Roof Rats On Vancouver Island

What kind of rats or mice do you have.

Roof rats on vancouver island.

Roof rats can be found throughout greater vancouver. They damage homes and buildings by chewing on insulation and siding and only needs a quarter size hole to enter in. Norway rats unlike roof rats this larger species. Knowing what is causing the problem will make it easier for you to come up with a good plan.

The best way to get rid of rats or mice is by using traps. As their name indicates roof rats are climbers that prefer roof spaces and attics. They support many ectoparasites and urinate on food. If using spring loaded traps for rats bait three of them in a row without setting them.

Remove sources of moisture and harborage. They tend to thrive only in urban areas where food is abundant or where winters are mild. Roof rats secured their place in history by spreading the highly dangerous bubonic plague. They can chew on materials including insulation siding and wallboard.

Gnaw on wiring and start an electrical fire. Because rats and mice are prolific breeders ignoring a problem can result in a much more damaging infestation. Roof rats this species is the most common on vancouver island. They may be grey or black and they can grow to over 25 cm.

The city of vancouver has a guide on how to identify a rat or mouse infestation including keeping an eye out for burrows noises droppings and chew marks. The norway rat rattus norvegicus and the roof rat rattus rattus. The vancouver rat project collected 725 rats in the downtown eastside from september 2011 to august 2012 and tested them for diseases that could be transmitted to humans. The most common rodents in the vancouver area are the norway brown rat the roof black rat and the house mouse.

There are two types of rats in bc. Consume and contaminate stored food and transmit diseases. Rats are not native to bc and were introduced via boat traffic in the mid 1800s. To prevent rats from entering a home seal up any holes or cracks larger than a quarter.

Common rodents found in the vancouver area are the norway brown rat the roof black rat and the house mouse. Roof rat droppings are about 13 mm 1 2 inch long with pointed ends and norway rat droppings are about 19mm 3 4 inch long with blunt ends. Victoria with the widespread closure of restaurants and businesses due to the novel coronavirus pandemic b c s rodent populations are fleeing urban centres like rats from a sinking ship.