Roof rats are prolific breeders and multiply at a frighteningly fast rate.
Life expectancy of roof rats.
Sexual maturity is attained within 5 weeks and they start mating to produce a new generation of rats.
As researched by the university of michigan animal diversity web roof rats in the wild live up to is about 12 months.
Building tenants and owners should act quickly at the first sign of rat infestation.
Just one adult female can create more than 40 new rats in a year.
Life expectancy for rats is about two to three years.
Rarely do rats live for more than a year in the wild.
The rodents reach sexual maturity in about five weeks and begin mating soon after to produce the next generation to start the rat life cycle over again.
The maximum life a rat can have is three years yet the majority of the rats found in populated areas live for maximum one year due to inter species conflict and predation.
Rats have no breeding season bu have a breeding system.
The average rat in the wild will live for around one year with female rats often outliving the males.
Common causes of death for a rat include vehicles domestic cats and some dogs winged animals such as hawks or owls coyotes foxes weasels and snakes.
However there are reports of black rats living up to 4 years under captivity.