Pied Piper Wanted : Far From Welcome, Rats Are Quite at Home in O.C.

Health officials suspect there are more roof rats roaming around Orange County than people. In fact, the county’s Vector Control District, which handles animals and insects that transmit disease, receives more complaints about the critters than it does about any other pest.

Aside from scaring the heck out of some residents, these slender rodents can contaminate homes with their feces and urine, transmit disease with their fleas and damage property with their sharp incisors.

The rats chew on everything from furniture to fishing rods. One woman recently had her bodyboard nibbled on.

They create fire hazards by gnawing home wiring and power lines. One roof rat in Garden Grove even crawled into the engine of a Ferrari and chewed the insulation, thereby helping the car catch on fire when the owner drove it, officials said.

“The best we can hope for is to keep the population down to where they aren’t bothering people,” said Bill Bobbitt, a district technician whose main duty for two decades has been to keep the roof rats in check. “We’re never going to get rid of them all.”

The rats tend to scramble up walls into attics and squeeze into outdoor sheds. Their population increased after last year’s heavy El Nino storms but has dropped to normal levels recently with the dry winter, officials said.

The county’s biggest concern is the possibility of the rats’ spreading disease. Last year, district officials found a roof rat in a backyard trap in Orange that was infected with bubonic plague. The rat, however, did not cause a plague outbreak, and officials know of no local outbreaks in recent years.

Backyards lush with fruit trees such as orange, peach and apricot provide the rats with sustenance. Thick vegetation such as untrimmed palm trees, oleanders and yuccas create shelter. “We make it nice for them,” said Bobbitt, referring to homeowners’ dense landscaping. “We give them nice foliage to nest in and things to eat.”

To get rid of roof rats, officials recommend placing snap traps under your house and in the attic. They also suggest trimming bushes and tree branches around structures and removing firewood and any pet food.

Much of the property damage the rats cause comes from their habit of chewing on things. The rats must keep gnawing to prevent their constantly growing teeth from becoming too big, said Jim Francisco, the district’s educational coordinator.

Bobbitt’s mission is to help homeowners prevent or get rid of the rats. He visits residents daily to dispense advice to those who have spotted these creatures or want to avoid having the rats creep into their homes.

The rats aren’t limited to poor or dirty areas. Recently, Bobbitt visited a neat, middle-class home with a trim backyard lawn. The woman there told Bobbitt she saw three rats crawling up her backyard orange tree. Sure enough, several of the oranges had their insides eaten out, a sign of roof rats.

The rats also gnawed on the woman’s bodyboard and expensive beach chairs she stored in the backyard shed.

“It’s amazing the damage they can do,” she said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Competing With People

Rats in Orange County want the same things people do: food, water and shelter. The species most likely to move in under your roof is the roof rat (Rattus rattus); there are more of them in the county than people. Are you providing an environment attractive to rats? older areas with lush or overgrown vegetation provide abundant harborage, but any neighborhood can be susceptible to infestation. Here’s how a roof rat might see your house and yard:

(graphic)

What is a roof rat?

This agile, slender rodent is also called a black, gray, climbing, fruit or ship rat. It is believed to have originated in Asia, and spread to Europe and to North and South America on ships. In North America they dwell close to coasts and in the Gulf states.

* Roof rats are excellent jumpers and swimmers. They can jump at least 3 ft. vertically and 4 ft. horizontally. They can swim for hours on the surface and hold their breath and swim submerged.

* Feet are padded and well adapted for climbing. They can cling to and scale vertical walls and pipes.

* The roof rat breeds all year, with a 22-day gestation period, and 6-8 young in a litter. It is smaller and less aggressive than the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), which is also known as the brown rat, barn rat or sewer rat. In Orange County, Norway rats inhabit coastal rock jetties.

* Roof rats can squash down almost flat to fit under things and get into your home through a hole less than one inch in diameter

For More Info:

Orange County Vector Control District

(714) 971-2421

(800) 734-2421

Sources: James Francisco, Orange County Vector Control District; Academic American, Britannica and World Book encyclopedias

Graphics reporting by PAUL DUGINSKI / Los Angeles Times