What Is a Pack Rat, and What Does It Look Like?  (2024)

Pack rats are furry, medium-sized rodents that collect and pack shiny objects for future use, including jewelry pieces. They have short, hairy tails with smooth-looking fur. If you spot a pack rat for a split second, it will appear different from your common rat, leaving you perplexed as to what rodent has set foot in your garage or yard space. Stick around to learn more about what a pack rat looks like, and clues that they’re in your home.

Do they look creepier or cuter than other home-invading rats? What other names or titles do they hold? Stick around to explore everything you need to know about these hoarding rats, including their massive nests and attraction to bright objects.

What Is a Pack Rat?

Pack rat is one of two common names for woodrats, with the second being trade rat. Pack rats are medium-sized rodents found throughout most parts of the US. But why the name pack rat? These furry pests are known to collect or ‘pack’ various bits of material to deposit or use to construct nests.

To make matters worse, they are mainly attracted to shiny objects that belong to you. Pack rats will go nuts for jewelry, utensils, screws, nails, bits of coins, and even bottle caps saved for recycling. Even while carrying a certain object, these rats will drop or ‘trade’ it for a brighter, more interesting object. It is evident how they strongly live up to both their names.

Pack rats have a curious, scavenging nature. They’re excellent climbers and diggers, so they can comfortably nest in trees or dig burrows. Pack rats have two critical requirements: adequate shelter and food source. They cannot survive when exposed to extreme heat, cold, or direct sunlight. We’ll get into more details in an upcoming section.

They can cause a lot of problems if they find ways to enter homes, cabins, outbuildings, and other infrequently used structures. They’re also known to take up residence in parked cars and farm equipment, especially if rarely used. Trade rats are equally as troubling in your outdoor space, as they can cause damage to fruit trees, seedlings, and saplings. No wonder they’re classified as unwanted home pests.

But how can you tell a pack rat from other types of rats? What does it look like?

What Does a Pack Rat Look Like?

It’s easy to tell a pack rat from a Norway or roof rat, provided you know what a pack rat looks like. Let’s start from the ears and work our way to their tails. The ears of pack rats are large and hairy, contrary to roof rats. Trade rats’ eyes are larger than those of Norway rats. Their whiskers are quite long, but not so different from other species.

Moving on to their exceptionally soft fur, its color ranges from yellowish-gray to reddish-brown. The underside of pack rats is generally light-colored. On the other hand, roof rats and Norway rats have dark fur.

Finally, their tails can really help you distinguish pack rats from their counterparts. They are fairly furred and shorter than the body, appearing very different from the long, scaly tails of both Norway and roof rats. Overall, the length of pack rats averages between 14 and 17 inches long including the tail.

Clues of Pack Rats in Your Home

Pack rats don’t have what it takes to become good spies. It is relatively easy to find clues that indicate their presence in or around your home. These can range from missing jewelry, fecal matter, foul urine smell, and gnaw marks on electric wires.

Behavior

Pack rats don’t hibernate in winter, so they’re active all year round. They are highly active at night, readily climbing furniture and other objects to improve their acrobatic skills. We can all be creatures of habit, and pack rats most definitely have a habit of scavenging.

They like stealing shiny things that you hold dear such as jewelry, or pretty much any bright object to store or use to fortify their nests. If you find such objects at random locations, don’t blame ghosts. The culprit is most likely a trade rat that has abandoned one object for a better one.

Adult pack rats typically live alone except when mating. If they’re not scurrying around looking for shiny objects, they’re looking for shelter in your attic, storage room, walls, garage, and car engine. Speaking of shelter, let’s uncover how different their nests are from other rats.

Nesting

Pack rats possess unmatched skills in rodent engineering, building massive nests that are as wide as 4 feet across, reaching a height of about 6.5 feet. In their natural habitat, pack rats build nests with whatever plant material they can scavenge, such as branches, twigs, and sticks. In addition to above-ground nests, some pack rat species burrow holes to form underground nests.

