Rats carry disease and can destroy your property, so it’s imperative that you have a preventative rodent control routine in place to handle the critters. If you’ve spotted rats or their droppings, you may be wondering which species you’re up against. There are more than 50 species of rats, but only several types are common household pests. The guide below will help you learn the difference between roof rats and Norway rats.

A Rodent Control Identification Guide

What Are Roof Rats?

As their name suggests, roof rats like to dwell in high areas. Their nests can be found in attic walls. In the wild, they prefer to inhabit trees. They’re commonly known as black rats because of their grayish-black color. The creatures have a slender body, longer tail, larger eyes and a more pronounced nose than the Norway rat, and weigh on average around five to eight ounces.

Roof rats are excellent climbers with great balancing ability and can scale roofing with ease. They prefer to eat corn, wheat, vegetables, fruit, and seeds. The black rat can produce up to five to eight babies per liter and have a lifespan of one to two years on average.

What Are Norway Rats?

Commonly referred to as brown rats, or sewer rats, the Norway rat has brown or reddish gray fur and prefers to live underground. However, they’re often found on farms, in dumpsters, under buildings, and in many other locations. They’re fatter than roof rats and have shorter tails and small eyes. Norway rats also have larger fecal droppings at ¾ inch long while the roof rat droppings are around ½ an inch.

Norway rats are strong swimmers and are known for squeezing into plumbing pipes and popping up through your toilet bowl. They also enter property through cracks in the foundation or basement areas of the home or building. They prefer protein and carb-rich foods such as beans, bread, meat and will even eat injured rats if they are extremely hungry.

If rats are in your home, you may notice tracks, gnaw marks, or droppings that indicate their presence. Contact the rodent control specialists at Extermination Services in Port Orchard, WA, for residential pest control solutions that work. In addition to rodent removal, their experienced exterminators also provide termite treatments, spider control, and bee removal services throughout Kitsap County. To learn more about rodent control or schedule an appointment, call (360) 895-1890 or visit them online.