Roof Rat Citrus Damage Pictures

Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.

Roof rat citrus damage pictures.

Spp or cotton rat sigmodon arizonae. Roof rats can be cautious. Roof rats are frequent visitors to yards and homes across the country. Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length.

Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees. In livestock feed yards and barns roof rats often burrow. 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.

These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus. While casual observations of roof rats or native rats can. 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. The roof rat can appear similar to the norway rat native arizona pack rat neotoma.

Fruit rats or roof rats as they re commonly called thrive in warm fruit bearing areas. Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases. Too much citrus draws in roof rats.

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. 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. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases.

Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black. Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees. Other identifying traits include their pointed noses hairless ears and dark fur with light colored underbellies. Their undersides are often white gray or black.

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.