Not all rats behave the same, and knowing which one you have changes how you get rid of it. In the Kent and South King County area, two species cause almost all the trouble.
Roof rats (the Western Washington usual suspect)
Roof rats are excellent climbers and prefer to live up high — attics, ceilings, trees, and the upper parts of walls. If you hear scratching above you at night, it's almost always roof rats. They're the dominant rat in our region and love a warm attic in fall and winter.
Norway rats (bigger, lower, burrowers)
Norway rats are larger and heavier and prefer low, damp spaces — crawl spaces, basements, burrows near the foundation, and around garbage. If activity is at ground level or under the house, you may be dealing with these.
Why the difference matters
Treatment follows the rat's habits: roof rats need traps and sealing up high (roofline gaps, vents, branches touching the house), while Norway rats need attention low (foundation gaps, crawl space vents, burrows). Setting traps in the wrong zone is why some DIY attempts never work.
The one rule that always applies
Whatever the species, trapping alone won't fix it — you have to seal the entry points or new rats keep coming. A rat can slip through a gap the size of a quarter.
See our Kent rat removal and crawl space exclusion pages, or request a free quote to get matched with a local pro.
Dealing with this yourself?
Describe the problem once and get connected with a local pest-control pro serving your ZIP code. Free, no obligation.
Get a Free Quote