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There are two common rats in the United States, which are the Norway Rat and the Roof Rat.
Norway Rats can also be known as a house rat, brown rat, wharf rat, sewer rat, water rat, and gray rat. They can adapt well to survive the cold weather. They are the biggest rat of them all. The body length is 6-8' long and the nose are blunt and have small ears and eyes and their tails are scaly and shorter than the body and head combined together. Norway rats have shaggy and different shades of color, most of the time the color would be reddish-grayish brown with white under parts, in its fur. Their droppings are 1/2' - 1' long and are in a capsule shaped. Norway rats live in colonies so they are social rats. They prefer to live on ground and burrows and they can climb, but not really well. They will eat 1 oz of food on a daily bases; they will eat garbage, cereal, fish, fruits, meats, animal feed, cockroaches, small mammals, and birds. They do not like new objects, so they will avoid them. They dig tunnels and they can be very long, but they have 1 main entrance and 1 or 2 escape holes which are usually concealed. Their nests are usually found underneath rubbish and shrubbery and can also be found along the foundation of your home. If the nests are active then it is usually clear of vegetation and their runways are smooth and packed in. Inside the rats' runways are free of dust and dirt.
Roof Rats are also known as black rat, ship rat, gray-bellied rat, Alexandrine rat, and white-bellied rat. Roof rats are smaller and more slender than the Norway Rats. They are 7-10' long, have large ears, a pointed nose with a different coloration, their tails are longer than the head and body combined. Roof rats have a smooth, usually brown and black intermixed or gray to black above with underside white, gray, or black. Roof rats are EXCELLENT climbers, so their nests will be above the ground (i.e. in trees, vines, attics, ceiling voids, or in voids along the roof line). However if the population grows, they will nest underground. Roof rats will mainly feed on fruits, nuts, vegetables, and seeds, but they will also eat meat and grain products. Their droppings are pointed shape. Unlike Norway rats, roof rats can swim and they have excellent hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Their vision is very poor. They can only see beyond 3-4 ft, color blind, and very sensitive to light/dark or reflections.
Both the rats are active at night but most active at dusk or before day, but they can still be seen during the day. The difference between mice and rats are that mice don't need water for a certain period of time, but rats do need water.
Both of the rats will leave behind hind footprints and will drag their tails. That will leave a mark between their feet tracks. ¤Ô¤¸¤Á¤µou can spray unscented baby powder or flour and lightly sprinkle to help you determine where their runways are. The rats will gnaw on wood, but they can also gnaw on electrical wires. When the rats gnaw on wood, it can get about 2' or more in diameter. The most common way to inspect for rat infestation is by their droppings. You can tell how severe the infestation and where more rats are recently by their feces. After 3-4 hours, their feces will harden, but fresh feces will be soft.
There are couples of ways to control rats are to use:
Traps/glue boards (CATCHMASTER MOUSE & INSECT GLUE TRAP, TRAPPER RAT GLUE BOARDS, VICTOR HOLDFAST TRAPS / RAT) and Attractant (PROVOKE MOUSE ATTRACTAN)
Catchmaster Glue Trap |
Trapper Rat |
Victor Holdfast Rat |
Provoke Attractant |
You can set the traps along the wall or anywhere else where there is a lot of rat activity. The glue boards on the traps will not release the rats, so it will be stuck there and die. While using the traps, drop one or two drops of the attractant onto the trap to attract the rats to it.
Baits & Pallets Hazardous contains Rat Poison - (CONTRAC ALL-WEATHER CAKE, FINAL BLOX RODENTICIDE, CONTRAC BLOX RODENTICIDE, FASTRAC BLOX RATS AND MICE POSION, LIQUA TOX II LIQUID MOUSE / RAT BAIT), Pallet (CONTRAC RODENT PLACE PACKS, FASTRAC PLACE PACKS PELLETS ).
The baits should be placed in a bait station (PROTECT A MOUSE BAIT STATION, BELL RODENT BAITER FOR RAT) and placed where rat activity is frequent. The baits are rat poison, so please be cautious so placed out of reach of other animals and children or pets. Place the baits along the runways of rats and the entry points. The liquid bait (LIQUA TOX II LIQUID MOUSE / RAT BAIT) should be used in a liquid dispenser (Helland Liquid Rodenticide Dispenser Stations) at places where the food competition is high, because rats do need water. The liquid bait will need to be mixed with water following the directions on the label and placed along the wall or to the side where rats have a lot of activity. Pallets can be used anywhere that has rat activity. Do not open the package but place them along the wall or corners of the infested area. It is better to place the bait first where rats are frequent. Once you notice that the bait has been gnawed at, place them in the stations.
Contrac All-Weather |
Final Blox |
Contrac Blox |
Fastrac Blox |
Liqua Tox II |
This product can be used with this item:
Helland Liquid Dispenser |
Contrac Place Packs |
Fastrac Place Packs |
Repellent (DR.T'S RAT-A-WAY REPELLENT)
For the use of a repellent (DR.T'S RAT-A-WAY REPELLENT), you will need to wear gloves and sprinkle lightly around the area where garbage bags are placed. Beginning no more than 1 foot out from the outermost bags, lightly broadcast the repellent (DR.T'S RAT-A-WAY REPELLENT) until a band of 24' wide circles the bags. When the odor becomes faint, the effectiveness may be diminished. Retreatment may also be necessary after heavy, washing-type rain. Do not leave the repellent inside the home for too long because the smell will be bad. After the rats are out of the area, cover the holes where rats have entered using STUF-FIT - RODENT PROOFING - COPPER MESH and repair the hole. When using this repellent inside the home as in the attic, does not air circulate because the smell will circulate throughout the rest of the home. Also sprinkle the repellent using gloves around the structure of your home. This will create a barrier around your home to prevent future rat infestation.
Dr T's Rat-A-Way Repellent |
This product can be used with this item when covering the hole after the rats left:
Stuf-Fit Proofing |
Smoke bombs (GIANT DESTROYER SMOKE BOMBS)
The smoke bombs (GIANT DESTROYER SMOKE BOMBS) should be used when you find the rats borrow. Place the cartridge fuse ends outwards, light the fuse, and cover the hole quickly. Make sure that other holes are covered as well to ensure the smoke does not come out.
Giant Destroyer Smoke Bombs |
Baits are not recommended for the use in places with heavy food competition, because the rats might not eat the bait since there are many other foods around.
