Brown Rat Control Barry S. Wales

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Generally brownish-grey in colour with paler underside.
Their tail is shorter than their body and is nearly always darker on top.
Their snout is blunt and their ears are small and furry.
They are large, robustly built animals with an average weight of 340g.

Their life span averages between 6 and 12 months and in this time they can have a maximum of 7 litters consisting of 8 to 12 young.

Droppings are blunt spindle shaped with an average length of 15 to 20mm, and usually found in groups.

The brown rat is a burrowing creature and will live outdoors or indoors in rural or urban environments.
They are frequently sited around landfill sites, railway embankements and sewers.

They are excellent climbers and swimmers.

All brown rats are neophobic (show caution to new objects).
They are omnivores but prefer cereals and have a high dependence on water.

They rarely venture far from a nest site in search of food (no more than 660m).