Rats

The two main species of rat in the UK are the brown rat rattus norvegicus which is the largest and most often a problem to humans, and the black rat rattus rattus.

Rats are commensal rodents meaning they live near humans.

They are omnivores and like much of the same food as humans and can eat 50grams of food per day, but will take much more to store if there is a good supply found.  They are most active at night though can also be seen at other times.

They are often seen to grow to nearly 12 inches long excluding the tail, and weighing up to 500 grams for brown rats and 5-7.5 inches body length with a weight rarely exceeding 250 grams for the black rat.

When conditions are favourable, rats can rapidly increase their numbers.  This can lead to a high density of rats in a short time with an unchecked rat population.

Rats can be destructive when searching for new food sources, harbourage or also when gnawing, which is essential for rodents to maintain their teeth.  This can very soon lead to large losses for an organisation and much damage in the domestic environment.

Rats also transmit diseases such as Weil’s disease, toxoplasmosis, typhus and cryptosporidiosis.