Appearance
Norway Rats
- Other Names: sewer or brown rats
- Stocky rodents, burrow – larger than Roof Rats
Roof Rats
- Other names: black rats
- A little smaller than Norway Rats
- Long tails (tails are longer than their heads and bodies combined)
Habitat
Norway Rats
- Burrows along foundations of buildings, under trash or wood piles, and in moist soil around fields and gardens
- Line their nests with cloth, shredded paper, or other fibrous material
- Usually remain in basements or on ground floor
- Found throughout the United States. Prefer lower elevations; may exist wherever people live.
Roof Rats
- Very nimble climbers
- Prefer to live in trees or shrubs or dense vegetation (e.g. ivy)
- Usually found in enclosed or elevated spaces like walls, false ceilings, attics, and cabinets
- Found in a limited geographical range
- Prefer Oceanside, warmer climates
Characteristics
- Either eat or contaminate food
- Damage structures and property by gnawing
- Serve as hosts to transfer parasites and diseases to other animals and humans
- Signs of their presence (see sidebar)
- Together, the biggest pests in California: Roof Rat and Norway Rat
- Important to recognize which species of rat is present in order to place traps or bait in the most effective locations
Contact Us
Contact us for help with a problem with Roof Rats or Pharaoh Rats. You may also call either our Central Coast office or our Ventura County office.
