The first and foremost thing that homeowners usually notice is noise on the roof. Other signs are loss of power to some equipment due to chewed cables and marks on the ceiling from animal’s urine. All these are caused by either possums or rodents.
Possum and rats are mammals but from two different groups. They both are different in several ways such as biological aspects, coloration, morphological, and various other things that make them easy to differentiate from each other.
Is It Possum Or A Rat On Your Roof? How To Differentiate In Both Of Them?
When you notice sounds or other signs on your roof then in that case the first question has come to your mind which one is it? Possum or Rat? To know the difference between these two here are a few ways that you can know which a pest infestation in your home.
- Appearance- Rats are medium sized rodents and are active during the day and night time. Whereas possums have small to medium sized bodies and are classified as marsupials. They are active at night. Possums are herbivores and become opportunistic omnivores in case of predatory behaviors, whereas rats are omnivores and can chew and eat everything.
- Sounds- Homeowners can detect the pest type whether it is possum or rat through its noise. Possums create screechy and high-pitched sounds. It is a clear sign that your roof has a possum infestation.
- Droppings- Possum droppings are larger in size as compared to rat droppings. They both have totally different droppings. If you find small, thin droppings on your roof then it is a clear sign of rat infestation.
- Damage- Rats have smaller claws and possums have larger claws so you will be able to find which pest is active on your roof by marks of screeching. Due to Possums’ large claws, they cause a bit more extra damage. Like they make bigger holes to invade your property. Furthermore, they can chew up cables.
- Response To The People– When a possum has doubt about someone’s presence then the possum will resume chewing or making their noise only a few minutes after hearing the presence of someone in place. In addition, rats are secretive. They will make noise when they find silence in the house. Besides, rats will stop for a while before they go back to making noise.
- Weight- Possum weight is the main reason for creating a lot of sounds. Its weight is at least 4 kgs. Rat weight is 170 to 200 gms approx. They make sounds when they are excited, or leaping from one place to another within the roof space. Read our more blog titled Amazing Pest Control Brisbane Facts.
Ways By Homeowner Get Rid of Pests Whether it is Roof Rats or Possums?
- If you have pets at your home then keep in mind that left pet’s food is one of the main reasons to attract rats or possums.
- Seal all the access points though they invade your property. This will surely help homeowners to keep them away from the home.
- Use tight lid trash bins so that rats can not come in and get close to your home. Daily disposal of garbage is the utmost thing you can do to keep them away.
- Trim all the branches that attach to the roof. This prevents these rodents from accessing the roof of your home through branches.
Last Minute Call: Take Experts Help
If you are not able to deal with these nuisance pests then, call professional exterminators to help you. A Best pest control team can save you from extensive damage that can be caused by possums and rats. So, without delay, call experts for help.
You can also read our blog on How to Get Rid of Rats?
