Norway Rats Vs Roof Rats

Color is an easy way to identify roof rats vs.

Norway rats vs roof rats.

Norway rats can cause damage to structures through their gnawing and eating. While roof rats excel scaling your roof norway rats are powerful swimmers. In addition norway rats can contaminate food and introduce fleas into a home. They differ in color as the norway rat is brown or reddish and the roof rat is black.

Their fur tends to be colored brown with some black scattered throughout and to the touch their fur is coarser than that of a roof rat. Differences between roof rats and norway rats appearance size. About seven to ten inches long. Roof rats also have a longer tail a pointy snout and longer ears than norway rats.

Norway rats have a long thick and rounded body shorter blunt nose and their tail is shorter than the length of their body. Because norway rats tend to be larger their droppings are also larger about 3 4 inch long whereas roof rat droppings are usually about half an inch. Roof rats hunt for food and shelter. Splinter from the ninja turtles would be considered a norway rat since he lives in a sewer if this helps you get the picture.

Norway rats also called sewer rats brown rats and wharf rats are much larger and darker in color which ranges from a grayish brown to reddish brown. Generally identified by color three sub species of roof rats are known. The black rat rattus rattus. People refer to rats by many names brown rat vs.

Slender and graceful looking roof rats have 7 1 2 inch to 10 inch long tails. Norway rats can also weigh over one pound which is twice as heavy as a roof rat. The norway rat can weigh nearly twice as much as a roof rat and be many times larger than the common mouse. With an average weight of about 11 ounces norway rats have acute hearing and a great sense of smell.

Roof rats have black fur with pale. The main difference between roof rats and norway rats is their behavior. What is the difference between a roof rat a norway rat. The most common home invading rodents norway rats and roof rats can be identified in several ways.

These rats are also vectors of diseases including plague jaundice rat bite fever cowpox virus trichinosis and salmonellosis. Norway rats would be considered bottom dwellers and they prefer to live in underground burrows basements tunnels etc. Tail shorter than. Black rat for example without realizing that many describe the same two species.

Norway rats close relatives of the roof rats and also known as old world rats or brown rats are less common than roof rats but still a threat. Roof rats prefer to live above the ground in trees roofs elevated platforms etc.