Rats

If you spot rats in or near your home it is most likely to be the common rat, also known as the brown rat or the sewer rat. This is the most abundent and widespread species found in the UK.

The adult common rat weighs 100-500 grams (3½-18 ounces). Excluding the tail, they are about 240 mm long (9½ inches) and have brown fur on their back with grey fur underneath. Their tails are shorter than the head and body together. Rats need shelter, food and water to survive.

Rats are efficient burrowers and favour compost heaps and the ground underneath hedges and sheds, where they will dig shallow burrows and form nests with dry grass and leaves - in houses they will nest in wall cavities and beneath floor boards. Rats are good climbers and can climb vertical brick walls.
They are also are good swimmers and are at home in sewers where they have food, water and shelter. Rats front teeth grow continuously - to keep teeth to a useful length they need to gnaw on hard objects all the time e.g. lead water pipes, brickwork, electric cables, wood and anything else available.
They are usually active at night but may also be active in daytime. A rats life expectancy is around one year, during which time a female will typically breed five times with an average litter of 8 - female rats will have their first litter at the age of 4 months.

To discourage rats

Never leave food on your lawn, if you feed the birds with a bird feeder, make sure there is a catch tray underneath to prevent seed falling onto the ground. If you keep pets outside such as rabbits and birds, keep the hutches and aviaries clean and sweep up all spillages. If you keep the food in your shed make sure it is kept in a metal bin. Seal off any gaps at the bottom of sheds to prevent rodents from nesting under them. This can be done with chicken wire or wood panels.