Roof Rats On Vancouver Island

Roof rat droppings are about 13 mm 1 2 inch long with pointed ends and norway rat droppings are about 19mm 3 4 inch long with blunt ends.

Roof rats on vancouver island.

The best way to get rid of rats or mice is by using traps. They may be grey or black and they can grow to over 25 cm. Knowing what is causing the problem will make it easier for you to come up with a good plan. Victoria with the widespread closure of restaurants and businesses due to the novel coronavirus pandemic b c s rodent populations are fleeing urban centres like rats from a sinking ship.

Story continues below. Because rats and mice are prolific breeders ignoring a problem can result in a much more damaging infestation. They support many ectoparasites and urinate on food. Rats the most common rats found native to b c on vancouver island is the norway rat and the black rat better known as the roof rat.

Roof rats secured their place in history by spreading the highly dangerous bubonic plague. Rats are not native to bc and were introduced via boat traffic in the mid 1800s. The city of vancouver has a guide on how to identify a rat or mouse infestation including keeping an eye out for burrows noises droppings and chew marks. They can chew on materials including insulation siding and wallboard.

Gnaw on wiring and start an electrical fire. If using spring loaded traps for rats bait three of them in a row without setting them. As their name indicates roof rats are climbers that prefer roof spaces and attics. They tend to thrive only in urban areas where food is abundant or where winters are mild.

Roof rats can be found throughout greater vancouver. What kind of rats or mice do you have. Consume and contaminate stored food and transmit diseases. The vancouver rat project collected 725 rats in the downtown eastside from september 2011 to august 2012 and tested them for diseases that could be transmitted to humans.

They damage homes and buildings by chewing on insulation and siding and only needs a quarter size hole to enter in. Remove sources of moisture and harborage. There are two types of rats in bc. To prevent rats from entering a home seal up any holes or cracks larger than a quarter.

Common rodents found in the vancouver area are the norway brown rat the roof black rat and the house mouse. The norway rat rattus norvegicus and the roof rat rattus rattus. Norway rats unlike roof rats this larger species.