Maidstone Pest Control

 

The Norway Rat (Rattus Noregicus)

 

  Maidstone Pest Control would like to introduce you to the Rattus Norwegicus, more commonly known as the Norway or Brown Rat. This intelligent rodent can be found in most parts of the world and has a lifespan of around eighteen months.   Identifying the Brown Rat   The Norway or Brown Rat is covered in shaggy brown or grey fur and is roughly forty centimetres in length, (including its tail). Maidstone pest control  encourage you not to be fooled by its cute appearance as these rodents have been the scourge of many farmlands and town houses alike for centuries, causing disease and mayhem wherever they go. However, this does not prevent some people keeping them as pets and kept domestically they can live up to three or four years old. The Mating Habits of the Brown Rat   The Brown Rat is sexually mature at three to four months with a gestation period of twenty four days. The females can mate up to five hundred times in her life as she is on heat all year round, producing litter up to fifteen times a year. They have a high breeding rate and can procreate up to two thousand descendants in just one year, having six to twelve pups per litter. She begins her menopause at around eighteen months of age but can still conceive, although her litter will decrease, she will still continue keeping Kent Pest Control quite busy.   What Do Brown Rats Eat?   Rats have sharp incisors that wear out rapidly at the rear, causing the front edge of them to be razor sharp. Their teeth continue growing about twelve centimetres a year, and it is for this reason that they are constantly gnawing through anything from brick or wood to electrical wiring. The rat nibbles at plants with his chisel like front teeth that can open the hardest shell or bark. They are scavengers with enormous appetites feeding on fruits, grains and cereals. They gnaw on soap, leather, furs, even wasps and other rodents. Hence, if you leave crumbs on your kitchen floor and there are rats nearby, they will be sure to find them. DT Facilities Kent pest control can help you with your infestation. These rats can consume up to a third of their body weight and eat their own droppings purely for nutritional purposes. The rat’s main consumption is water as like most other mammals they cannot survive without it. They need at least half to one ounce of water a day.   Where Does The Brown Rat Like To Live?   They tend to burrow underground and live near human habitats in sewers, basements and farmland, also scurrying around rubbish dumps looking for food. They are survivalists and will tread water for three days solid, even withstanding being flushed down the toilet. So rather than flush them down the loo only for them to climb back up it may be wiser to let a company like DT Facilities sort the infestation for you.   Like their cousins the mouse and squirrel, they have acute hearing, taste and smell, but unlike mice who nibble all day, the rat tends to eat a big meal all in one sitting.   If you have a Rat problem and need a local pest controller, call us today for a no obligation quote. DT Facilities Maidstone Pest control team are specialist on the control of rats mice wasp & squirrels, big enough to care but small enough to cope we have have many clients all over Kent happy to recommend us for pest control services.