Several of my neighbors recently had issues with rats in attics & walls.

Keep in mind that the rat only needs a hole the size of a 25 cent coin.

Caught a mouse in mine a couple of years ago

We have two "mushroom" vents right on top that are about 18" across - usually secured with a metal grille but ours, being about 20 years old, seemed to present no problem to that pesky raccoon who got her claws underneath the mushroom and bent the grille up enough to slip in and out. Couldn't see it from the garden - only found out by going on the roof and feeling under the mushroom.

Rats in attic
 

A neighbor did have rats in the attic appeared they live in palm trees and somehow managed to enter the house , he bought traps large rat traps and trapped them (2)

the date palms seem to draw the rats, as do the citrus trees....that was an issue for folks when we lived in Ft Lauderdale

last fall in TV's we had a racoon in our Robellini Palm eating the berries. I'll be cutting the berry shoots off before they bud this year

Beware of Rat Traps
 

We had a rodent problem in a house we owned by St. Michaels, MD. It was a seasonal home. The rats ate through our drywall and got in. We called an exterminator as soon as we became aware of this problem. They fixed the hole and set rat traps. When we went to check on the house our Norfolk Terrier broke her front leg on a rat trap. They snap hard. Thousands of $$ later, Vetrinary surgery and months of back and forth to the animal hospital she recovered. I would never let them set traps nor would I use a rat trap again!

Roof rats are rampant in Florida if you have a bird feeder in your yard you will have rats. Look around the villages and pay attention there are rat bait traps all over the place. So yes rats are here and lots of them.

What happens is two roof angles meet each other creating a valley. If the osb was not fit tightly together relying upon the shingles to cover the gap a rat can get between the shingles and where the osb should be. Typically the gap is at the end of the valley. So no it is not obvious nor does there have to be any chewing. The shingles are quite pliable in the temps that we have here.

As far as the space necessary for a roof rat, have you seen one up close and personal? I have and more than once, they can get into a tiny spot. They are not well fed lab rats. As adults they have a 6 - 8" body.

Ooh! Right. We had bird feeders out back but took them down as they attracted rats. We had a plastic bin on the patio which we kept some yard supplies and the bird seed. Never again! There was a smell in the bin. And a rat had chewed through the plastic and got in and died there. Probably got too fat to get back out. Yuck. Threw the entire thing away. Now the birds must fend for themselves. :icon_wink:

yes there can be rats in your attic. I had them. I waited too long and they caught 11 rats.

RATS in Attic
 

neighbor had them in Duval He could hear the scratching. He had every exterminator out to get rid of them The cure was when the palm trees were removed. We had one in garage and it ate wires in the car. Luckily insurance took care of that cost. We never left the garage door open after that episode.

I've seen palm rats around here (on the ground). I've been here over 12 years and hadn't heard of anyone with rats in the attic. The pest control places will sell anything and everything.