If you have ever had rats inside your home, you know that this can be difficult animals to defeat. It seems like you kill off four or five, only to see a dozen days later. You're starting to realize that it is the breeding habits of these animals that you are up against, making you wonder what exactly those mating habits are?
Let's Talk About the Most Common
While there are several hundred species of rats, it makes sense to talk about two of the most common types: the Brown or Norway rat and the black or old English rat. These are the most commonly found rats on earth, and live in large numbers wherever there are human beings. This is especially true in the large cities where they are able to find an almost unlimited amount of food in the garbage and streets.
These animals are greatly helped by the fact that they are true omnivores. They will eat just about anything, and this helps them in their reproduction. Because there is a ready supply of food, and almost unlimited supply of food, they never have to worry about not having enough food for their young.
The Brown Rat
In the case of the Brown rat, they are often found in the sewers or under the streets in large cities. This is the most commonly found species of rat there is and they breed several times every year. What this means is that to Brown rats can become dozens, maybe even hundreds by the end of one calendar year. It's truly startling how quickly these animals can reproduce.
These animals live in large colonies, meaning there is a ready supply of both males and females for them. A female rat will make herself available to a male for copulation and she will only stop copulating once an egg has fertilized. The gestation period for these rats is about 21 days, and the litter can have as many as 14 babies to it, with the average being about seven.
The baby rats come to sexual maturity within five weeks. They can either fertilize eggs or have their eggs fertilized after that five week period of time. Consider that this means that there can be seven breeding cycles in a single year for every female rat. If each one had seven babies, one single rat can produce as many as 100 rats. Absolutely remarkable.
Black Rats
Black rats have a similar mating and birth cycle. However, they don't have as large a litters as the Brown rat and the time needed for sexual maturity to be reached takes a little longer as well. The average black rat has about six babies per litter with a maximum of no more than 12. However, that could still mean that a single rat could produce 70 to 85 rats in a single year.
If you are having problems with rats inside your home or business and are facing these kinds of odds, it may be time for you to hire a professional to assist you.
Go back to the Inglewood wildlife removal home page.