As summer fades and with autumn on the horizon, we have seen an uptick in the amount of calls here in SaddleBrooke for one pest in particular—the roof rat!
Roof rats typically weigh 5 to 10 ounces. They have light black to grey smooth fur on their bodies with off white to grey underbellies. They are usually about 15 inches long, have a pointed nose and have a long hairless tail that can be about 14-1/2 inches long.
There are several ways to find signs of roof rats in a neighborhood. For starters, roof rats usually nest high above ground in trees, tall overgrown shrubs or dense vegetation such as ivy. Roof rats are excellent climbers and often access homes by running along tree branches, cables or wires. In fact, when it comes to these plumbing lines and storm drains, they have been known to swim up through the sewer lines and come up through people's toilets.
In buildings, they typically nest in the upper part of structures in enclosed or elevated spaces such as attics, walls, false ceilings and cabinets. They are very agile and can squeeze through openings only 1/2-inch wide. Roof rats can climb down to a food source.
Roof rats routinely travel up to 300 feet for food. They often can be seen at night running along overhead utility lines or fence tops. They have an excellent sense of balance and use their long tails to steady themselves while traveling along overhead utility lines. They are very agile climbers, which enables them to quickly escape predators.
Given their history of causing damage (gnawing through wiring, food contamination, etc.) and health problems (vectors for salmonella, murine typhus, etc.), it is important that homeowners understand how to identify and businesses protect themselves from these costly pests.
If bitten by a roof rat, keep in mind that symptoms of Rat Bite Fever may appear as much as 10 days after the bite. If you come down with fever, rash or swollen joints, see a doctor immediately.
Some preventative measures you can take to try in terms of rodent-proofing your home include the following:
- Seal openings greater than ¼" to exclude mice and ½" to exclude rats
- Use hardware cloth to seal open vents, especially in crawl spaces, attics and roofs
- Eliminate waste piles outside of home
- Make sure garbage containers are sealed tightly
- Eliminate potential food sources like leftover pet food and grains from bird feeders
- Trim vegetation to prevent from becoming overly dense
However, roof rat populations can grow very quickly in SaddleBrooke and throughout Tucson, so, time is of the essence. It is best to target them when populations are small before it becomes a full-blown infestation. At that point, you may need a professional pest control company.
Cody Emmett is the Sales Manager for Truly Nolen in SaddleBrooke. He can be reached at (520) 275-9303. Founded in 1938, Tucson-based Truly Nolen of America (trulynolen.com) is one of the largest family-owned pest control companies in the United States.
