Roof Rat

Roof Rat Facts

• Weight: Usually 5 to 10 ounces as adults.
• Size: Roughly 13 to 18 inches from nose to tail tip. The body is about 6 to 8 inches, and the tail makes up the rest.
• Color: Brown to black on the back, with a lighter gray, white or buff belly.
• Appearance: A slim, light build with a pointed nose, big eyes, large thin ears and a long, scaly tail with very little hair.

Roof Rat Behavior

Roof rats like to live up off the ground. Outdoors they nest in palm trees, thick shrubs, vine tangles and overgrown hedges. They are skilled climbers that reach a house by running along branches, fences, power lines and cable lines, then slipping in near the roofline. Once inside, they settle into attics, soffits, wall voids, drop ceilings and the tops of cabinets. A gap about the size of a quarter, roughly 1/2 inch, is enough for one to squeeze through. At night they climb down from these high nests to find food and water, then head back up to rest.

Roof Rat or Norway Rat? How to Tell

Florida homes can host both common rat species, and they behave differently. Compared with a Norway rat, a roof rat:

• Has a tail longer than its head and body combined. A Norway rat’s tail is shorter than its body.
• Is slimmer and lighter, with ears large enough to cover the eyes when pulled forward. Norway rats are heavier, with a blunt nose and small ears.
• Leaves droppings about 1/2 inch long with pointed ends. Norway rat droppings are larger, around 3/4 inch, with blunt ends.
• Travels and nests up high. Norway rats burrow at ground level, under slabs, sheds and woodpiles.

A young roof rat can be mistaken for a house mouse, but a young rat has an oversized head and feet for its body.

Roof rats prefer plant foods: fruit, nuts, seeds and berries, and in Florida yards, citrus, avocado, mango and palm fruit. A telltale sign is an orange or grapefruit hollowed out while still hanging on the tree, with only the peel left. They also eat pet food, birdseed, snails and insects, and they are mostly active at night.

Roof rats are common across Florida, especially in coastal cities and in neighborhoods with mature trees, palms and fruit trees. In warm climates they can breed through much of the year, and in North Florida they tend to move into attics more in the cooler months. More on rat control.