How Much Do You Know About The Brown Rats In Charlotte, NC?

Brown Rats Are Not Roof Rats

A roof rat is typically black. Apart from the difference in color, there are many other important differences between a brown rat and a black rat. Black rats like to climb trees and get onto rooftops. That is how they earned the roof rat name. Black rats typically infest attic spaces where it is warm. Black rats like water as much as brown rats, but they can tolerate living in spaces that are not damp. When black rats get into your home, they're likely to establish nests inside. While brown rats can do this as well, they don't commonly do it. This has led to black rats also being referred to as common rats.

Templeton Was A Brown Rat

Since we're discussing brown rats in Charlotte, it seems relevant to mention the rat named Templeton from the story Charlotte's Web. He is a brown rat, even though he looks grayish purple in the animated movie. This character is a scavenger. He goes out and finds things that interest him and he brings them back to his home. One of the things he likes to get most is food. If a brown rat takes up residence in your yard, it is likely to do the same. It will go into your home, take food, and bring it back outside to its nest underground. Every time it comes in, it brings fleas, ticks and other parasites with it. Every time it goes out, it picks up more parasites.

What To Expect From A Scavenging Rat

If brown rats start becoming a problem in your yard, you can expect them to get into many things. They'll explore your shed, garage, barn or outbuildings. They'll chew holes to get into stored foods. They'll eat fruit that has fallen from trees. But they also collect something that is vile. If you go underneath your deck, stairs, or into a crawl space and find a stack of dog feces, that is likely the work of a brown rat. While brown rats don't prefer to eat feces, they will if other resources aren't readily available. This can expose a brown rat to disease-causing organisms.

What To Expect From A Burrowing Rat

• Brown rats dig holes under plants and uproot them to eat the bulbs. This often happens in the fall when food sources are dwindling.
• Brown rats can tunnel under fences to get to food. Make sure you install fencing at least a foot underground.
• Brown rats will tunnel underneath piles of objects. If you have clutter in your yard, you will attract these rats.