Norway rats reach sexual maturity in 2 to 5 months and can breed any month of the year.
Pictures of roof rats and norway rats.
While these pests may look the same to the untrained eye they do differ in appearance size and behavior.
While we have focused on roof rats and norway rats as being vermin and unwelcome as unlikely as it may seem these rats do have a positive trait.
Facts about rats roof rat or black rat.
Adults generally live up to one year in the wild.
Due to their genes being 90 equivalent to that of humans medical research on rats has allowed for many significant strides in the study of human diseases.
Also known as brown rats or sewer rats these pests can grow to 15 inches in length from nose to tail.
Because norway rats tend to be larger their droppings are also larger about 3 4 inch long whereas roof rat droppings are usually about half an inch.
And also because the norway rat can quickly adapt to the changes in the temperature compared to the roof rats.
Though there are many types of rats found across the mid atlantic states two that cause issues for residents and business owners are roof rats and norway rats.
Females can have three to 12 litters per year and litters may number from 4 to 22.
On the basis of the tail size.
Norway rats are large bulky rodents nearly synonymous with human habitation.
Roof rat nests.
Norway rats tend to look more well fed and rounder than roof rats with small eyes close set ears and a shorter tail.
Differences between roof rats and norway rats.
The tail markings and hind feet markings of the norway rat and of the roof rat are hard to differentiate between each other.
Also called the black rat ship rat or old english rat the roof rat measures 6 8 inches long and has a tail that s slightly longer than its body.
Norway rats will leave a mark as they drag their tails between their feet.
While roof rats excel scaling your roof norway rats are powerful swimmers.
The droppings are capsule shaped and have blunt ends.
The norway rat droppings are 1 4 to 1 2 inch in length.
They have stiff dark gray or brown fur and scaly tails to go with their hairless ears.
Roof rats possessing a long tail.
Roof rats prefer to build their nests and live in dense cover and shadows of thick shrubbery vine covered trees power lines and.
Roof rats being the smaller sized ones with a considerably slender body.
Thus roof rats usually have little problems living and making their nests in places that are located off the ground unlike their rat cousins the norway rat which is an underground burrower.
Roof rats are not as common as norway rats.
They re typically found within 100 miles of the gulf coastline or the coastline of the western united states.
The diet of the roof rats is entirely different from their brethren species.
