It is also worth looking at images of rat droppings, as the animals themselves will often disappear when they hear people coming, but the small brown pellet shaped droppings can be indicators of the presence of rats. The first thing to do is to get your equipment ready, and this should include a breathing mask and goggles if you are going into a confined area, along with protective clothing that will withstand a scratch or bite from a rat, with thick gloves particularly important as bites and scratches around the hands are quite common. The first step to carry out is to identify whether or not the rats are on the roof and getting into the attic, or whether they are just on the roof looking for food or for other reasons.
Getting rid of the animals can be quite a challenge, particularly if the roof and the attic space inside is difficult or awkward to get to, but it is something that needs to be dealt with. Rats on the roof is never a good sign, and while they may not be as noisy or as easy to spot as raccoons or larger animals, spotting a rat on the roof is definitely a sign to be concerned about. Removing Rats On Your Roof - Although they may not appear to be natural climbers, with quite heavy bodies and long tails, there are many species of rats that are really quite competent climbers, and can deal with climbing a wall or drain pipe as well as they can climb a tree trunk.