Norway rats and roof rats are common in homes. While both are rats, they have different looks and behaviors. If the weather gets colder, they both enter homes to seek shelter, water, and food. Unfortunately, either species can cause damage to your home and transmit different diseases. Thus, if you spot them in your house, search for a Seattle pest control company as soon as possible. Rats tend to multiply quickly and even if you only saw a rat or two recently, the population can grow in no time.
Norway Rat vs Roof Rat
These species of rats are mistaken for each other; however, they differ in many ways, particularly in terms of their preferred shelter, the way they enter your house, and their look. But both rats are omnivorous and nocturnal. Also, they eat any food they can find. They are believed to be color-blind and depend primarily on their sense of smell, touch, hearing, and taste.
- Appearance. Norway rats have coarse fur that can be dark gray or brown on the backside. Their tails do not have hair and are shorter than their bodies. Norway rats have small ears covered with short hair. They are larger than roof rats. Meanwhile, roof rats have soft, smooth fur that can be brown or black. Their scaly tails do not have hair and are longer than their bodies. These rats have big ears and pointed snouts.
- Droppings. The droppings of Norway rats are around one inch long with blunt ends. They can be compared to dry raisins. Meanwhile, roof rat droppings are pointier and have the shape of a banana.
- Nesting habitat. While Norway rats prefer to live on ground floors, garages, and basements, roof rats like higher areas. Sometimes, both species can occupy the same general areas if there are abundant sources of food.
How to Address a Rat Infestation
To effectively eliminate rats from your home, you should seek the assistance of a reputable pest control company. Reducing the rat population is possible by:
- Using rat traps. You can use baited traps to kill some rats; however, some rats may eat the bait and escape the trap. If the rats eat the poisoned bait, they could die in their nest, which makes your house smell awful because the rats decompose within hard-to-reach spaces like within walls.
- Sealing up openings. Cracks, holes, and gaps around your home’s foundation, windows, gutter lines, roofs, and doors are common entry points for rats. To prevent these pests from invading your living space seal up those openings.
- Get rid of food sources. Rats can set up camp in your home if they can find a reliable source of food. To prevent this from happening, you must sweep up the floor frequently and store food in airtight containers.
To safely and effectively eliminate a rat infestation in your house, work with pest control experts. These experts know the kind of rats that invade your house to build nests and multiply. They use modern elimination methods for rat control without putting your family and pets in danger.
