We mostly know them as Rochester rodents, and many of us tend to scream in fear when we run into one on our streets. Rats are not very welcomed in the world of humans. Any signs of rats inside our homes, restaurants or streets automatically gives out a connotation of filthiness and dirt; conditions that people actively try to stay away from.



The habitat of rats is normally in the most obscure, hidden and unhygienic parts of the city such as the sewers, dumpsters and areas that contain anything that can be a food source. Their constant contact with rotten food, contaminated sewage water, and many other unsanitary substances, rats carry with them a wide range of diseases that can be spread and even caught among ourselves. Some of these include the bubonic plague, leptospirosis and food poisoning.

There are 56 different species of rats, but the most common kind are brown or grey and black rats. Rats have developed an amazing ability to adapt to any circumstances. This means that they have learnt to breed and have their babies in all sorts of different places. Female rats normally give birth to eight to ten babies approximately between five to seven times a year. This means that in a year, an adult female ran produce an average of 54 babies.

Brown or grey Rochester rats tend to be twice as large and heavy as black rats. The length of this type of rat can measure up to 10 inches long with a similarly long tail, making the whole rat as big as 20 inches. Male brown or grey rats weight an average of 12 oz and females weigh a little less, up to 9 oz. The largest brown ever recorded was a actually a pet, and was as heave as 3 pounds and as long as 3 feet; pretty much the size of a small dog. This kind of rat is most commonly lives with humans, so they are most likely to live in urban areas; the more pollution, garbage and scraps, the better living environment. Brown rats have the longest lifespans out of the both, ending at two years.

On the other hand, black rats are smaller. The largeness of male black rats range from 5 to 4 inches, with longer tails ranging from 6 to 9 inches. In terms of weight, black rats can reach up to 0.507 pounds. Their life span ranges are very short, just about 12 months in the wild, which means they are a lot shorter when living in urban spaces.

Although some people can have affection towards rats, domesticating one from the street can have serious consequences for human beings, as the diseases and illnesses that they carry can be very harmful (especially to infants). Also, if there are any living around you, make sure to clean out your environment keep your food and yourself as safe as possible.

Visit our Rochester wildlife trapping home page to learn more about us.