LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rats: Roof Rats
built 446 days ago
Rats see poorly, relying more on smell, taste, touch and hearing. They are considered to be colorblind, responding only to the degree of lightness and darkness of colors. Roof rats ... have an excellent sense of balance. They use their tails for balance while traveling along overhead utility lines and are very agile climbers.
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Bandicoots and Nordic rats burrow right under floors, sometimes collapsing them. Black rats infest roofs (that's why they're called roof rats). Villagers with thatched-roof homes find it really helps to renew the thatch every year -- thatch, palm or nipa roofs are a haven for black rats (use the old thatch for mulch in the orchard).
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Because roof rats are excellent climbers and can get through very small openings, excluding them from an area or structure is difficult, but still recommended. Rodent-proofing a home or other building requires sealing all possible entry points, especially where pipes or wires enter a building:
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Roof Rats