But once in your home, pack rats will adapt to the environment and shred upholstered furniture and mattresses for lining their nests. Additionally, they’ll make use of bright objects they frequently steal to fortify their nests. So where can you find these large, elaborate nests? Trade rats may construct nests in your attic, wall void, car engine, crawl space, ceiling void, AC units, and pool equipment.

Note: After capturing or removing the rat, the nest should be removed within 24 hours. If not, other rodents that enter your home will use it for themselves.

Piles of Debris

These are different from their nests, as pack rats love to hoard sticks, leaves, plastic, and other debris. They could use these materials to build nests in other indoor locations, protecting them from harsh weather and predators. Keep an eye out for piles of debris around your shed, wood stacks, under the patio, or near the crawl space.

Diet

Pack rats are omnivores. They survive on vegetation, seeds, nuts, and fruits. Once they’re in your home, they won’t hesitate to consume stored cereals and grains. If you have fresh vegetables lying around, they’ll undoubtedly get to them too. Scattered bits of food in or around the kitchen will help you identify a rat infestation.

Pack rats do not hibernate during winter, so they continue feeding on vegetation stored during the previous fall, even if sheltering in your home.

Gnaw Marks

Pack rats have strong jaws and teeth, so you’ll notice gnaw marks on various materials in and around your home. Pack rats will chew through wood, electrical wiring, paper products, and plastic. They mostly like chewing on wood to counter their ever-growing front teeth. Rat gnaw holes are typically large with rough, torn edges. Gnawed mouse holes are small, about the size of a dime.

Droppings and Urine

Fecal pellets and foul-smelling urine are clear signs of a pack rat infestation, especially in their most active areas. If you see an unusual amount of droppings, then you could be hosting several rats along with their pups. Pack rat droppings are dark, small, and pellet-shaped. They are smaller compared to Norway rat droppings, and closer to those of roof rats.

Rat droppings and urine pose a serious threat to your health, as they contain disease-causing bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control provides a step-by-step guide to clean up after rats and other rodents.

Noise

Pack rats are nocturnal, so you’ll hear scraping and scampering sounds at night. These rat sounds can mostly be heard in your walls, attic, air vents, and garage. You may also hear them in your car or machinery that aren’t frequently used.

Tracks

Look for trail marks in dusty, less-frequented areas of the house. Such areas will be heavily used by rats as runways to and from their nests, indicating a high-activity area. Front footprints are four-toed, while hind footprints are five-toed.

Here’s a helpful guide on How to Identify Rat Footprints.

How to Get Rid of Pack Rats

Traps

Setting live traps in areas with high rat activity is the most humane way to get rid of rats. They will neither get injured nor die, but you’ll be responsible for releasing them back into the woods. It’s best to release the live rats at least 5 miles away from your home, though this may still put them at risk of attracting predatory animals. On top of that, unfamiliar environments may hinder them from finding food sources, which can eventually lead to their death.

Note: PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) suggest releasing the rat within 100 yards of where it was trapped, making the transition to a new environment easier. However, the chances of the rat returning to your home (familiar environment) will remain high.

You can also use snap or electric traps for a quick kill. Snap traps can be disposed of with the captured rat, while electric rat traps have covers that allow for a no-touch disposal of the deceased rat. Glue (sticky) rat traps are not a humane option, since the rat may suffer and start chewing its paws to set itself free.

Bait Stations

Bait stations should mainly be used outside your home, and do not provide a quick kill. Rodenticides should only be purchased in block or paste form, and should be sold with EPA-approved bait stations. Pack rats do not fear man-made objects in their territory, so trapping one or two rats won’t be a difficult task.

Caution: Rodenticides contain toxic substances that can kill humans and pets if accidentally ingested.

Hire a Professional Exterminator

Traps and bait stations may not be sufficient in dealing with severe rat infestations (multiple rats). In this case, your best bet is hiring a rodent control specialist to get rid of rats sheltering in your home.

