Widely used in fields such as neuroscience, physiology and toxicology, ‘lab rats’ account for 13.9% of all animals used in research in Europe ( European commission, 2012), second only to mice which account for 60.9%. In spite of their bad reputation in the wild, the laboratory rat is perhaps the archetypal model organism. For all of these reasons and more, rats are the targets of intensive pest control strategies. Their seemingly unrestricted capacity to reproduce, their ferocious appetite (which can result in cannibalism) and their remarkable ability to survive in adverse and often unsanitary conditions only seem to worsen their reputation among many in the general public. They are well known for invading and damaging property, spoiling food supplies and spreading diseases ( Kosoy et al., 2015).
Living in close proximity to humans, wild Norway rats are often considered pests ( Khlyap et al., 2012).
The Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, is known by many names such as the brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norwegian rat, city rat, water rat and wharf rat.
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