You don’t want to have rats infesting your house, regardless of their species. They’re both terrible pests that carry a multitude of diseases, and both of them are messy and destructive. Still, you have to know what type you’re dealing with to implement the right exclusion strategy.
Anatomy and Appearance
The Black Rat (Rattus rattus), also commonly called the Roof Rat or Ship Rat, is typically sleek, slender, and measures between 16 to 22 cm in body length with a tail that is noticeably longer than its head and body combined. They have large ears and pointed muzzles.
The Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus), often known as the Norway Rat or Sewer Rat, is heavier, thicker, and stockier, weighing up to 500 grams with small ears, a blunt nose, and a tail that is shorter than its head and body.
Habits and Nesting Behaviors
Roof Rats (Black Rats) are agile climbers. They live up in trees, overgrown ivy, and specifically roof spaces, attics, and ceilings. They enter structures by running across overhead power lines, tree branches, and climbing exterior brick walls.
Brown Rats are primarily burrowers. They prefer ground-level locations, basements, crawlspaces, sewer systems, and burrow underneath concrete foundations or compost piles.
- Roof Rats nest in ceilings and insulation; Brown Rats burrow at ground level
- Roof Rats prefer fruit, nuts, grains, and seeds; Brown Rats consume meat, grease, and heavy organic waste
- Exclusion of Roof Rats requires sealing high-level roof tiles, eaves, and apex ridges
- Both species leave hazardous pheromone urine markers that must be neutralized
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