Norway Rats

Norway Rats Facts in Southern California
This rat has many names it’s also called the brown rat and sewer rat in the US. This rat spread from China hundreds of years ago and now is on all continents except Antarctica. It’s considered the most successful mammal on the planet. It has poor eye sight but an acute sense of smell and touch This rat thrives wherever people live.
What does the Norway Rat look like? They are stocky, have a blunt nose, a scaly tail and usually brown or gray with their underside a lighter variation of those colors.
Their body is about 9 to 12 inches in length and their tail is shorter than its body . Its Weight varies from about 1 to two lbs for females and up to three lbs for males

Norway Rat Diet in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
Norway rats eat just about anything. What they like most in Southern California are snails, slugs, meats, fruits, seeds from palm trees, small birds and the eggs of ground nesting birds and nuts. Dead animals and even other dead rats are another food source for these rats; they can also catch small fish and other small rodents. They have to drink water daily and when you find their burrows it will be close to a water source.

Reproduction
The Norway rat reaches maturity in three to four months. The female starts to breed about that same time frame. The average litter is right at 13 pups per litter. They average 7 litters per year. Each rat lives about 18 months. Have rodent control  by a perfessional Pest Control Company will combat population.

Habits
Like most rats they are nocturnal. They build extensive burrow systems under building, sidewalks, under rubbish piles, sewer walls and in levee embankments undermining those structures. They are fierce fighters and will protect area from other invaders.

Indications of a Norway Rat Infestation
Norway rats are seldom seen unless they are pushed out of their hiding places because of limited space or disturbances. It’s said that seeing one during the day indicates at least 100 more nearby. Outdoor burrows surrounding the building may be an indication of Norway rat nesting. signs of Norway rats are gnaw marks on food, wood, electrical wiring. Rub marks caused buy their oily hair rubbing against what they walk on or buy shows activity. The darker the color of the stain indicates a greater the activity level. Because rats don’t have a sphincter muscle they scatter their dropping along the paths the frequent. These dropping are different than other rat droppings in that they are blunt on both ends.

If detected call Wheeler's Pest Control at 877-595-2847