The roof rat gets its name from its tendency to find shelter in the upper parts of buildings.
Roof rat colony size.
Colony sizes for roof rats and norway rats can be influenced by many factors and therefore being able to give a definitive number for any given colony is almost impossible.
Roof rats are also referred to as black rats or ship rats.
They grow up to 18 in in length including their tail and weigh at least 5 oz.
The diet of the roof rats is entirely different from their brethren species.
Roof rats can be black or brown.
They have smooth fur with hairless scaly tails that are longer than their heads and.
These rodents have long tails large ears and eyes and pointed noses.
The roof rat is the smaller of the two commensal rats as the norway rat is larger in size.
The roof rat feces are spindle shaped and reach about 1 2 inch in size the norway rat s droppings have a capsule shape.
Facts identification control latin name.
There are often many nests in close proximity to each other that form a social colony.
Unlike the norway rat which is also known as a sewer or brown rat roof rats are smaller in size and their tails are longer than their bodies.
They are smaller and sleeker than norway rats.
On the basis of the tail size.
Roof rats possessing a long tail.
Capable of squeezing into spaces smaller than half an inch these nocturnal critters love to nest in trees attics roof lines and ceilings as they prefer living more than four feet off the ground where they build leafy nests for their young.
1 2 inch with pointed ends up to 25 000 in a year roof rat habits life cycle facts.
Trim all tree branches to further prevent entry.
To prevent a roof rat colony from nesting in your home make sure that all the windows and vents are screened.
They live in colonies with an alpha or dominant male.
The size of a colony can be on the order of 100 rats if sufficient food is present to support the population.
Roof rats are most active between dawn and dusk which is most likely when they will be heard if you have an infestation.
Roof rats will nest in hard to reach places such as underground burrows crawlspaces basements and sewers.
Once inside roof rats not only damage materials by gnawing through them but they also contaminate.
Roof rats can also enter openings in walls eaves and roof from the branches of trees.
What do they look like.
Roof rats will also make tunnels through insulation and will leave chew marks wood pipes.
Roof rats being the smaller sized ones with a considerably slender body.
And also because the norway rat can quickly adapt to the changes in the temperature compared to the roof rats.
The roof rat is very adaptable to many environmental conditions.
There have been some scientific studies whereby the rat colony was given a specifically measured and an increasing amount of food each day.
