Roof Rat Burrow

Rats create underground pathways or burrows from their nest to food sources and to escape predators.

Roof rat burrow.

Check along walls and grass for runways. Rats create underground pathways or burrows from their nest to food sources and to escape predators. This sets them apart from their burrowing or nesting counterparts who are more likely to be found in basements. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases.

Rat burrows usually contain a main entrance and 1 or 2 exit holes away from the main entrance. You ll also notice fresh dirt just out of the entrance in a fan shape created when the rodents excavate dirt from the hole. The entrance will be roughly 2 4 inches in diameter and smooth and compacted from the rodents going in and out of the burrow. Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered.

Major cities like chicago have started utilizing this approach by filling the entrance of the burrow with dry ice. However in a hot dry environment roof rats burrow in shallow cavities beneath concrete slabs sidewalks or tree roots. In homes they can be found in attics wall voids and other elevated areas including roofs. One of the two species of rats that live near people is a burrower.

These burrows are often located under bushes or other types of dense vegetation. Roof rats also called black rats prefer to nest far above ground yet will dig holes in the ground when other homes aren t available. As the dry ice melts it releases large volumes of carbon dioxide which fills the burrow and suffocates the rats. When foraging outdoors roof rats prefer yards with fruit or nut bearing trees.

Once you have identified that you have roof rats you can work to eliminate rats from your property in the following ways. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases. These rats are about 16 inches in length including the tail and grayish brown in color. Check along walls and grass for runways.

Roof rats can be dangerous they carry disease. The last way to kill a rat is to use the protection of the burrow against it. They can also chew through electrical wires water pipes and cause other damage to your home. The norway rat digs tunnels to nest because it prefers to be on ground level.

If residents find a rat burrow near the home it most likely belongs to a norway rat not a roof rat. Rat burrows usually contain a main entrance and 1 or 2 exit holes away from the main entrance. Typical rat burrow the first distinct sign of a rat hole is the size of the entrance. These burrows are often located under bushes or other types of dense vegetation.

Pet and laboratory rats are a variety of norway rats. These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus.