Norway Rat Or Roof Rat

While roof rats excel scaling your roof norway rats are powerful swimmers.

Norway rat or roof rat.

When the two species occupy the same building norway rats may dominate the basement and ground floors with roof rats occupying the attic or second and third floors. Because norway rats tend to be larger their droppings are also larger about 3 4 inch long whereas roof rat droppings are usually about half an inch. Norway and roof rats don t get along. Norway rats tend to look more well fed and rounder than roof rats with small eyes close set ears and a shorter tail.

Additionally the roof rat typically has a much longer tail. The norway rat can weigh nearly twice as much as a roof rat and. Another way to differentiate between the two rodents is size. Roof rats have black fur with pale underbellies while norway rats have brownish gray coats.

Norway rats are the most common type of rat found throughout the united states. Conspicuously shorter than their combined head and body their tails are carried with comparatively less movement than roof rats. Also called the brown rat street rat common rat or sewer rat the norway rat is a brown or gray rodent that measures 7 10 inches long with a tail that s slightly shorter than the length of its body. Roof rats possessing a long tail.

Norway rats will leave a mark as they drag their tails between their feet. Contrary to some conceptions the two species. And also because the norway rat can quickly adapt to the changes in the temperature compared to the roof rats. Their 6 inch to 8 1 2 inch tails are dark on top with lighter undersides.

On the basis of the tail size. The norway rat is larger and the more dominant species. It will kill a roof rat in a fight. And the roof rat also known as black rat or house rat rattus rattus.

Two species of nonnative rats are the primary pests in california urban areas and urban gardens the norway rat also known as sewer rat brown rat or common rat rattus norvegicus. The droppings are capsule shaped and have blunt ends. Medium sized slender rodent with large ears and a long thin scaly tail generally longer than body. While we have focused on roof rats and norway rats as being vermin and unwelcome as unlikely as it may seem these rats do have a positive trait.

Norway rat rattus norvegicus also called brown rat. Female roof rats have 10 teats norway rats have heavy thick bodies blunt muzzles and small close set ears. Medium sized chunky rodent with a scaly tail that is shorter than the body. The norway rat droppings are 1 4 to 1 2 inch in length.

Norway rats and roof rats will leave a hind foot track of about 3 4 1 inch where a mouse s track measure s 3 8 of an inch or less. Roof rats being the smaller sized ones with a considerably slender body. Norway rats are the larger of the two species up to about twice the size of roof rats. Due to their genes being 90 equivalent to that of humans medical research on rats has allowed for many significant strides in the study of human diseases.