SERENA ECOSERVIZI

NeroRattus rat rattus


Rat More agile strong Rape of the sewers, usually colonizes the floors of the elevated structures of the silos and often the foliage of the trees, with a predilection for maritime pines and palm trees. The males of the species can reach 300/500 g of weight, the body length can reach 16-21 cm, The coloration of its coat, although extremely variable from one population to another (with a variety of forms that has chromatic led some scholars to the introduction of specific subspecies), its color is dark brown on the back and gray on the belly. The trunk, slender and sturdy, is equipped with short limbs. The muzzle is tapered and pointed. The ears, almost completely devoid of hair, are highly developed and generally succeed, folded, to cover the large protruding eyes. Compared to other rodents of similar size, the Rattus rattus possesses a thin tail and of uniform color, the length of which is generally higher than that of the body (17-28 cm) and that it uses to equilibrate in the course of its displacements.

The diet is omnivorous, with a preference to proteins of plant origin and comes daily to more than 20 g of dry matter and 20 ml of water, but the black rat roofs can remain without drinking for several days. The feces and urine were slightly lower than the amount ingested. The life span in captivity can reach six years, while in nature in general can not exceed one year.
Sexual maturity comes after two and a half months from birth, gestation is three weeks, weaning of four. The litters per female per year are between six and eight for a number of births of 34 subjects.
In this species neophobia is especially strong in populations established by a certain time and then be consolidated habits. The psychophysical characteristics make it a skilled climber (manages to get by vertical pipes of 10 cm in diameter, to the point that may appear in the cup of the bathrooms and mysteriously disappear) a good jumper and a decent swimmer.


Playing The duration of the reproductive period of Rattus rattus usually ranges from March to November but can sometimes continue throughout the year, especially inside buildings where food availability and climatic conditions are more favorable. The female gives birth from 6 to 10 children at a time (mean 7), for a total number of litters which varies from 3 to 6 per year. The young are weaned at the age of 3 weeks and reach sexual maturity at 12-16 weeks of life. In the laboratory fails to live up to 7 years, but in the wild, life expectancy hardly get to 10-11 months.

AlimentazioneIl Rattus rattus is an omnivorous species can feed on a wide range of foods of animal and vegetable origin. In human environments in particular, it feeds every type of cereal, fruit (both fresh and dried), vegetables, fodder and feedingstuffs for pets, meat, eggs and more generally any kind of foodstuff stored and food waste.
In the gardens, feeds on the bark, seeds and fruits of plants ornamental, but if necessary can feed on invertebrates, arachnids and insects, as well as eggs and nestlings of birds.
Finally, the roof rat can be an active predator of other mammals of smaller size, such as mice and voles. Consumes daily approximately 15 g of food and 15 ml of water.