Roof Rats In Maine

Rattus rattus linnaeus is black with a gray belly.

Roof rats in maine.

Rattus frugivorus rafinesque has an agouti back and white belly. Also known as black rats even though they vary in color roof rats are rodents that explore both indoors and outside and can be found on roofs in attics rafters the tops of trees and other high places around your home. 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. They will nest in trees attics voids along the roof line and in ceilings.

This makes them as invasive as mice and equally dangerous when it comes to spreading diseases and illness. All rats are the same level of intruder. Females become sexually mature in 68 90 days with 5 8 pups per litter. They have 4 6 litters per year.

The most common rat invaders are roof rats and norway rats. Rats will make a home anywhere they can access food and cover including farm buildings under houses rubbish dumps and even sewage systems. Rattus alexandrinus geoffroy has an agouti brownish streaked with gray back and gray belly. Because the roof rats climb well common nesting sites are above the ground.

The roof rats become sexually mature in just a couple months. Roof rats habits and biology. Roof rats or rattus linnaeus are a type of commensal rats who are called so because of their inclination to inhabit the upper portions of any building. In dense populations these rodents will establish a social hierarchy wherein dominant males mate more than subordinate males.

Both of these rat species are able to get into many places inside a home or business. They eat and contaminate food they cause damage to homes and structures and they transmit diseases to humans and other animals. In the wild roof rats inhabit shrubs trees and dense vegetation. Are rats on the rise.

In domestic environments they seek out secure elevated places such as attics walls sheetrock ceilings and cabinets. 1 the black rat r. In fact depending on the architecture of your house the rats are probably in the attic which of course is the open space above your ceiling. These rats are omnivores eating foliage like seeds leaves and stems in addition to small prey like birds and insects.

Rats are a huge pest problem. 2 the alexandrine rat r. They can access the upper part of any building because they are excellent climbers and can climb up wires vines and even thin or narrow ledges. This year we ve been substantially more busy with rodent calls than ever before.

Roof rats sometimes called black rats are superb climbers that tend to nest above ground. The last four years the activity has been on the rise said chance strandell residential service manager for brewer based maine pest solutions. Maine roof rats identification three subspecies have been named and these are generally identified by their fur color. And 3 the fruit rat r.

If you hear rats high up in the ceiling it is probably the roof rat black rat as opposed to the norway rat brown rat.