BLACK RAT
EXTERMINATION OF BLACK RATS
The black rat is almost exclusively found in the fields, hence its nickname. Indeed, if the brown rat appreciates cellars and humidity, the black rat avoids them. Very agile, it appreciates attics and the heights of buildings.
TECHNICAL SHEET ON BLACK RATS
Black rats tend to eat their fill in one sitting. They prefer plant foods: fruits, vegetables, cereals, seeds, roots and pet food.
Black rats are primarily nocturnal. Black rats tend to follow the same route or trail between their refuge and food and/or water sources. They are social animals that often live in groups that can reach over fifty individuals. Physically it has:
- Pointed muzzle of triangular form
- Big eyes
- Large thin mobile ears, translucent, rounded and without hair
- Front legs 4 fingers
- Hind legs 5 toes
- Dark grey or grey-black coat on the back, while the ventral part is lighter
- Tail long, tapered, dark gray, scaly with 260 rings but mostly longer than its body.
- Length from the muzzle to the tip of the tail up to 45 cm
- Weight between 130 and 180 grams and only sometimes reaches 220 grams
- Black rat droppings in the shape of a small banana
They have a rather poor vision, but their sense of hearing, smell, touch and taste are very developed. The touch through their long whiskers. They are good runners, excellent climbers and riders, and rather good swimmers.
The sexual maturity of the female arrives very quickly at the age of two months. The average gestation period is 22 days and the spleen can have five litters per year with an average of 7 pups per litter. The pups are weaned at about 3-4 weeks and have a life expectancy of 9 to 12 months. When we say that it goes fast!
HOW TO PREVENT BLACK RATS
- Prevention is the key to eliminating rats and mice from infesting your home.
- Mice can squeeze through cracks that are barely the size of a dime, while rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. The first intervention is to eliminate easy entry points. Even small cracks in a worn door sill can be an entry point for mice.
- Install metal weather stripping under doors and caulk windows.
- Seal cracks in foundations.
- Fill holes around pipes with steel wool before caulking or plastering.
- Cover dryer vents and attic vents with fine wire mesh.
- Eliminate rodent nesting sites by removing clutter from around your home and garage.
- Cut back tall grass and weeds near your home.
- Put your garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Raise wood piles about 30 cm (1 foot) above the ground and away from your house.
- Do not put greasy or oily waste, eggs or dairy products in the compost bin.
- Eliminate water sources such as leaking faucets, seeping pipes and open drains.
- Keep your kitchen clean. Store dry food and dry pet food in metal or glass containers.
