The rat you probably have is the brown rat (rattus norvegious), also known as the norway rat or the sewer rat.

 

Rats need a good source of water to survive. They can travel up to 2 miles for a food source but if conditions are right, they will live close to sources of food and water.

 

 

Rats carry many diseases that can be passed to humans and will contaminate any foodstuff they come across. They can also cause serious damage within buildings by gnawing at timber, pipework, electric cable etc. As their teeth grow constantly, gnawing is the way that rats keep them in good condition.

 

They are good climbers and good swimmers. They are also very wary and don't like new or strange items in their environment. 

 

Rats reproduce very quickly in the right conditions. They can have 6 to 11 babies in a litter which are able able to breed themselves after 3 months.

 

We would strongly advise you to seek professional help to deal with your rat problem.