Sacramento Has a Roof Rat Problem. Here’s What Every Homeowner Needs to Know.

Sacramento’s reputation as the “City of Trees” is well-earned — over 170,000 street trees shade neighborhoods from East Sacramento to Land Park. But that same beautiful canopy creates an aerial highway for one of Sacramento’s most persistent pests: the roof rat.

Unlike the burrowing Norway rat, roof rats are agile climbers. They run along power lines, scale stucco walls, and use tree branches touching rooflines to enter attics. Once inside, they nest in the insulation, chew through electrical wiring, gnaw on wooden beams, and contaminate the space with droppings and urine. Most Sacramento homeowners have no idea they have a roof rat infestation until damage is already done.

How You Know You Have Roof Rats

• You hear scratching, running, or thumping sounds in your ceiling at night (roof rats are nocturnal)
• You find dark, spindle-shaped droppings (about ½ inch long) in the attic, along rafters, or near eaves
• You discover gnaw marks on wood, wiring, or even soft metals like copper pipes
• You find half-eaten fruit from backyard citrus, fig, or other fruit trees (roof rats love them)
• You see grease marks along walls or rafters where their oily fur contacts surfaces repeatedly

Sacramento’s Fruit Tree Connection

If you have citrus, figs, pomegranates, or any other fruit tree in your yard, you have a significant roof rat attractant. Fallen fruit that isn’t cleaned up provides a reliable food source that sustains rat populations through the fall and winter. This is especially common in Sacramento’s historic neighborhoods where mature fruit trees are a beloved part of the landscape.

How Brooks Eliminates Roof Rats in Sacramento

Our Sacramento rodent control program is a two-phase process. Phase one: population elimination using bait stations and snap traps placed in the attic, along travel routes, and near entry points. Phase two: exclusion — identifying every gap, vent, and penetration that gave them access, and sealing it with materials rats can’t chew through.

We also advise on outdoor conditions — fruit tree management, compost bin security, and woodpile placement — that reduce the attractiveness of your property to future rats.

Brooks has completed tens of thousands of rodent service calls in Sacramento. If you’re hearing things at night, don’t wait.