There are many creatures that would love to call your ceiling home, but one of the most common ones are brown rats, also known as Norway rat or sewer rat. These rats are thought to have originated in northern China and now exist on every continent except Antarctica.
As a professional snake catcher, Warren Dick often receives calls from people hearing thumping noises in the ceiling of their house which they mistake for a snake. While there are a lot of creatures that may make thumping sounds in your roof, snakes are not one of them. One would only be able to hear a snake moving around if it were a fairly large snake and then its more of a sliding or sawing sound and not a thumping.
ALSO READ: We’re planting …irresistible daisies
The brown rat flourishes wherever humans live and given the right conditions can multiply very quickly. In fact, two rats can become 15 000 within a year. A female can produce up to five litters of babies a year with up to 14 rats per litter.
They are generally brown in colour and can grow to a body length of up to 28cm with a almost equal length tail, and can weigh up to 500 grams. They can live up to three years, however, more than 95% of individuals don’t make it past a year old.
According to Warren, brown rats are true omnivores and will consume almost everything, however, they do favour cereals and this makes them a pest to agriculture. Their foraging and what they eat depends largely on the location where they find themselves.
“I remember fishing in the bay as a youngster and we often used to watch rats fishing in the early evenings from the banks or from a rock in the water. They twitch their whiskers on the waters surface which attract small fish thinking its an insect on the water, then the rat would pounce into the water and often come out with a small fish. In other parts of the world they have even been witnessed diving for mollusks,” he said.
“I live close to a shopping center and have had major problems with rats moving into my garden and under my house in recent years. Two years ago I put a few large harmless brown house snakes in my garden and ever since then I seldom have a rat problem. Instead of snakes, many people choose poisons. While poison should never be the answer to dealing with any pest problem, I recommend that if you do use poisons that you use a product that does not cause secondary poisoning. This means that if and owl, dog or cat eats a poisoned rat, the owl, dog or cat won’t die.”
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram.
