Norway Rat

Recommended Program Get a Free Quote Description The head and body of the Norway rat range from 7 1/2 to 9 1/2 inches in length. The scaly tail is 6 to 8 inches in length. Their fur is shaggy brown with some black hairs. They have small eyes and ears.

Habitat

Norway rats are nocturnal and quite cautious, usually not straying more than 100 - 150 feet from their nest. They can enter a structure through an opening as small as a 1/2 inch. Indoors, they prefer to nest on the lower levels and often burrow under foundations, floors, stacks of goods and rubbish. Outdoors, they burrow in soil, under sidewalks, near streams and rivers, piles of wood or garbage, etc.

Diet

Norway rats will eat nearly any type of food, but prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grain. Rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry food. Rats have keen taste, hearing and sense of smell. They will climb to find food or shelter.  

Life Cycle & Reproduction

Rats can live up to 18 months, but most die before reaching a year old. Litters range from 6 to 12 young and are born 21 to 23 days after mating. Young rats reach reproductive maturity in about three months. Breeding is most active in spring and fall. The average female has four to six litters per year.

Threats

Mice and rats eat and contaminate food. They damage and destroy property by chewing wires, which may cause fires. They destroy labels on cans and damage sacks and other containers. They undermine buildings, gnaw on pipes, chew water hoses, and cut through mortar and cement. They damage wood doors, floors, walls, clothing and furniture. Mice and rats carry diseases that are health hazards to both human and domestic animals – diseases such as Typhus Fever, Trichinosis, plague, infectious jaundice, Salmonella and rat mite dermatitis.