BIOLOGY
The life expectancy of a wild
rat is approx 10-14 months, in which time a female can breed
5 to 7 times with a litter between 6-12 each time.
Breeding can occur all year
round and it is possible for one breeding pair to have up to
800 young.
Brown rats are also known
as common or sewer rats. They arrived several hundred years
ago from Asia, it is quite a newcomer compared to the Black
rat.
The Brown rat is a good climber
and can swim very well. They tend to stay within a home range
of about 15-30m, although they have been known to travel up
to 1 km if food is short.
DISEASE
The main disease carried by
rats is Weils Disease also known as Leptospirosis. It is thought
about 30% of rats carry this disease and there are on average
50 deaths in the U.K. each year from this disease.
The bacteria can enter the
body through cuts in the skin and also through the membrane
of the eye, throat and mouth by contact with contaminated water.
The Symptoms start with a
flu like illness with a persistent headache.
Rats are also carriers of
salmonella and rat bite fever amongst others.
