General Rat Facts

There are two basic types of rats – the black or roof rat and the Norway or brown rat.

European settlers probably brought the roof rat with them as stowaways, while the Norway arrived around 1775 starting their own revolution by killing off their cousin, the black rat.

In comparison, the Norway rat is slightly larger in appearance and are most common in densley populated urban areas in the Eastern United States.

Rats are nocturnal by nature.

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Rat Geography

The Norway rat has taken up residency almost continent-wide, while the roof rat has chosen the coastal areas of the southern, southeastern and western United States.

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Rat Habitat

Wherever food and shelter are plentiful, that’s where you’ll find Norway rats. Parks and recreational areas, older industrial areas, rail yards and back alleys are a real breeding ground for both species.

They prefer damp areas.  Sewers, abandoned warehouses and garbage refuges are also places that rats frequent due to the abundance of food.

The Norway rat typically likes to live in burrows underground or inside walls, whereas the roof rat loves to climb and can be found in upper levels of buildings more often than Norway rats. Roofrats use nests and make their home in trees or vines.

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Rat Reproduction

Rats can reproduce young four to six times a year having litters of four to ten. Once they have reached the age of three to six months, they have the ability of reproducing. One female can wean about twenty young a year. Life expectancy for a rat is about nine months.

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Rat Diet

Omnivorous, Roof and Norway rats will consume many different types of plant and animal foods such as seed that has been spilled from bird feeders or pet food that has been left outdoors. One ounce of food is all that is needed in one day for a rat to survive with some access to water. 

Norway rats will eat seeds, vegetables, insects, meat refuse, bird eggs, and, given the opportunity, will devour small mammals and mice.

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Havahart® and its sister brands offer a variety of rat control solutions such as ultrasonic rat repellents and rat traps to help you with your rat control needs.