Common brown rats can weigh over 500gm and be up to 30cm long! They live in any situation that provides food, water and shelter. In homes, they can live in roof spaces, wall cavities or under floorboards, gaining entry by digging, climbing or jumping in through gaps or along broken drains, moving along through gaps in walls and roof spaces. Outside they will burrow into grassy banks or under sheds.
Signs of rat infestation
Rats like to live near water like drains and ponds and you may spot one. Once seen, never forgotten! Some signs of a rat infestation are dark, spindle-shaped droppings about 10mm long, gnawing, stolen food and unpleasant smells from rat contamination. You might hear noises in walls and roofs at night. You might see rat burrows and rat runs outside. And you might even see rats at your bird feeder in the day! Rats kill hens, waterfowl and pet rabbits.
