Rodents contaminate our food and cause fires in homes or commercial buildings. Rats and mice are scavengers. Rats and Mice are agile and nocturnal; they choose to shelter and nest within the roof void of our homes or offices. This also provides them access to security, food and water. Rats and mice are significant sources of disease. Discovering rats on your property could mean they want a place to live. More often than not, they seek protection from the elements and the warmth during the colder months your home provides. When rodents first arrive, it is essential to deal with them quickly as rodents multiply quickly and can become a serious problem if left unattended. Rodents are prolific breeders. The first sign of a problem is essential to intervene; this can reduce the time needed to control an infestation. Rats and Mice breed quickly; a small problem will become severe if left unattended.
Black Rats spread diseases and contaminate food, and they have to gnaw as their teeth continually grow, preventing their teeth from too long. Over winter, rodents can live in the roof void and chew on water pipes, ducted heating, and electrical cables. Rodents damage homes every year. The Black, roof or ship rats are smaller than the Norway rats. Their life span is usually between 12-24 months. Females can have 4-5 litters per year, averaging 6-8 pups per litter. Sexual maturity is at 3-4 months, and females have a gestation period of 3 weeks. Black rats live in built-up areas or near the coast. They are excellent climbers and can nest in buildings, roof voids, and ships. They eat a wide variety of food. They feed on cereals, grains, fruit, and almost any food with nutritional value. Black rats are omnivores and will feed on insects or meat if necessary. Rodents (rats &mice) are a severe issue that affects many Australian homes. Our homes are very attractive to them, providing everything they need: food, water, and shelter.
Black Rats
- Charcoal grey to black or light brown
- Cream or white below, with a sleek, smooth coat.
- They have big, thin ears and quite a round face.
- The size of the tails is between 17-25 cm.
- Body size 12 to 18 cm
Brown rats, are also known as the Norway rat, sewer rat, water rat or common rat, is the largest of the pest rats. The Norway rat’s life span is usually between 12 and 18 months but may be longer if conditions are right. Females can have five litters a year, averaging 7-9 pups each litter. The gestation period is 21 days, and the young reach sexual maturity at 3-4 months. Norway Rats are near-mythical. They can swim for up to three days. They can fit through holes the size of a 50-cent coin. They are usually active at night. They dig well and may communicate through high-pitched vocalisation. This rat is a river rat. These rats are omnivores and will eat food from plants and animal origin. They will eat almost anything, although they prefer starch and protein-rich food such as cereals, which form a substantial part of their diet. In addition, they eat meat, fish, vegetables, weeds, earthworms, crustaceans, nuts and fruit.
Physical appearance:
- Brown or grey with grey belly fur, head and body size between 20-27 centimetres
- The length of the tail is between 16-20 centimetres.
- They have a large build and weigh between 200–500 grams.
- Bluntnose
- Short, thick ears with fine hair Grey feet
Mice also belong to the order Rodentia. They are smaller than rats. Originated from present-day India and Southeast Asia. They migrated to the Mediterranean Basin around 8000 BC and are known to have been in Europe since 1000 BC.
Adult mice are about 80 – 100mm long and have a tail about 70 – 90mm long. The male can weigh 25 grams, and the female can weigh 20 grams. They have dusty brown fur on the head and back and ivory fur on the belly. Like rats, they are naturally omnivorous and invade homes, seeking food and shelter to evade predators. Mice are considered the most successful mammals living on Earth due to their remarkable ability to adapt to any environment and can live for about 2 – 3 years. Mice are much more curious and exploratory than rats and do not fear new objects. Mice can survive without drinking water, provided the moisture content of their food is more significant than 15%. Males & females mature sexually at about 50 days old, and the female’s gestation period is about 19-21 days. Litter sizes are between 5 and 14, and 5 to 10 litres a year is not uncommon. Mice are nocturnal and have very poor eyesight, which they compensate for with a highly developed sense of hearing & smell used effectively to evade predators & source food. Mice are very adaptable; they are excellent swimmers, runners, climbers, and jumpers, reaching heights as high as 30 cm. Mice have an excellent sense of smell, taste, and touch. Whilst mice have poor eyesight, they have good peripheral vision to detect movement. Because of their poor eyesight, mice use their whiskers to navigate, usually travelling along a wall or other object. A pencil-sized opening (6mm) is sufficient for mouse entry. You are more likely to see mice scurry by when you have been sitting very still for a while, such as when reading or watching television. Mice generally have a lifespan of up to around 18 months. Mice eat just under half their body weight in food per day. Mice droppings are tiny, with one end rounded and one end pointy.