In Ireland we deal with two different types of rats, brown and black. The brown rat is the most common rat we would deal with in Ireland. It has a heavy body and a tail shorter than its head and body. They eat more than the Black rat and will also prey on other animals. You can see a brown rat anywhere from a supermarket to a warehouse, public areas, and your home or working environment. The Black rat, also known as the ship rat, has a tail longer than its head and body with a slenderer body than the brown rat. Rats have strong senses of hearing, taste, and sense of smell but have very poor eyesight so they will establish a route. They will climb in search of or shelter and can sneak into your building from a hole less than half of an inch wide.
A rat infestation in your home poses a range of health problems. Rats need to continuously gnaw on things to stop their incisor teeth from overgrowing. They are known to gnaw through cables, insulation, and water pipes with their sharp teeth, which could lead to flooding and through food packaging in your home. Rats are also disease spreaders putting you and your family’s health at risk if they have invaded your home or business.
