Pack Rat
Species
Pack Rat Facts
- Scientific Name: Neotoma, a group of native rodents also called woodrats
- Location: North America, from Canada south into Central America
- Size: about 7 to 9 inches in head and body, plus a tail of 6 to 8 inches
- Color: gray-brown, tan or cinnamon on the back, with pale undersides and feet
- Appearance: a soft-furred, rat-sized rodent with big rounded ears and large, dark eyes
Pack Rats in Florida
The pack rat native to Florida is the eastern woodrat, Neotoma floridana. It is a native rodent, quite different from the roof rats and Norway rats that arrived from overseas. It is not common around most Florida homes, and you are far more likely to find a roof rat in an attic than a woodrat.
How to tell it apart
- Tail: covered in short fur, darker on top and pale below. Roof and Norway rats have a scaly, nearly bare tail.
- Belly and feet: white or creamy white.
- Fur: soft and dense, giving the animal a tidy, rounded look.
Habitat and diet: Eastern woodrats live in hardwood hammocks, upland forests and wooded edges, building stick houses on the ground, in hollow trees or in outbuildings. They are mainly plant eaters, feeding on leaves, seeds, acorns and other nuts, fruit, berries and fungi. They are active mostly at night, all through the year.
A protected relative: The Key Largo woodrat, a subspecies found only in north Key Largo, is federally listed as endangered. It looks similar and builds large stick nests in tropical hardwood hammocks. If you live in the Upper Keys and think you have seen one, contact wildlife officials instead of trying to remove it. Signs of activity are covered on the pack rat infestation page.
Pack Rat Behavior
Woodrats, the more formal name for pack rats, include about twenty species. Most live in the deserts, canyons and mountains of the western United States and Mexico. A smaller number live in the eastern half of the country, mainly in forests, rocky ridges and river bottoms, and they are scarce or missing across much of the Upper Midwest and New England.
Up close, a pack rat looks softer and cleaner than the rats most people know, and it is easy to tell from Norway rats and roof rats once you see its tail. On some western species that tail is so bushy it looks almost like a squirrel’s.
The nickname comes from a habit of collecting. Pack rats carry small, bright objects back to the nest, such as coins, foil, buttons, bits of glass and jewelry. While picking up something new they often drop whatever they were holding, which can look like a fair exchange and explains another name, the trade rat. Some have left behind a stick or a nut where a missing object used to be. They are good climbers and are mostly active at night.
Rats Species
pack Rat Photos
All Seasons Protection Options & Pricing
Florida Bug Control’s All Seasons Protection will treat your home immediately, then begin quarterly treatments the following month to ensure your home is protected from many household pests.
Enter Info for Pricing
All Seasons Protection
Satisfaction Guarantee
Florida Bug Control will provide treatment to the affected area without any conditions until you are satisfied. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!
What it includes*
- Ants
- Crickets
- Fleas
- Mice
- All Roaches
- Scorpions
- Spiders
- Ticks
- Wasps
- Other**
Gets rid of pests right now
4 standard services per year
Unlimited callbacks on request
Assessment to prevent pests from coming back
Latest Rat Updates
Exclusion Versus Trapping: What Stops Rodents?
Understand exclusion versus trapping for Florida rodent problems. Learn when each method works, why both may be needed, and how to protect your property.
Lake City Rodent Prevention for Homes and Businesses
Lake City rodent prevention starts with sealing entry points, removing food sources, and acting fast when signs appear in homes or businesses all year.
Five Signs of Rodent Activity You Shouldn’t Ignore
Learn the five signs of rodent activity, what they mean, and when Florida homes or businesses need fast, professional rodent control to stop damage early.
