, don't simply close off access points to your building unless you are certain those access points are not being used by animals. Imprisoning an animal inside your building is a very bad idea. For it may damage property before it dies and if it dies, it may smell. To see if an access point is being used, simply cork the openning with newspaper. If a rat is using the openning, it only has to simply chew through the paper or push it out of the way. Leave it for 2-3 days (wait longer during extreme weather). If the paper doesn't move, then you can more safely close the hole. See Mouse Control to learn more about rat access prevention. Remember, if you mouse proof your building you have rat proofed it.
• Contact your town health department to see if they can step up sewer poison rat control. Cities and towns often cut rodent control budgets which allow the rat resevoir in the sewers to spill over to residential communities.
• Institute a trapping program. (warning rat trapping takes some patience and experience). Before you begin trapping for rats, be sure to read up on how to control them. To see our rat traps visit Rat Traps Rat traps will be listed there. Don't relocate rats. Rats have been known to travel 4 miles away from the spot they were relocated. (Corrigan, p.47).

Rats in the News

Cold Rats Set Rural Houses on Fire Reuters COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Nov. 1) - If a house burns down in rural Denmark in autumn, there's a good chance rats or mice are to blame, according to a Danish insurance expert. Ritzau news agency Wednesday quoted Svend-Anker Worm of insurance company Topdanmark as saying sparks from electric cables short-circuited by gnawing rodents caused 13 percent of all fires in farm properties. Statistics showed that fires occur most frequently in autumn when rats and mice move indoors to seek shelter from the cold.

Disclaimer: WDC seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others. WDC encourages readers to obtain appropriate training (see our informational literature at our Store ), and understand that proper animal damage control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works for every situation or even 100% of the time. Your use of this information is governed by this understanding. We welcome potential users of the information and photos to simply ask for permission via e-mail. Finally, WDC welcomes e-mail but understand that all e-mails become property of Wildlife Damage Control.

4/21/03