Yes, roof rats (also known as palm rats or fruit rats) absolutely live in roofs, attics, ceilings, and other elevated areas because they are excellent climbers who prefer high, sheltered spots for nesting and hiding from predators. They enter through small gaps in vents, eaves, or tree branches and build nests from insulation, leaves, and shredded materials in attics or wall voids, being most active at night to forage for food.
Signs of a Roof Rat Infestation
In homes, roof rats live in elevated areas like attics, overhead storage spaces, soffits, and the roof. Since roof rats can have multiple nests, removing one is no guarantee that the problem is resolved.
How You Can Humanely Deal With Rats in Your Roof Void
These little freeloaders are expert climbers, squeeze through gaps the size of a coin, and love warm, food-filled houses like yours! They nest in roofs, walls, ceilings, and any cosy corner they can claim. And to tell you, no matter what kind of rats you have, they don't deserve to have space to drop by in your home.
Once you've identified the source of the scratching sounds, you can take the next step more confidently, which is to get professional help from either a pest control expert (like Environmental Pest Control) or a wildlife removal company. We hope your home remains free of pests, rodents, and wildlife.
Look for signs of rat or mouse infestation: Rodent droppings around food packages, in drawers or cupboards, and under the sink. Nesting material such as shredded paper, fabric, or dried plant matter. Signs of chewing on food packaging.
If you notice signs and sounds of a roof rat infestation, you have several options to get rid of these pests. Trapping or repelling roof rats can effectively reduce the pest population in your home. You have several options in commonly used rat traps – snap traps and electronic traps – as well as repellent options.
Rat behaviour
Rats and mice are the most notorious pests found in roof cavities. They are easily identifiable by their nightly activities of scratching, squeaking, chattering and gnawing. Since they're moody little creatures, the noises can often be loud and quite annoying!
It's possible to repel rats using essential oils such as peppermint oil and other smells that they naturally don't like. Using peppermint oil is one of the easiest ways to keep rats away from your home as long as you aren't giving them an easy food source.
Scratching noises typically result from rodents moving through loose insulation, burrowing within drywall cavities, or navigating wooden framing members. These sounds often indicate nest construction or expansion activities in wall voids, attics, and ceiling spaces.
The roof rat matures sexually at about 3 to 5 months and can produce two to six litters of 6 to 8 young per litter a year. They live for approximately a year.
While roof rats are not typically aggressive, they may bite if they feel cornered or threatened. Their primary threat, however, lies in the damage they cause to homes.
Wild rats are not used to human contact and will bite when handled or when people attempt to feed them by hand. The nocturnal creatures have also been known to bite sleeping people, particularly children and infants, on exposed body parts such as fingers, hands, toes and the face when foraging for food.
Rodents are among the most common pests to invade roofs and attics. Signs of Rodents in Your Roof: Scratching or scurrying sounds at night. Droppings near food storage areas or along walls.
Despite what you may believe, neither rats nor mice hibernate during the winter months—in fact, you're more likely to encounter them as it gets colder. These rodents have a drive for survival that leads them to the warmth of the indoors, making early August to November mice and rat season.
Rats are nocturnal animals that prefer to move around under the cover of night; however, sleeping with lights on will not keep rats away.
Roof rats are nocturnal animals, which means they are active during the nighttime and return to their daytime habitat as daybreak nears.
Bird seed (both in feeders and stored in bags) and dog and cat food left outside after dark are favorites. Roof rats eat Queen Palm tree fruits in the summer when citrus isn't available.
If there is a distinct and unpleasant smell in certain areas in your home or garden, you may have a rat problem. Rats have a particular smell and can leave a strong aroma from their urine. Usually, pets will sense this smell first and might become more active or unsettled in areas where the smell is coming from.
Critter Control professionals use industry-standard traps, exclusion techniques, and damage repair to safely and effectively remove rats from your home. We identify entry points, seal access, and implement deterrents to prevent future infestations. We find nests, entry points, and signs of activity.
A great way to test if rats are still making their way through your home is to spread some flour or talcum powder overnight on surfaces and floors you suspect they visit. If you do still have rats, they will leave a trail of footprints which can also help you to determine where they're hiding.