house rats
Unwanted home pests
House rats are rats that live in or around human dwellings, particularly the black rat and brown rat.
The term distinguishes them from wild rats that avoid human habitation.
Figuratively, house rats can describe people who rarely leave home or who lurk about indoors: My teenagers have become total house rats this summer.
Devices for catching prey
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- baitLure for prey
- exterminatorOne who eradicates vermin
- fumigationDisinfection via airborne chemicals
rodenticide · extermination · repellent · deterrent · prevention · live-trap · exclusion · sealing
Facial sensory hairs
- tailRear animal appendage
- furryCovered in soft hair
- scurryHurried small-stepped motion
- gnawingPersistent biting action
incisors · nocturnal · burrow · nesting · litter · murine · mammal · omnivore
Harmful small animals
- swarmMass of moving insects
- plagueDeadly epidemic disease
- overrunSpread throughout uncontrollably
- teemingAbundantly full of
proliferate · multiplying · colonizing · outbreak · contamination · hordes · scourge · menace
Ability to adjust readily
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
omnivorous · opportunistic · nocturnal · neophobia · learning · problem-solving · hardiness · tenacity
Underground drainage pipe
- alleywayNarrow urban passage
- garbageDiscarded waste material
- dumpsterCommercial refuse container
- subwayUnderground transit passage
basement · cityscape · scavenging · foraging · commensalism · coexistence · streetwise · rooftop
Deadly epidemic disease
- leptospirosisBacterial illness from contaminated water
- hantavirusRodent-spread respiratory pathogen
- salmonellaFoodborne bacterial illness
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
pathogens · fleas · parasites · zoonotic · typhus · infection · transmission · droppings
traps
Devices for catching prey
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- baitLure for prey
- exterminatorOne who eradicates vermin
fumigation · rodenticide · extermination · repellent · deterrent · prevention · live-trap · exclusion · sealing · sanitation
whiskers
Facial sensory hairs
gnawing · incisors · nocturnal · burrow · nesting · litter · murine · mammal · omnivore · forage
vermin
Harmful small animals
teeming · proliferate · multiplying · colonizing · outbreak · contamination · hordes · scourge · menace · invasion
adaptability
Ability to adjust readily
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
cunning · omnivorous · opportunistic · nocturnal · neophobia · learning · problem-solving · hardiness · tenacity · proliferation
sewer
Underground drainage pipe
subway · basement · cityscape · scavenging · foraging · commensalism · coexistence · streetwise · rooftop · urbanization
plague
Deadly epidemic disease
- leptospirosisBacterial illness from contaminated water
- hantavirusRodent-spread respiratory pathogen
- salmonellaFoodborne bacterial illness
contamination · pathogens · fleas · parasites · zoonotic · typhus · infection · transmission · droppings · urine
house ratscompanion animals
Domesticated creatures kept for company
lap dogs · house cats · goldfish · canaries · pets
house ratsdomesticated animals
Species bred for human use
working dogs · livestock · service animals · guard dogs · barn cats
house ratsfield mice
Small wild rural rodents
wild animals · wild rodents · pack rats · deer mice · native wildlife
house, rat, houses, rats, housed, housing, housekeeper, housewife, household