Rat Facts. Norway rats are husky, brownish rodents that weigh about 11 ounces. They are about 13 to 18 inches long including the 6 to 8 1/2 inch tail.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago is keeping a crown it would rather not have. For the 10th year in a row, Chicago was ranked as the rattiest city in America by pest control company Orkin. The Windy City has held the title as the rattiest city in America since Orkin first created the list.
In fact, according to pest control company Orkin, Chicago has been crowned the “rattiest” city in the US yet again. It's a title the Windy city has held for the past 10 years, with the report noting that its “abundance of alleys” offer the perfect breeding ground for rodents to feast on the delights of human trash.
For more common rats (i.e. roof rats, brown rats, fancy rats), they can grow up to 12 ounces and and around 20 inches long.
Rats can grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) in body length. The tail is usually the same length as the body and can be pink or brown in color, but the tail always lacks fur. Adult males typically weigh about 1.25 lbs. (~19 oz.), and females weigh 0.75 lbs (~12 oz.).
The most oversized rat on record is a species known as the Bosavi woolly rat, discovered in 2009 in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. This rat can reach up to 32 inches (81 cm) in length, including the tail, and weigh up to 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg).
House Mouse
House mice (Mus musculus) are brown to black with a lighter, but not white, underbelly. They are smaller than rats (2 to 3.5 inch long body with 3 to 4 inch long tail) but similar in appearance. Young rats are sometimes mistaken for mice. House mice are seen both indoors and in agricultural areas.
Rats exhibit aggressive behavior when threatened. They may fight, chase, bite and box. Rats also display some behaviors such as sidling and belly-up defensive postures. Rats dwell in cities, suburbs and rural areas.
The population size will depend on the type of rat. The Brown rat has 5 to 15 rodents per nest. There have been as many as 100 in a single nest in some cases. Indoor nests are usually restricted to between 5 and 10 rats; however, you may find a colony with multiple nests made up of mature and young rats.
Weighing up to 4kg, with an average weight of 2.5kg, a total length of around 70cm, and a body length of 50cm! These rats are found in China, Southeast Asia, the Malay peninsula and Sumatra and are definitely at cat size!
'Playground for rats': Chicago crowned 'rattiest city' in America for 10th consecutive year. For the 10th consecutive year, a popular pest control company has crowned Chicago the "rattiest city." Orkin, an American pest control company founded in 1901, announced the "honor" on Monday.
It turns out, European colonists weren't alone on their ships when they came to the Americas—they also brought black and brown rats to uninfested shores.
Rats are omnivorous so they can feast on garbage, dry grains, pet droppings, and fruits from trees or bushes. Within homes, they are generally attracted to cereals, oats, rice, vegetables, and pet food. Unsealed garbage cans and residues of oils or fats on kitchen surfaces and stoves can also be enticing.
Rats burrow in the snow, the same way they do in dirt, digging up to 3 feet down, and then moving laterally under concrete slabs or into structures.
The rat has an average life span of six to twelve months. Beginning at the age of two to three months, a female rat can produce four to seven litters per year with each litter containing eight to twelve pups.
Peppermint oil — Essential plant oils like peppermint, rosemary, citronella, sage and lavender have strong botanical scents that rats dislike. One customer successfully repelled a rat by stuffing a peppermint oil soaked tissue into the rat hole chewed into the wall. The rat appeared to never come back.
Rat burrows should be blocked for a few different reasons. First, this will disrupt the rodent's normal pattern of daily activities. Rodents hate change and this will cause them to find new areas to make their nest.
If you only ever see one rat, it's likely that there is just one. However, if you start seeing rats more frequently, it's a sign that there may be more than one. Rats are social creatures, and they often travel in groups. So, seeing multiple rats together is a good indication that several rats are living in your home.
Wild rats are not used to human contact and will bite when handled or when people attempt to feed them by hand. The nocturnal creatures have also been known to bite sleeping people, particularly children and infants, on exposed body parts such as fingers, hands, toes and the face when foraging for food.
Rats are afraid of human activity, mostly because humans are so much larger than they are. Rats also fear predators such as hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey. Other animals that rats are afraid of include your cat as well as rat terriers and other dogs that hunt rodents. Rats fear becoming a meal for a snake.
Excited rats may also jump, hop, or “popcorn” when they are happy. They may run excitedly at full speed around the house or enclosure—just like how dogs get the “zoomies.”
Muskrats are commonly seen travelling overland and sometimes far distances from water, especially in the fall and spring. Many 'rats' reported in Alberta are actually muskrats.
Rats are known to destroy property, so homeowners need to consider the danger rats pose. Groundhogs tend to attract rats and other small rodents who feed on them. They will also make their homes in the tunnels of groundhogs, so they may come into contact with these pests and carry diseases that can infect humans.
Rats were able to climb their way onto ships hundreds of years ago to hitch a ride to the New World. They can scale vertical walls with ease. They can scurry up trees in seconds. They can even run up drainpipes, electrical wires or cables better than any circus performer.