Citrus is a source of food and water for roof rats.
Roof rats citrus.
Rats gnaw on electrical wires wooden structures and fruit and nuts on trees.
What are common signs of roof rat activity.
Pick fruit even if it s not ripe and pick up any that falls to the ground.
Get rid of roof rats in four basic steps.
Place dropped or spoiled fruit into a secure garbage can.
Whether they are roof rats also called black rats or norway rats munching on your fruit the average homeowner can usually eradicate them from the landscape without calling in the professionals.
Don t leave pet food out overnight and pick up dog feces.
If you find fruit that s been hollowed out as if with a buzz saw a roof rat is nearby.
Although very rare roof rats can enter a home s plumbing system most likely from the vent stack that protrudes from your roof.
You may see the rats themselves.
Step 1 in order to assess the severity of the rat problem and to get a better idea of where to bait and trap you will first need to perform a thorough inspection of the premises.
Here are 5 signs you have roof rats 1.
Noises in the attic and walls especially at night.
Roof rats description of the pest.
They can also girdle limbs or.
Place the dropped fruit in a garbage.
They have now settled into ideal habitat among old growth citrus trees palm trees and other mature landscaping and take advantage of abundant irrigation canals and food resources around homes.
Hollowed citrus and other fruit.
Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts.
Set out live traps on ledges branches fences and pipes where fruit rats regularly climb.
To attract the.
You hear squeaking or scratching noises 3.
Named after their favorite habitats roof rats love nothing more than ripe citrus dangling seductively.
Half eaten citrus around your home 2.
Reduce shelter and nesting sites of.
You may see rat droppings 5.
These rodents prefer to consume fruits sometimes referred to as the fruit rat or citrus rat and nuts although roof rats are omnivorous and will feed on almost anything available to them.
Your pets are acting strangely 4.
Pick up all dropped fruit on a daily basis.
What you ll want to look for are any signs that the rats are present including droppings tracks gnaw marks burrows runways and rodent sounds.
In 2001 roof rats were documented in phoenix and likely introduced into the area through freight or shipment of food livestock feed or equipment.