Norway Rat
Rattus norvegicus   
                       
SIZE:

COLOR: Fur is course and ranges from grayish brown on the back and light grey on the belly, but many colour variations are possible.

DESCRIPTION: The Norway rat is also known as the house rat, brown rat, wharf rat, water rat and gray rat.  The Norway rat is larger, stronger, more aggressive, and better adapted for producing young and surviving the climate of Toronto than the roof rat and other rat species.  Although recently the roof rat has been identified in Toronto.

HABITAT: Norway rats live in close association with people. They burrow to make nests under buildings and other structures, beneath concrete slabs, along stream banks, around ponds, in garbage dumps, and at other locations where suitable food, water, and shelter are present. On farms they may inhabit barns, granaries, livestock buildings, silos, and kennels. In urban or suburban areas they live in and around residences, in basements, under crawl spaces, warehouses, and in sewers. Although they can climb, Norway rats tend to inhabit the lower floors of multi-story buildings.

LIFE CYCLE: Litters of 6 to 12 young are born 21 to 23 days after conception. Newborn rats are naked and their eyes are closed, but they grow rapidly. They can eat solid food at 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. They become completely independent at about 3 to 4 weeks and reach reproductive maturity at 3 months of age, sometimes as early as 8 weeks. Female Norway rats may mate within a day after a litter is born. The average female rat has 4 to 6 litters per year and may successfully wean 20 or more offspring annually.

TYPE OF DAMAGE: Rats consume our food in farm fields, during processing, storage and transport, and while its in our supermarkets, restaurants and homes.  What the rats don’t eat they contaminate with urine, feces, and hair.  The loss of food worldwide to rodents is staggering, experts estimate that mice destroy enough food each year to feed 100 million people.

CONTROL: Control of rats can be very challenging: most rats are neophobic, often avoiding new items. An M.D. Pest Control exterminator is trained to identify potential entry points and conditions which may have led to the rat infestation as well as eliminating the rats already inside your home or business.  Call today for a complete evaluation of you rat infestation… leave this one to the professionals.