Roof rats typically run the gutters and chew holes through the soffit to get into the attic. Rats love to sharpen their front Incisor teeth by chewing on things.
Most often in a home this is electrical wires, often causing electrical failure and/or electrical fires.
Norway rats thrive in various environments from sewers and trash piles to fields and homes, like most pests, they prefer easy access to food, water, and shelter. They are often found in basements, garbage bins, waterfront areas such as ports, along rivers and lakes. All Rats are nocturnal, they scavenge for food and explore their environment at night, they are extremely good climbers and swimmers.
Rats are extremely difficult for a homeowner to get rid of once they become established on a property, they breed year round having a litter 4-6 times a year each containing 6-12 pups. They require a combination of traps, bait, and exclusion work to take away foraging and shelter.
Rats go after pet food as well as human food, causing contamination of the food. Ectoparasites like Fleas and Ticks live on Rats and transmit disease to pets, they should never be handled without gloves.