Rats: Size does matter.

G’day. I noticed I had rats in my crawl space. I put out poison bait blocks. Anyway I found 2 dead rats. One was bigger, and one was smaller. I was wondering if this was a male, and a female, or a mother, and a baby. Because if it was a mother, and a baby there must be more dead babies around that I haven’t located. What do you think? 

Size is relative. Males (bucks) are generally larger than females (does) and of course young rats are smaller. A female will typically give birth to 8 to 10 babies and will be sexually active in less than a week. If there is sufficient food available, all offspring may stay close to their birthplace. If you killed one baby, chances are there may be 8 or 9 brothers and sisters in the same location. Hopefully they are not dying in your walls or other inaccessible locations. If you use too much bait you will attract rats to your crawlspace. Traps can be very effective if they are used properly. Don’t waste money on electronic devices. You should first determine what food you have provided that attracted them and where are the entry points.  Read more about rodent control.