Roof Rat Citrus Damage Pictures

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 rat citrus damage pictures.

Roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus and they often eat fruit that is still on the tree. Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. 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.

Their bodies are seven or eight inches in length though their bald scaly tails add up to ten more inches. Too much citrus draws in roof rats. The roof rat can appear similar to the norway rat native arizona pack rat neotoma. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees.

While casual observations of roof rats or native rats can. 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. Fruit rats or roof rats as they re commonly called thrive in warm fruit bearing areas. As climbers roof rats are more likely to cause structural damage in homes as they chew on wood and wires.

Other identifying traits include their pointed noses hairless ears and dark fur with light colored underbellies. Table 1 provides a brief description of the physical similarities and differences among these rodents. Like norway rats roof rats eat a wide variety of foods but they prefer fruits nuts berries slugs and snails. From rat bites and scratches to saliva and urine rats can cause many diseases.

Roof rats are a health hazard being one of the oldest transmitters of diseases. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail. 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. Roof rats have soft and smooth fur that is typically brown with intermixed spots of black.

Their undersides are often white gray or black. Ecology of roof rats and native rats. Roof rats get ferocious and tend to bite or scratch when threatened or cornered. Spp or cotton rat sigmodon arizonae.