As I have become accustomed to the ways of the rat, I actually avoid parking in certain areas because I know these areas are more prone to the potential presence of rats. Some may say I’m paranoid but the rats are at the top of my mind at all times now. (I am getting off topic)
Geographically, rats live on all of the major continents, except for Antarctica. Rats live in colonies that can consist of up to six rats. These colonies live inside of burrows under the ground or sheltered hollowed out areas (I.e. old logs, tree stumps, etc.). You will commonly see the start of a burrow right before a tree trunk, or rock, or slap of pavement. There will typically be some sort of structure that they are burrowing under. This helps to strengthen the structural integrity of the burrow.
Within the burrows there can be multiple levels of tunnels, including potentially an escape route. Burrows provide an ideal environment for shelter, food storage and nesting. It is imperative that rats nest in an environment where the temperature can be maintained, so these burrows are built to sustain at least certain temperatures.
When rats are nesting they like to stay off of the ground, so within the nesting area(s) of a burrow the rat will have torn up pieces of leaves, bark, or paper covering the entire ground. As this ground cover becomes soiled with excrement, it will be covered with new material. As this happens over and over again and the ground level is continually rising, the rat will need to hollow out more roof. This will happen essentially, until the rat surfaces the tunnel and at that point a new burrow may be sought.
Knowing where the burrows are in relation to surrounding structures can give you a good idea of where the common travel paths may be. Identifying where the rats may be burrowing can certainly help in determing where to place traps and poison bait stations and where you should avoid parking your car.
I hope this has been helpful!
Any questions/comments, drop a note!
-Rat King Dave
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Will rats live in the base of plants? Not sure what type of plant species we have but our neighbor is convinced there are rats living in our plants growling along our property line. These plants look like cat tails but have a broad base that YES would provide cover. This is becoming a area of contention and so need to decide if worth taking these plants out. We live in the country in a neighborhood only a short distance from a lake. In addition we live in an area that has forest of small trees in Central Texas.
Hi Jeff, Apologize for the delay in my reply! It is certainly possible to have rodents living at the base of plants. You would see a hole in the ground near the base, and possibly some rodent poops scattered about. I would let you neighbor know that the rats could be anywhere and there are most likely multiple rodent colonies in your area if you are see a presence of rodents. They multiply every few weeks. Hope that this gets worked out with your neighbor! Maybe you guys can split the cost of an owl Box! RKD