Roof Rats Edu

Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length.

Roof rats edu.

Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered. These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus. They are active year round in the low desert urban centers although they are far more active during the cooler months of winter and spring november through may. Roof rats are found in several low desert city areas in arizona including the phoenix metro valley yuma and tucson areas.

The roof rat sometimes called the black rat is a common vertebrate pest in citrus and nut orchards. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases. Indoors they favor attic spaces walls false ceilings and cabinets. These diseases include leptospirosis salmonellosis food contamination rat bite fever murine typhus plague toxoplasmosis and trichinosis.

Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black. Their undersides are often white gray or black. Roof rats generally prefer vegetables fruits and grain. Roof rats are agile climbers with a tail longer than their head and body.

To get rid of rats seal entryways and remove food water and shelter. These rodents prefer to consume fruits sometimes referred to as the fruit rat or citrus rat and nuts although roof rats are omnivorous and will feed on almost anything available to them. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.

Their undersides are often white gray or black. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases. But they consume to 1 ounce per day of food from various sources. Because they must have water to survive roof rats also consume an ounce per day and will range 100 150 feet from harborages in search of water or food.

Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees. Roof rats often enter buildings at the roofline so be sure that all access points in the roof. In citrus it builds leaf and twig nests in trees or it can nest in debris piles thick mulch on the ground or in shallow burrows under the tree especially in hot weather.

They usually live and nest above ground in shrubs trees or dense vegetation. Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black.