Roof rats are prolific breeders and multiply at a frighteningly fast rate.
Life expectancy of roof rats.
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.
As researched by the university of michigan animal diversity web roof rats in the wild live up to is about 12 months.
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.
Just one adult female can create more than 40 new rats in a year.
During that year however they can create a lot of new rats and a lot of damage.
Life expectancy for rats is about two to three years.
The average rat in the wild will live for around one year with female rats often outliving the males.
Building tenants and owners should act quickly at the first sign of rat infestation.
The rat lifespan may be shortened by predation.
Rarely do rats live for more than a year in the wild.
However many rats die after the first year due to predation and interspecies conflict.
However there are reports of black rats living up to 4 years under captivity.