German Roof Rat

Droppings are another good indicator of roof rat activity.

German roof rat.

However in this instance the focus is going to be on the roof rat and norway rat. The brown rat rattus norvegicus also known as the common rat street rat sewer rat wharf rat hanover rat norway rat norwegian rat or parisian rat is a widespread species of common rat one of the largest muroids it is a brown or grey rodent with a head and body length of up to 28 cm 11 in long and a tail slightly shorter than that. Roof rat droppings are 4 1 2 to 5 inches with pointed ends whereas norway rat droppings are 7 to 7 1 2 inches and capsule shaped. They are brown with black mixed in or sometimes gray to black on top with white and a gray or black underside.

For effective pest control you need to determine what type of rat is scurrying around your attic. The german cockroach can measure up to 5 8 inch in length. It is a flattened light to dark brown insect with long antennae and has two dark stripes on a shield shaped section behind the head. At maturity this cockroach has wings that nearly cover the entire body but they are very weak fliers.

The head and body length of an adult roof rat is about 6 to 8 inches long and the tail length is 7. Roof rats become sexually mature between two and five months producing four to six litters per year that consist of six to eight young each. Other indicators can include grease marks which are produced as the rodent travels along an edge and the oils in their fur are deposited. As they can swim roof rats sometimes use sewage lines to move to other places.

In dense populations these rodents will establish a social hierarchy wherein dominant males mate more than subordinate males. It weighs between 140 and 500 g 5 and 17 3 4 oz. In addition try putting the attractant out for a few days before setting the trap. The life cycle of a rat habits its diet to get rid of rats it can be easier by understanding more about the way they live.

Roof rats may be attracted to simple food scraps including pieces of fruit and bacon. When they get indoors they will eat practically anything they can find so if it s not stored in an airtight container it s fair game. This will get the rat used to eating at that location. Roof rats have soft and smooth fur a pointed muzzle with large eyes and large almost naked ears that can be pulled over the eyes.

The common lifespan of these rodents is about one year. There are several different species of rats but they generally follow the same pattern with some slight differences worth mentioning. Roof rats will feed on many different sources of food including a wide variety of fruits and nuts as well as ornamental and native plant materials. Norway rats close relatives of the roof rats and also known as old world rats or brown rats are less common than roof rats but still a threat.

Toxic baits or rodenticides are intended to kill the rats when they eat the bait. Roof rats are known by a variety of other names including palm rats fruit rats ship rats and alexandrian rats.