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Rat species
There are two main types of rats that cause concern in Sri Lanka. The Brown Rat (common rat) and the Black Rat (sewer rat) are commonly found in both private homes and business property.
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Black Rat
(Rattus rattus)
Black rats can be found in coastal towns and in many urban environments in Sri Lanka.
Appearance
- The black rat is between 16–24cm in length, with a tail longer than the head and body.
- It grows to between 150–200g in weight.
- They have a pointed nose, large ears and a slender body.
Lifecycle
- Black rats produce 5–10 young per litter, and have between 3–6 litters a year.
- The gestation period is about 3 weeks.
- It only takes between 12–16 weeks from birth for them to reach sexual maturity.
Habits
- They are incredibly agile and very good climbers.
- Their preferred food is moist fruits. Black Rats will eat around 15g of food a day and drink 15ml.
Dealing with rat infestation?
A rat problem especially if you are in the food & beverage business is a key risk area that has to be properly managed for you to stay in operations safely.
Rentokil pest experts offers a wide range of professional rat control solutions to solve your rat problem quickly and effectively, this including rodenticides (rat bait), monitoring devices and bait stations.
Besides having these solutions in place, our team of experts is able to advice pest proofing tips to keep rats out of your premise along with diligent monitoring, which is crucial for an effective rat control.
Brown Rat
(Rattus norvegicus)
Brown rats usually prefer ground living and burrowing, but sometimes they can be known to climb.
Appearance
- The brown rat is up to 40 cm in length, with a tail shorter than the head and body.
- It grows up to between 350–500g in weight.
- It has a blunt nose, small ears and a thicker body when compared to the Black Rat (Rattus rattus).
Lifecycle
- Rats have 7–8 young per litter, and between 3–6 litters a year.
- The gestation period is about 3 weeks.
- It only takes 10–12 weeks from birth to reach sexual maturity.
Habits
- Preferred food is cereals, although they are omnivorous.
- They will eat around 30g of food a day and drink 60ml.