Are roof rats dangerous.
Roof rat predators.
Dogs usually kill rats by shaking them and breaking their neck.
At the rate that these rats reproduce you may be fooling yourself that the family pet has caught them all and in doing so prolong the problem.
While other rat species dig burrows roof rats live high above the ground in the yard residents may spot roof rat nests in trees firewood piles shrubs and vines.
These predators have little effect on the control of the black rat population because black rats are agile and fast climbers.
Rodents construct their nests in sheltered places away from predators.
They have muscular front legs that make them efficient diggers and they have strong jaws that enable them to seize prey.
In addition to agility the black rat also uses its keen sense of hearing to detect danger and quickly evade mammalian and avian predators.
In less urban settings rats are preyed on by weasels foxes and coyotes.
All rats can show aggression when they feel threatened.
The roof rats usually enter a house or a garage to seek shelter from predators and don t need a large hole or place of entrance since they can gnaw their way in through metals such as aluminium wood plastic and even drywall or climb their way in through foliage wires pipelines etc.
Their undersides are often white gray or black.
Cats are usually the best option because they re agile and can reach places that dogs and other natural predators may have a hard time getting to.
Keeping roof rats out is therefore a difficult task.
They belong to the same family mustelid as wolverines otters and badgers and they are in the same genus mustela as ferrets and mink.
Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black.
Besides causing damage to the home they can spread germs and disease.
Weasels are also natural rat predators.
Cats are natural predators of rats but so are snakes and dogs.
Whether escaping the frigid cold predators or the extreme heat once you have them inside your house it is important to identify this issue before it is too late.
They can kill the rats in your walls attics cellars or garages.
A bite from a roof rat can transmit disease to you including rat bite fever which is spread to humans through a bite or scratch.
Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length.
Where do roof rats nest.
Mice and roof rats will try to gain access to your home for several reasons.
Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.
They may bite or chase you.
Contrary to popular belief cats and dogs do not maintain control of rats.
