Rodent Control

The Norway Rat
Also known as brown rat, gray rat, common rat, house rat, wharf rat, sewer rat, barn rat, and water rat

Features

Body
Body is heavy and thick, 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25cm) long. Average weight is 10 to 17 ounces (284 to 482g).

Color
Usually grayish-brown but color may vary from a pure gray to a blackish- or reddish-brown. The underside is a gray to yellow-white. Norway rats are often completely black.

Tail
The tail is shorter than the head and body - 6 to 8 and one half inches (15 to 22cm) long. Tail is dark on top with a lighter underside.

Nose
Nose and muzzle are blunt. Norway rats have an acute sense of smell.

Eyes
Eyes are small. Rats are color blind and have poor eyesight, primarily seeing light, shadow and movement.

Ears
Are close to the body and will not cover the eyes if bent forward.

Teeth
The gnaw pattern of rats is one eighth inch. Rats are able to gnaw through weed, lead, aluminum, copper, cinder block, and uncured concrete.

Whiskers
Whiskers on the face and guard hairs on the sides and back help and animal with poor eyesight stay safely against walls, under objects, and in burrows. Whiskers are also used to detect motion and test surfaces, e.g. Glue traps, before stepping on them.

Droppings
Droppings have blunt ends and are about three quarters of an inch (2 cm) or less in length. Fresh droppings are soft and dark in color. A Norway Rat averages 30 to 180 droppings per day.

Food Preferences and Consumption
Omnivores. Meats, fish, flour, cereal grains, fruits, vegetables. Eats almost any human food. Rats visit fewer food sites than mice, but eat more at each site. Consumes three quarters to 1 ounce of food each day. Requires water daily to survive

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