Marsh Rice Rat

Central Florida’s warm, subtropical climate with over 50 inches of annual rainfall provides ideal marsh habitat. Rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and flooded fields offer favorable semi-aquatic conditions year-round for rice rats to flourish.

Average temperatures ranging from the 60s to 80s F allow dense, grassy vegetation to grow along waterways and swamps where rice rats build burrows. Rural wetlands surrounding urban centers host large populations that occasionally disperse to nearby homes.

Access to water, food sources, and nesting sites allows marsh rice rats to thrive and reproduce rapidly in central Florida’s wetlands. Their periodic migrations into developed areas necessitates control measures to prevent destructive infestations.

As omnivores, rice rats consume a diverse mixture of plant and animal material. Their diet varies based on seasonal availability but commonly includes

Aquatic Plants: Rice rats feed on emergent vegetation along waterways such as cattails (Typha spp.), water lilies (Nymphaeaceae), and the invasive hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata). They consume the leaves, shoots, stems, and roots of these plants.

Terrestrial Plants: On land, rice rats eat grasses, sedges, millet, rushes, berries, seeds, fungi, tree bark, and roots. This provides carbohydrates, protein, and nutrients.

Invertebrates: Rice rats hunt insects, crustaceans, gastropods, and annelids as protein sources. They prey on grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, crayfish, crabs, and shrimp near water. Snails, worms, and insect larvae are also eaten.

Vertebrates: Small vertebrates supplement the rice rat diet. Rice rats consume fish, frog eggs, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. This provides additional protein.

Foraging: Rice rats forage for food both on land and in water. They swim and dive to collect floating mats of vegetation, allowing them to feed on aquatic invertebrates sheltered below. Rice rats generally consume 10-15% of their body weight in food daily. If their diet consists of moist vegetation and prey, rice rats do not need to drink much additional water.

Rice rats forage for food on land and in water. They can gather floating mats of vegetation to feed on aquatic invertebrates. Rice rats consume approximately 10-15% of body weight daily and can survive on plant matter alone. They do not need to drink much water if their diet is moist enough.

Rice rats can directly or indirectly transmit several concerning zoonotic diseases:

Hantavirus – Deer mice are the primary carriers, but rice rats can also become infected. Transmission occurs through inhalation of aerosolized urine, droppings, or nesting material. Hantavirus causes respiratory illness and potentially fatal pulmonary edema in humans.

Leptospirosis – Caused by Leptospira bacteria shed in rice rat urine. Transmission occurs through contact with contaminated soil or water. Leptospirosis causes fever, chills, vomiting, and muscle pain in humans if untreated.

Salmonellosis – Rice rats carry Salmonella in their gastrointestinal tract and spread it through their feces. Humans can become infected by ingesting food or water contaminated by rice rat waste. Salmonellosis causes diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.

Rat-bite fever – Rare bacterial infection transmitted by rice rat bites or scratches breaking the skin. Causes fever, rash, muscle soreness in humans.

Rice rats can also indirectly cause allergic reactions and asthma symptoms in sensitive individuals. Nesting debris, urine, droppings, and dead skin cells can trigger immune responses. Excluding rice rats from indoor environments is essential to reduce health risks.