The Rat

Rats are medium-sized, long-tailed rodents which have razor sharp teeth. They are a common pest anywhere there is food made available to them. They are a particular problem anywhere where poultry are kept, due to physical damage they cause to the structures and environment, contamination of the environment with harmful disease-causing pathogens, and threat to baby chickens, ducks and other poultry, eggs, and sometimes adult chickens. Rats also serve as an attraction to snakes. There are many different species of rats, which differ in their appearance, geographic region, habitat, and behavior. Some common rat species that bother poultry include:

• Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
• Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
• Australian swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus)
• House rat (Rattus rattus)
• Rice-field rat (Rattus argentiventer )

Rats are responsible for many disease outbreaks, as they serve a a vector for a number of harmful pathogens including numerous parasites, protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Rodents can transmit as many as 35 different disease that affect humans as well as other domestic animals. They often carry Salmonella and carry parasites such as lice, mites, and fleas.

Habitat
Rats build their nests in a variety of locations--such as within deep vegetation, in sewers, open fields and woodlands, basements, under dry manure, into deep litter, inside hollow walls, into insulation in walls and ceilings, into dirt floors, beneath the edges of sidewalks or patios, and pretty much anywhere that provides food and shelter. Rats usually occupy an area of about 50 to 100 m (164 to 328 ft) in diameter. Holes made by Norway rats tend to be 2 to 3 inches wide and appear smooth from repeated use.

Behavior
Rats are secretive and predominately nocturnal and often active at dusk. They are excellent foragers and are omnivores. Rats may exhibit aggressive behavior when threatened; they may fight, chase, bite or box.