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What is a rat’s mating habits? (both Black Rat and Norway
Rat)
Rats are incredible creatures, and for a variety of reasons. Not only can
they swim, climb, dig and chew their way through most materials we humans
might put in their path, they can also mate at an incredible rate. The male
brown rat, for example, can ejaculate several times in a row, and this
ensures the continuation of their species. One male rat can get many female
rats pregnant, and the more females there are in the group that are
displaying mating signs, the more frenzied the males will get. It’s a
continuous cycle, and you can understand how an infestation of just a couple
of rats could soon lead to a very big problem, in some cases, hundreds of
rats.
Things get even more exciting for the brown, also known as the Norway rat.
Female partners will often “switch” their male partners around, particularly
if there is a large group of rats all mating together. It is, quite
literally, a free-for-all, and the more dominant males will not only mate
with many more females, their sperm is also more likely to work.
All in all, it’s a very good time for the rats, and a very bad time if
you’re a human with a rat infestation. It really is a party going on in that
nest!
Just for the record, the females have a great time of things too. As well as
switching males during “sessions” to ensure they most definitely get
pregnant, the female brown rat will also be ready to mate as soon as she has
had her last litter. The pregnancy itself only lasts for three weeks, so a
female rat can quite easily become pregnant twice in one month. They also
mate right throughout the year, and the better the conditions are, the
faster and more frequently they will mate too! Your attic provides perfect
conditions, by the way.
Recent studies have also shown that the brown rat actually takes their
decision-making processes to an entirely different level. Female rats much
prefer males they haven’t already mated with, and they also prefer to mate
with males who have not been subject to stress during their younger,
adolescent years.
That’s quite a dating checklist!
Things aren’t quite as happy if you’re a black rat. The population for he
black rat has declined somewhat with the introduction of the brown rat. You
can still find the black rat if you look hard enough, of course, and they
are usually spotted in more farm-regions, as we previously discussed. Many
places around the world have managed to almost entirely eradicate the black
rat, however, but the numbers soon increase again. They can mate just as
frequently and with just as much determination as their cousins, the brown /
Norway rat. With groups that usually consist of many males and females,
there will be a hierarchy, of sorts, in the males, with one male considered
dominant at the top. There will usually be a couple of “dominant” females in
the group too.
Just like the brown / Norway rat, the black rat will mate all year round if
the right conditions allow it, but they do prefer summer and autumn.
Usually, three to five litters per year are expected, and the rat can
actually fall pregnant within just a few months of her last litter.
The black rat’s pregnancy is usually slightly longer than the brown rat’s,
but only by a few days to a week.
In short, both black and brown rats reproduce at such a staggering rate, you
definitely wouldn’t want to invite these rodents into your property. Find
out how you could rat-proof your home today.
For more rat information, visit our rat
removal tips page, or for more specific how-to instructions, read the
how to get rid of rats page
with 6 step-by-step instructions. If you have a problem with rats above your
ceiling in your house, read my rats
in the attic guide. The most important part of rat control is sealing
shut entry holes into the building, but after you've done that, you'll want
to know how to kill rats
humanely to complete the rat control job. If you need to hire professional
help in your city, click on my directory of over
200 rat removal companies servicing 95% of the USA. we can help your
with your rat problem!
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