Rats

Sunday 8th September 2024

There is nothing like the mention of a rat sighting to cause panic whatever your industry and environment are. Whilst it may be an urban myth that we are never more than 6 feet away from a rat, there is no doubt there are a lot of them around, resulting in all sorts of risk to property, stores and humans. Understanding rat behaviour is vital in controlling and managing rat populations.  

Here at Dealey, we are rat experts. Not only do we know our Roland from our Pettigrew from our Remy, but we understand rats’ behaviours and characteristics, to allow us to introduce effective control and management.  

Social Creatures 

Rats are highly social animals. They live in colonies, called, very appropriately, a mischief. A colony can be as small as around twelve rats, but is more likely to be in the hundreds. They establish hierarchies with dominant and subordinate members. 

Rats communicate with each other mainly through pheromones and ultrasonic noises, as well as body language.  

Territorial 

Rats are territorial and will rarely move more than 30 meters from their colony base. If there is a need, they will travel further for food, but they tend to set up their nest and colony in an area where they can stay close to home. They mark their territory with urine, faeces and pheromones to communicate with other rats and keep other colonies away. 

And as we mentioned faeces, did you know that one rat can leave 25,000 droppings a year?  

Rapid Reproduction 

Get yourself ready for some shocking stats!! Rats start reproducing from 5 weeks and continue until they are about 2 years old. A female rat will have around six litters a year, with up to 12 babies, called pups, each time. With a gestation period of 21 days, and needing only 2 days post-birth to get pregnant again, the rate of population growth can blow your mind! A pair of rats can grow to 1,250 rats in one year.  

Nesting 

Norway rats create networks of burrows with multiple routes in and out to a central nesting area. Other rats prefer to make their home in existing structures, whether that is cavity walls, roof eaves, vines or dense shrubbery and foliage. Anywhere that is dark, warm and cosy!  

Similar to birds, they create nests with any soft material they can find, whether paper, cloth, packaging and rubbish. They look to create a warm, cosy space to reproduce and have their young. The smell near the colony and nests is very pungent from the strong-smelling urine that soaks the nests.   

Humans mean food! 

The reason that rats tend to be where we are, is that we are their food source. They love fresh food, including grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Whatever we eat, they are quite happy to take from our leftovers, rubbish or even cupboards if access is allowed.  

They are clever little things and will nibble on a new food source to check it out. If they are sick, they know to avoid the food in the future. Often seen scaling bird tables to take advantage of the peanuts and seeds, their agility gives them access to all areas.  

Nocturnal 

Whilst sociable with each other, rats prefer to avoid humans and are mainly active at night. With quite poor eyesight, they tend to track along consistent paths along walls and edges using their acute sense of smell, hearing and touch instead.  

SAS-level survival skills 

Rats can swim, climb, squeeze through small gaps, adapt to different environments and are great risk assessors to avoid predators.  

Risk to humans 

The risk is significant. Rats can gnaw through wires, cables, and structures, which can result in power issues and even fire risks. Their urine and droppings, not to mention bites, can transmit diseases to humans and animals.  

Food can become contaminated through their hair shedding, fleas and tics, or their urine.  

Dealey – your rat expert 

This is just a snapshot of our rat knowledge. As pest geeks, we are experts on all things rats. With this knowledge, we can review, recommend and implement the best solution for your environment and rat issue. A targeted strategy can be efficient and protect your property and business. 

Why not give us a call to find out more?