Where Do Roof Rats Cause Damage?

Roof rats damage homes where they live in the Southern and Western coastal states. The warm weather and lush plant life attract the rodents to these regions.

While roof rats can live in wooded areas, yards and homes provide both food and shelter, making them an attractive place to nest.

Roof Rat Damage Outdoors

These pests feed on almost any plants in yards, particularly fruit, seeds, and nuts. Roof rats climb trees to collect food and often leave rinds and shells scattered across the lawn. They may also gnaw on siding and build messy nests on branches or in ivy on the sides of houses.

Roof Rat Damage in Homes

As their name suggests, roof rats like to occupy the upper stories of homes. Besides providing a warm, safe place to raise their young, an attic also offers insulation that the rodents use for nesting. While collecting this material, roof rats tend to gnaw on electrical wires, resulting in costly damage and even house fires.

Another favorite hideout is the overhead spaces between floors, where the pests leave foul-smelling urine and droppings. In kitchens, roof rats damage food packaging and contaminate the contents as they eat. Contact with rodent waste, either inhaled or ingested, could result in several serious illnesses.

Prevention

Traps and repellents take time and money to produce results. The specialists at Critter Control can help put an end to roof rat damage and take away the stress of a rodent infestation.

Get them out.
Keep them out.®

Experiencing a wildlife or pest issue? We can help! Complete this form and your local Critter Control® office will contact you to assist.
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DLS profile picture
DLS
13 November 2026
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Willie did a great job, put screen coverings over all openings around soffits and the roof. It looks great. has a solid plan to get rid of these squirrels humanely. They exit, but they can’t come back in. Looking forward to seeing great results from great work next week. Thanks again, Willie.
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Sanjay Gupta
13 November 2026
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Professional team and they do the job thoroughly.
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Joosh212
12 November 2026
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I've dealt with about 5 different people from this company, I can't say any of them seemed incompetent or didnt do their job. They took care of multiple issues over the years, on several properties! It does take time to catch em, sometimes it's a day, sometimes it's a week or 2.
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Mary Chris Adams
12 November 2026
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We have had great success with Critter Control. They always notify us ahead of arrival to refill traps. Very successful in curbing our problem with mice.
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Joaquin Martinez
12 November 2026
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Great service!! Will use services again
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Hanneke de Boer
12 November 2026
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Devon is a very friendly upbeat man. He was very patient with our barking dog. He took care of the bee-hive, cleaned up and made sure no bees could enter our house again. We would definitely recommend him!
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Terri Bauswell
12 November 2026
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I cannot say enough about this company. Their customer service and knowledge is top notch. Prices are fair. Its been about 4 months now without a mouse in the house LOL A relief off my mind.
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Dennis Stokowski
12 November 2026
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Michelle and George were very thorough. They kept us informed throughout the project.
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G V
12 November 2026
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Josh and the rest of the team at Critter Control have done a fabulous job taking care of pests around my property. They are friendly, on time, communicative, and responsive to the unique and changing seasonal needs of pest control. They even dedicated several trips over a series of days to successfully track down a possum that had found its way into the air ducts, crawl space, and attic. I appreciate that they always take the time to listen to my specific concerns and then take appropriate action to address them. Every single person I’ve interacted with, both in person and over the phone, has been nothing but lovely. I cannot say enough good things about Critter Control and highly recommend them.
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A Rice
12 November 2026
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Had a great experience during my recent inspection with Cody... wonderfully knowledgeable and so helpful with all my questions !! Highly recommend this company!
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