Roof Rats – Alpha Wildlife

Roof rats, also called ship rats or black rats, are found worldwide. They measure 6 to 20 inches (16 to 50 cm).

When combining their head and body length, their tails are considerably longer than the head and body, measuring 7 to 10 inches (19 to 25 cm). 

They typically weigh 5 to 9 ounces (150 to 250 g), but the weight can increase to 12 ounces (340 g).

Roof rats inhabit the top levels of homes, attics, and rafters and are common in heaps of debris or wood bundles. Since they prefer covered areas, fruit trees, dense vegetation, and shrubbery are prone to damage by them.

They damage materials by gnawing through them and contaminating stored food, causing food poisoning. They potentially serve as vectors of various diseases, such as typhus, rickettsia, rat-bite fever, trichinosis, and salmonellosis.

Roof rats are and hunt in groups of up to ten. They return to the same food source, following the same route between their nest and meal.