Roof Rat Citrus Damage Pictures

Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts.

Roof rat citrus damage pictures.

Other identifying traits include their pointed noses hairless ears and dark fur with light colored underbellies. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees. 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.

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. Spp or cotton rat sigmodon arizonae. Ecology of roof rats and native 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.

Roof rats are frequent visitors to yards and homes across the country. 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. 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.

Table 1 provides a brief description of the physical similarities and differences among these rodents. Their undersides are often white gray or black. Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases. The roof rat can appear similar to the norway rat native arizona pack rat neotoma.

Roof rats can be cautious. Too much citrus draws in roof rats. Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length. Their bodies are seven or eight inches in length though their bald scaly tails add up to ten more inches.

These bites or scratches can cause what is known as rat bite fever or even tetanus. In livestock feed yards and barns roof rats often burrow. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases. Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees.

Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered.