Rats are one of the most destructive and disease-carrying pests Dallas-Fort Worth homeowners face. North Texas has two dominant rat species — roof rats (the most common, especially in attics and trees) and Norway rats (bigger, ground-dwelling, found near drainage and dumpsters). Each behaves differently, nests differently, and requires a different treatment approach. Treating a roof rat problem like a Norway rat problem — or vice versa — almost always fails.

Roof rats are sleek, agile climbers. They nest in attics, palm trees, fruit trees, dense ivy, and roof line spaces, entering homes through soffit gaps, attic vents, roof penetrations, and gaps around plumbing stacks. Norway rats are heavier, ground-burrowing rats. They nest in soil around foundations, drainage areas, woodpiles, and garbage zones, entering through foundation gaps, garage doors, and crawl space openings.

Both species chew through electrical wiring (a major cause of attic fires), contaminate insulation with urine and droppings, gnaw water lines and structural wood, and carry over 35 diseases. The CanMan's rat program combines species ID, exclusion (sealing every entry point), targeted trapping, sanitation guidance, and recurring monitoring — because the only way to stay rat-free long-term is to keep new rats from ever getting in.

Roof rats are the dominant rat species across DFW — and getting more common every year. Established neighborhoods with mature trees, fruit trees, ivy, palm trees, and dense landscaping see the heaviest roof rat pressure: Highland Park, University Park, Lakewood, Bishop Arts, Oak Cliff, parts of East Dallas, and historic Fort Worth neighborhoods all battle them constantly. Norway rats show up near drainage corridors, commercial dumpsters, and creek-adjacent properties — common in older Garland, Mesquite, Arlington, parts of Fort Worth, and any property near a drainage easement. New construction in Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, and Celina is less rat-prone initially but sees pressure increase as landscaping matures and food sources grow.