

It can be a challenge to tackle a rat infestation because rats are incredibly good at adapting and problem-solving. Perhaps the biggest difference between rats and mice or other rodents is intelligence. You should also remove any debris that rats could use as cover. This includes leftovers, garbage, and even pet food left outside.
#DO RATS HIBERNATE DURING WINTER FREE#
The best way to prevent rats from burrowing under your property is to keep it clean and free of any meals that might tempt a hungry family of rats. In some cases, rats have even been known to chew through materials such as brick and cinder blocks. Rats may also dig their way under foundations, through drywall, and into insulation, potentially causing expensive property damage.

In some cases, there may already be nooks and crannies in your home well-suited to small rodents. When it’s cold out, rats will protect themselves by taking shelter somewhere warm, dark, and safe. Rats use burrows to protect themselves and their young not only from predators but also wind and weather. Burrowing DensĪs small prey animals, rodents like rats have adapted to burrow and hide when threatened. If they have nothing to stockpile for the winter, rats will leave in favor of a more fruitful foraging ground.

Keeping your home clean and free of accessible food is key to preventing a rat infestation. They create a stockpile of food to last them through the winter instead of hibernating to conserve calories. Starting around late summer, rat activity will often increase as they scramble to gather food for the winter.

Their varied diet allows rats to thrive and multiply in just about any environment, including your pantry. Anything from nuts and seeds foraged outside to scraps of garbage found in the garbage can make a suitable meal for these pests. A rat can eat as much as a third of its own body weight each day, making the species voracious eaters on the whole.Īs omnivores, rats aren’t picky about what they include in their diet. They burn a lot of calories each day and need plenty of fuel to replace them. Rats are typically highly active creatures. Through a combination of hardiness and ingenuity, rats are able to keep themselves alive even in the worst of winter conditions. Rats are well-adapted to surviving harsh conditions without resorting to tactics such as hibernation. If they don’t hibernate, though, then what do rats do during the winter? Rats are active year-round, even when the weather is cold and food is scarce. How Do Rats Compensate for Their Inability to Hibernate? You may not see as many scurrying around your house during the winter, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. However, even though rats don’t hibernate, their activity levels do tend to drop in cold weather. Rats are well equipped to survive the harsh winter months just fine without hibernating. Plenty of homeowners facing a rat problem wonder: do rats die off in winter? Or do rats hibernate? Read on to learn more about whether rats hibernate in the winter and when you should look into pest control for rats in your home. If you’re facing a rat infestation in your home, understanding the habits of your unwanted guests is the first step towards eliminating them. This leaves plenty of people wondering: do rats hibernate? If you’ve ever had a rat infestation, you may have noticed that their activity levels seem to drop as the weather gets colder.