Overall, getting rid of rats in your home is an unpleasant experience. The next section will highlight preventative measures to make your house as undesirable as possible.

How to Repel Pack Rats Naturally

The following measures do not include traps, bait stations, or even rodenticides. They’re proactive steps in repelling rats and keeping them as far away from your home as possible.

• Seal openings and cracks: Seal up any openings or cracks along foundation walls, chimneys, eaves, and roofs. For effective sealing, it’s best to use steel wool or wire mesh.

• Properly store firewood: Keep firewood stored as far away from your house as possible. Pack rats are attracted to wood, so they’ll either start chewing or build nests near them.

• Remove debris: Piles of debris, bricks, and stones that aren’t being used should be removed from your property. These materials are highly attractive to rats and other rodents, used for hoarding or nesting.

• Weatherstripping: This should be done at the bottom of all doors, including the one for the garage. If not, pack rats will adjust their collapsible rib cage and squeeze themselves into your home.

• Seal garbage cans: Be sure to properly seal garbage cans that are on your property. Try to place them away from your garage to keep rats from getting near your car.

• Seal pet food: See those large packs of dog food in your garage or attic? Store them in sealed containers to keep rats from chewing through the material and stealing your dog’s food.

• Keep a clean kitchen: Don’t let food bits scattered on the kitchen floor or table. Rats will sniff them out and store them near their nests. Food that’s stored in your cupboards should also be stored in sealed containers.

Why Pack Rats Are Dangerous

Nevermind the damage they cause to your home, but pack rats are dangerous because they carry diseases and ectoparasites.

If you touch nests, droppings, or urine of infected rodents without safety gloves, then you risk contracting salmonellosis. It can even be caused by ingesting food that’s been contaminated by rats. Symptoms of salmonellosis include fever, diarrhea, and vomiting.

In addition to infecting humans, pack rats can harbor other pests such as brown spiders, kissing bugs, scorpions, and mice. If that happens, you could be outnumbered and find it difficult to control multiple infestations.

Overall, pack rats in your home are no joke. As soon as you identify signs of their presence in your home, set live traps near their most active areas or hire rodent exterminators for a professional intervention.

FAQ About Pack Rats

Why are pack rats renowned for their construction of middens?

Pack rats build multiple layers of these large nests called middens. Research published in 2010 (Whitford, Steinberger) has shown that some pack rat middens are high in nutrients like nitrogen. Such middens help promote the biodiversity of other animal and plant species by creating microclimates within the ecosystem in which they live. For these contributions to the environment, pack rats have earned the title ‘Keystone Ecological Engineers’.

What is the average lifespan of pack rats?

Rats typically live for one to three years depending on their environment and species. Pack rats generally live longer than other types of rats, with an average lifespan of 3 years.

Do pack rats consume insects?

Yes, they’re known to eat small arthropods, a family of insects with hard calcareous shells. On top of that, pack rats will deposit these shells in their middens after the prey is consumed.

Do pack rats reproduce as much as Norway rats?

No, they reproduce at a lower rate than Norway rats. Pack rat breeding occurs in the spring, not surpassing 5 litters. Each litter consists of 2 to 6 pups after a gestation period of about a month. The litter size of Norway rats is slightly larger, producing up to 12 pups for about 4 to 7 times a year.

Don’t Harbor Thieving Rats, Hire a Pro

It’s bad enough that pack rats build nests and spread diseases like most rat species, but they can also steal personal items that hold sentimental value. If left unchecked, layers of nests can be built near your property to form middens, which could attract other unwanted pests.

Traps get rid of rats that are sheltering in your living space, but it’s smarter to take proactive measures to keep them from entering your home in the first place. These include sealing off small openings, storing pet food in containers, and removing debris that can be used for nesting.

If you suspect a severe pack rat infestation, then it’s time to call in the cavalry. Hire a rodent control specialist to rid your home of these thieving, furry rodents before the list of missing items grows longer.

Main Photo Credit: Jupiterimages / Canva Pro / License

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