Roof Rat Citrus Damage Pictures

Roof rats are frequent visitors to yards and homes across the country.

Roof rat citrus damage pictures.

Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered. Use a sheet metal or aluminum flashing that is at least 18 inches tall and wrap it around the base of the tree overlapping it by 2 or 3. The rat zapper should be placed close to a roof rat nest or in their runways said ernie henson president and owner of stormin norman termite and pest control. Table 1 provides a brief description of the physical similarities and differences among these rodents.

Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases. Too much citrus draws in roof rats. Their bodies are seven or eight inches in length though their bald scaly tails add up to ten more inches.

Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length. Other identifying traits include their pointed noses hairless ears and dark fur with light colored underbellies. By teri carnicelli the overabundance of citrus this winter and spring may seem like a happy circumstance for those who enjoy spending hours squeezing oranges and grapefruits or making tasty desserts with lemons and limes. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees.

Ecology of roof rats and native rats. Roof rats can be cautious. 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. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases.

In livestock feed yards and barns roof rats often burrow. Fruit rats or roof rats as they re commonly called thrive in warm fruit bearing areas. The roof rat can appear similar to the norway rat native arizona pack rat neotoma. According to the university of california statewide integrated pest management program roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus and often eat fruit that is still on the tree.

The roof rat sometimes called the black rat is a common vertebrate pest in citrus and nut orchards in citrus it builds leaf and twig nests in trees or it can nest in debris piles thick mulch on the ground or in shallow burrows under the tree especially in hot weather. Their undersides are often white gray or black. These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.

Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts.