Mice and rats are among the most common and frustrating pests in New Zealand. They’re often heard scurrying around at night, and by morning, they’ve left a mess in your kitchen, tearing into whatever food they could find. Rats are believed to have arrived in New Zealand as early as 1280 A.D., while mice made their way here aboard the Henrietta in 1824.

Both rats and mice can cause significant damage to your home’s infrastructure, including plumbing, electrical wiring, insulation, and even the exterior seals. Addressing an infestation promptly is essential to protect your property.

Rats are highly adept at finding ways into homes. They can squeeze through cracks as small as 20mm, climb walls, or enter through holes around pipes and cables. Toilets are another surprising entry point—rats can swim through the sewer system and emerge inside your home. Gaps in doors, windows, vents, or damaged roofing are also common entry points. Once inside, they quickly find hiding places and begin causing damage.

Common New Zealand Rats

Black Rat
Also known as the “Ship Rat” (Rattus Rattus), this species is one of the most unpleasant-looking. It has a black coat, a hairless tail, feet, and ears, and dark, beady eyes. Black rats typically weigh 150-200 grams and measure 160-240mm in length.

Brown Rat
Commonly called the “Norway Rat” (Rattus norvegicus), the brown rat is larger than the black rat and has a brown coat. Like the black rat, its tail, feet, and ears are hairless.

Kiore Rat
Known as the “Polynesian Rat” (Rattus exulans), these are smaller rodents with brown fur and grey-to-white undersides.

‍Signs and Behavior

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Rat droppings are typically 12mm or larger. Rats are nocturnal, highly intelligent, and extremely adaptable. They possess an acute sense of smell to locate food. With their strong teeth, rats can chew through materials like metal, wood, and plastic—common components in your home’s plumbing and electrical systems. Since their teeth never stop growing, they constantly gnaw on surfaces, causing serious damage to wires, pipes, and framing.

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What We Do To Control Them

Our technicians will inspect the area to identify how the rats are getting in and why. They will locate the passageways the rats are using and try to determine where they are hiding. Based on their findings, they will set traps using either bait or snap traps, depending on various factors. These traps will be securely placed in areas such as the attic, subfloor, or behind appliances like dishwashers.

Our technicians will return 24 to 48 hours later to check the traps and remove any captured rats. They will then assess the situation and decide whether the traps need to remain in place.

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