The preferred rat habitat - your attic.

Customer Rat Email: I was wondering if you could help ID. I did not get a picture. Looked like a mouse but had a flat tail. I have seen many flying squirrels up close and it was not one. Gray in color. Body about 3-4 inches tail about 6 inches and 3/4 inch wide and completely flat. Color was solid gray. No loose skin like a flyer. nice short hair. Any help would be appreciated. This mouse was crawling across my desk at 4 am. Came through a hole cut out in wall for cable. Thanks, Brian

My Answer: It's very hard to ID an animal without a photograph. There are many different species of rats and mice.

If you need rodent control services in your hometown, click for the National Directory of Rat Trappers that I've carefully compiled in every USA city.

Click to go back to my full rat removal photo gallery. Visit my rat removal journal blog! Lots of great rat stories!

There are three kinds of rodents commonly found inside buildings (in the attics, walls, and even inside the living space). They are the Roof Rat (Rattus rattus), which is also called the Black Rat, then there's the Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus), also known as the Brown Rat, and the House Mouse (Mus musculus). Roof Rats are more common in the south, such as Florida, where I work. The above photo is of a Roof Rat. They are very common inside attics. The Norway Rat is more common in the northern section of the United States. The Norways are more commonly found underground, in subways and sewers and such. The House Mouse is found everywhere, but seems more common in the north. All of these rodents thrive in urban areas and love to live in human buildings and houses. They use human garbage (and pantries) as sources of food. All of these rodents are carriers of several diseases that can infect humans and pets. They contaminate homes and attics. The only way to permanently solve a rat problem is to find out how the rodents are gaining access to the inside of the building, and fix those openings. Then the remaining rats inside have to be trapped and removed. If you want to learn more, please read my How To Get Rid of Rats page.

AAAnimal Control is a privately owned wildlife removal and pest control business, located in Orlando Florida. I deal strictly with wild animals such as rats. I am not an extermination company, but a critter removal and control specialist. The above photos are some of the many that I've taken in the field over my years of work. Please email me if you have any questions about the above photographs, or any questions about wildlife problems or rat control issues.

Wildlife Photographs by David     Email me with questions: david@aaanimalcontrol.com     Residential & Commercial     Licensed & Insured