New York City Rat Size report

There are reportedly more than 2 million rats in New York City, and they appear in streets, parks, subway stations, restaurants, and even homes. In recent years, the local rat problem has intensified. In 2021, people reported a 40% increase in rat sightings compared to 2019, apparently spurred by cuts in garbage collection and street cleaning services.

According to Patch, Manhattan has the highest number of rat sightings and complaints per capita among the 5 districts in New York City. The Covid-19 outbreak has caused restaurants to close, and rats have lost their usual food sources, forcing them to travel farther and more recklessly in search of food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning that some rats that could not find anything to eat have even started attacking humans.

These rodent problems do not include subway stations, subway tunnels, and other public places where rats can be seen everywhere. To eliminate rodents, the local government has racked its brains. Almost every New York mayor wants rodent eradication to be the highlight of his administration. Let's meet these giant brown rats.

New York City Rats Problem

No city in the United States has such a severe rat infestation problem comparable to New York's. New York City had set up a $32 million earmark for rat control in 2017 but failed, and the number of New York rats is still growing. At the beginning of 2017, New York "Pizza Mouse" caused a heated discussion on social media. This giant rat dragged a large pizza down the stairs in a subway station with rush hour traffic, an unimaginable scene.

In New York City, the rat population is about 25% the size of the human population. Giant rats can't make New Yorkers scream anymore. Research shows that the average weight is about 226 grams, and that of a fatter rat is about 675 grams. However, New York rats can grow to about 1 kilogram because they can find food with almost no effort. Despite the efforts of locals over the centuries, the rat infestation never seemed to be resolved.

Description of New York Rats

Rats are not native to North America but have been around since 1700. The New York rat is dominated by the brown Rattus norvegicus native to China, which was later spread around the world by Norwegian sailboats, and is called Norway rat. These rats can squeeze through 1/4" holes, leap 4' sideways, fall 5 floors without injury, tread water for three days, and chew through pipes and cinder blocks.

New York Rats Size and Reproduction

New York’s rats have become larger and more bold over time.

• The average brown rat is 16 inches long and weighs 1 pound, though some do grow to 20 inches and weigh 2 pounds. Males are slightly larger than females.
  
• The species of rat that lives in New York City, Rattus norvegicus, can grow as large as 700 or 800 grams. Rats even bigger than that have been found in the city, maybe 2 pounds.
• Brown rats live for 1-4 year.
• They begin mating at two or three months old, and produce litters of about a dozen "pups" every two months.

New York Rats Living and Feeding

New York City itself is at the root of why these rodents have become so big. The city is not only the most populous city in North America but also produces the most waste. It means there is a lot of food for rats. People in cities consume most of their food on a daily basis, but a significant portion is thrown away, which ends up in litter boxes, trash cans, and city streets. No matter how many rats there are in town, they do not worry about food.

In addition, the sprawling sewer system and huge high-rise buildings provide excellent shelter for rats. Competent mice live together in huge groups. New York City rats like to burrow, nest, and hide in soft dirt at ground or below, and live in colonies with families of 30 to 50 rats.

Conclusion

As one of the most fantasy, prosperous, and crowded cities in the world, the New York citizens have been plagued by rats for a long time. Especially in the almost ubiquitous subways, and a large number of garbage provides the best environment for rats to survive and reproduce. New York has been using dogs to hunt rats and operating rat-catching canine vigilante service since 1995. In rat-infested New York, desperate people are willing to try anything.