Rats

Rat Behavior to Watch For

Rats are mammals that have followed people around the world, and they do well almost anywhere food and shelter are close together. In Florida that means attics, garages, sheds, barns, docks, gardens and brushy fence lines. Like all rodents, they have long front incisors that never stop growing, plus flat cheek teeth for grinding food. To keep those incisors worn down they gnaw constantly on wood, plastic, soft metal, insulation and wiring, which is where most of their damage comes from.

What Do Rats Eat?

Nearly anything. Rats lean toward grains, seeds, meat and fruit, and they will also eat pet food, bird seed, garbage and even soap. An adult needs roughly a tenth of its body weight in food each day, and it ruins far more than it eats by leaving urine, droppings and hair behind. Most wild rats live about a year. In that time they can damage property and carry germs and parasites that affect people and pets.

When Are Rats Most Active?

Mostly at night. Rats see poorly, but their hearing, smell, taste and touch are sharp, and their whiskers help them feel their way along walls in the dark. They learn their territory in detail and remember where food, water, shelter and obstacles are. Anything new in that space makes them cautious, so a freshly placed trap or bait station is often ignored for several days before a rat will go near it.