Do Rats Eat Cockroaches? 5 Shocking Truths!

Yes. Rats will eat various species of roaches, regardless of the roaches’ size. Eating roaches are not rats’ first choice, naturally, Rats are hunters and they will chase around and eat roaches only when they are hungry and there is no other alternative of food.

Dead roaches produce a decaying protein smell that rats find difficult to resist. The female roaches that have milk in their abdomen are Rat’s favorite meal. Rats eat both dead and live cockroaches just to stay alive.  Rats naturally cannot go a week without eating, so they tend to eat anything and will always go for easy meals.

A perfect meal of roach for Rats includes the Dubia roach and hissing cockroaches.

Is it safe for Rats to eat Roaches?

It is pretty safe for Rats to eat roaches, most especially those that are generically kept to feed them. Normal house roaches may likely cause diarrhea and stomach upset in Rats.

Additionally, eating cockroaches from the rain can be detrimental to the health of Rats, the reason being that cockroaches from rain feed on stools and also pick up bacterial that may likely get stuck on their legs and body.

Rats can also have stomach upset if they eat dead roaches that were killed using poisonous insecticides as these toxic chemicals may remain in their body even after the death of these roaches.

Due to the difficulty in chewing and swallowing the wings of roaches, Rats tend to eat other parts while avoiding the wings, so in the mornings, if you see dead roaches’ wings alone, do know that the culprits are Rats.

Why Rats eat Roaches

The main reason why Rats eat roaches is that roaches are rich in proteins and also Amino acids.

Rats most of all prefer eating female roaches because the female roach has milk in their belly that Rats find it difficult to resist.

The milk that is present in the female roach contains sugar and fats, it is also very rich in different nutrients that help in their growth and development.

The legs, antenna, and wings are the only parts of a roach that a Rat will leave behind after feeding on a Roach. Rats will practically chase roaches, catch them and then eat the roach; they have no problems eating either dead or alive roaches. The only roach they will eat completely is the female roach due to the milk they have in their body that Rats find sweet.

Rats tend to eat more Adult roaches than baby roaches, this is because the Adult roaches are meatier than their baby counterparts.

ALSO SEE: Do Mice Eat Cockroaches?

Do Pet Rats eat Roaches?

Yes, pet rats eat roaches. You may be surprised at how much your pet rats enjoy eating roaches, most especially roaches that are kept on a diet, most especially those roaches that feed only on fruits, vegetables, and meat.

To make it more palatable for your pet rats you can fry, salt, or boil the roach before serving your pet rat.

Roaches should be given to your pet rats as a food supplement, not the main diet. The nutrients in roaches can fortify your pet rat’s immunity, most especially through winter.

For your pet rat to be healthy, there are specific things they need in their diet, although their food is pretty basic, there are things that are not right for you to feed them with, if you do it may lead to them being sick. Some of the things your pet rat needs to eat to be healthy are:

• Whole wheat and whole-grain products.
• Lean meat and protein without too much fat, rats tend to get fat easily.
• Get them food rich in vitamins and minerals for instance vegetables.

Do not give your pet rat anything spicy or sweet as it is not good for them, you can occasionally give them human food as treats.

Give your rat-sized meal with regards to their health, age and size. Feed them properly but not too much, this is because rats tend to get fat easily and that will not reflect well on their health.

Does Rat keep Roaches away?

No. rats do not keep roaches away this is because rats feed on roaches occasionally. Roaches are not the main diet for a Rat.  Roaches tend to be afraid of rats because they are prey to rats.

You cannot rely on rats to take care of your roach problems, this is because only starving rats will go through the problems of chasing and running after roaches to feed on them, so eating roaches is like a last resort for them.

Most rats will normally go for their favourite meal and when there is none, their survival instincts kick in, and then they now look for other options like chasing after roaches and eating them.

A house that is infested with Rats will attract roaches, they are both nocturnal and hunt best at night, the only problem comes when there is food scarcity. Rat and roaches cannot live side by side but they can coexist, cockroach feed on the poops of rats, and rats, in turn, feed on roaches.

Rat and roaches both share the same habits, they like staying in dirty environments, they tend to hide from humans and they mostly come out at night.

Thinking that the presence of rats might scare off roaches is just nothing but a myth as they can coexist well.

Do Rats eat roach bait?

The taste of a rat is very similar to that of a roach. When setting bait for roaches, most people use what they know a roach will like, things like starch and meat to lure them and these are things that roaches enjoy feeding on as well.

Yes. A rat will eat roach bait without any problems at all.  Cockroach bait can only kill a rat if they consume it in large quantities, rats are more tolerant of poison set specifically for roaches and tiny bugs, and the only thing that can happen to the rat after eating roach bait is that it gets poisoned, but the amounts of poison consumed will determine if the rat will die or survive.

The bait poison that is meant to kill a roach will only make a rat get sick for some time, rats have a strong immune system that can clear any roach bait from its system as much as possible, the only way it will become detrimental to a rats body is if the roach bait was laced with toxic rare chemical order than the normal one, then it can lead to the rat’s death.

Roaches and Rats have the same taste and an infestation of one will invite the other, and they can stay together as long as they both have different hiding places.

How to get rid of rats and roaches

Rats and cockroaches can be unpleasant to look at, aside from that they are also carriers of different diseases and serve as a source of health hazards to you and also to those you are fond of.

Rats most especially are very good at destroying things, eating through electrical wires, chewing through walls, eating essential books, woods, and what have you.

Getting rid of both roaches and rats can be pretty difficult most of all if you have got a full-blown infestation at hand, but there are ways you can do it safely and effectively.

Rats and Roaches are both omnivores, they will eat all and anything including feeding on lesser insects and animals even themselves.

Take away the three things that will help them in their survival and you might have solved your infestation problems.

The three vital things both Rat and Roaches can hardly do without are:

• Shelter:

When it comes to shelter, Rat and Roaches will find dark, secluded, seldom used corners of your house very inhabitable. They can live under furniture, behind walls, in your pantry e.t.c.

• Water:

Rats can survive for months without drinking water directly from a water source, they get water from most food they feed on, or when they do need water, they can get from drainage pipelines and condensation in pipes and walls.

• Food:

For food, both rats and roaches will eat anything including smaller ones, although Rats are known to be scavengers, always scavenging for food, they are not always picky eaters so they can feed on any things.

Getting rid of this pest (Rats and Roaches) require you to do a thorough inspection of your home, find out their hiding place and also find out where they are coming from.

Secondly, seal up gaps both in your exterior and interior walls, these pests need not have a hole to use as their entry point into a home.

Third, clean up your house, roaches and rats tend to stay in an environment that is dirty. Move objects away from the wall and clean up clutters.

Additionally, pipes and drainage should be kept clean, keep food in airtight containers also.

Another method is to get traps specifically designed for rats and roaches to lure them in then trap them. Also consider using natural deterrent methods like peppermint spray, black pepper, or cloves.

If all else fails, you can call a professional pest management company to help you out.