Roof Rat Citrus Damage Pictures

Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black.

Roof rat citrus damage pictures. Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. 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. 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. Roof rats are frequent visitors to yards and homes across the country.

The roof rat can appear similar to the norway rat native arizona pack rat neotoma. These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus. Like norway rats roof rats eat a wide variety of foods but they prefer fruits nuts berries slugs and snails. Their undersides are often white gray or black.

Ecology of roof rats and native rats. Table 1 provides a brief description of the physical similarities and differences among these rodents. In livestock feed yards and barns roof rats often burrow. 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. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail. Fruit rats or roof rats as they re commonly called thrive in warm fruit bearing areas. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases.

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. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases. While casual observations of roof rats or native rats can. Their bodies are seven or eight inches in length though their bald scaly tails add up to ten more inches.

Roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus and they often eat fruit that is still on the tree. As climbers roof rats are more likely to cause structural damage in homes as they chew on wood and wires. Too much citrus draws in roof rats. Spp or cotton rat sigmodon arizonae.