“Rat” covers a lot of animals, but when it comes to your house, only two really matter: the Norway rat and the roof rat. Telling them apart is not just trivia. It decides where you set traps and how you seal the place up, so identifying your rat is the first real step in getting rid of it.
The short answer: the two rats that infest US homes are the ground-dwelling Norway rat and the climbing roof rat. A handful of native rats, like woodrats, cotton rats, and rice rats, live mostly outdoors and rarely move in. Once you know which one you have, head to our full guide on how to get rid of rats for the control plan.
The Two Rats That Infest Homes
| Feature | Norway rat (brown rat) | Roof rat (black rat) |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Large, heavy, stocky | Smaller, slender, sleek |
| Nose | Blunt | Pointed |
| Ears | Small, close to the head | Large, nearly reach the eyes |
| Tail | Shorter than head and body | Longer, reaches past the snout |
| Where it lives | Low: burrows, basements, sewers, crawl spaces, woodpiles | High: attics, upper walls, rafters, trees, vines |
| Where you trap it | On the floor, along walls and near burrows | Up high, on beams, ledges, and rafters |
This is the whole reason identification matters. Setting ground traps for a roof rat in the attic, or vice versa, is the most common reason traps come up empty.
Norway rat
The Norway rat, also called the brown or sewer rat, is the big, stocky one. It burrows and stays low, nesting in basements, crawl spaces, sewers, and along foundations and woodpiles. If your droppings and damage are at ground level and you find burrows outside near the house, you have Norway rats.
Roof rat
The roof rat, or black rat, is the sleek climber with a pointed nose and a long tail. It nests above ground in attics, upper walls, rafters, and trees, and travels along wires and branches. Droppings up on shelves and scratching in the ceiling point to roof rats. See our dedicated guide on how to get rid of roof rats.
Native Rats You Might See Outdoors
A few native rats turn up around US homes but rarely become indoor pests the way Norway and roof rats do:
- Woodrats (pack rats): bushy-tailed rats of more rural and wooded areas, known for building large stick nests and hoarding small objects. They occasionally move into sheds, cabins, and vehicles.
- Cotton rats: stocky, grizzled brown rats of grassy fields and field edges, mostly across the southern US. They live outdoors but can damage gardens and crops.
- Marsh rice rats: semi-aquatic native rats of southern wetlands and marshes that stay near water and are seldom seen in homes.
If a rat is living inside your house, though, it is almost certainly a Norway or roof rat, so identify which of those two you have and treat accordingly.
Why Identifying the Rat Matters
Control follows the rat. Norway rats are trapped and baited low, along walls and near their burrows, and you focus sealing on the foundation and ground-level gaps. Roof rats are trapped up high on beams and ledges, and you focus on the roofline and overhanging branches. Get the ID right and your traps land where the rats actually travel. Our guides on the signs of rats and how to tell rat droppings from mouse and squirrel droppings help you confirm what you are dealing with.
Related Rat Guides
- How to get rid of rats (the full guide)
- How to get rid of roof rats
- Signs of rats
- What do rat holes look like
- Rat vs. mouse vs. squirrel droppings
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common types of rats in homes?
The Norway rat and the roof rat. The Norway rat is the large, stocky, ground-dwelling one, and the roof rat is the smaller, sleeker climber that nests up high. Almost every indoor rat problem in the US is one of these two.
How do I tell a Norway rat from a roof rat?
Check the build and where you find them. Norway rats are stocky with a blunt nose and short tail and stay low in basements and burrows. Roof rats are slender with a pointed nose and a long tail and live up high in attics and trees.
Are there native rats in the US?
Yes, including woodrats (pack rats), cotton rats, and marsh rice rats. They live mostly outdoors and rarely infest homes, so an indoor rat is almost always a Norway or roof rat.
Why does it matter which type of rat I have?
Because control follows the rat. Norway rats are trapped low along walls and burrows, while roof rats are trapped up high on beams and rafters. Identifying the rat puts your traps and sealing where they will actually work.
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