You’ve seen the videos. A rodent the size of a sourdough loaf drags a slice of pizza down a subway staircase, or maybe you’ve caught that viral clip of a rat scurrying over a sleeping commuter’s shoulders. It’s gross. It's fascinating. Honestly, it’s basically the unofficial mascot of the five boroughs at this point. But when we talk about big rats in New York, we’re usually dealing with a mix of urban legend, biological reality, and a massive failure of 20th-century trash management.
New York City rats aren't just a nuisance; they are an apex scavenger.
Most of what people think they know about these creatures is slightly off. You’ll hear tourists claim they saw a rat "as big as a cat." Unless that cat is a very small kitten, they’re probably exaggerating. Or maybe they aren't. In certain pockets of the Bronx or the Upper West Side, the sheer caloric density of our trash creates some absolute units.
The Science of the "Super Rat"
The species we’re dealing with is Rattus norvegicus, commonly known as the Norway rat or the brown rat. They aren't actually from Norway—they likely originated in northern China. They arrived here in the late 1700s on ships, and they’ve been outcompeting every other rodent ever since.
How big do they actually get?
A standard adult Norway rat usually weighs about half a pound to a pound. However, in an environment like NYC, where high-protein waste is everywhere, they can easily hit 1.5 or even 2 pounds. That might not sound like much on paper, but a two-pound rat is roughly 10 to 12 inches long, not including the tail. When you see that scuttling across a dark platform, it looks like a monster.
Dr. Bobby Corrigan, arguably the world’s leading "rodentologist" and a frequent consultant for the city, has spent decades explaining that rats don't have a biological "cap" on their size if the food source is infinite. And in New York, the food is infinite. If a rat finds a steady supply of discarded halal carts and gourmet leftovers, it’s going to grow until its heart or a predator gives out.
Why the Problem Feels Worse Now
If you feel like you’re seeing more big rats in New York lately, you aren’t imagining things. Sightings reported to 311 spiked significantly following the pandemic.
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Why?
The geography of food changed. When offices closed in 2020, the rats that lived off Midtown lunch scraps suddenly found their "buffet" empty. They didn't just die off; they migrated. They moved into residential areas, fought for territory, and became more brazen. This led to "warring" colonies. You might have noticed them out in broad daylight more often. That's usually a sign of overpopulation—the subordinate rats are being kicked out of the burrows during the night and forced to forage when it’s light out.
The city's infrastructure is also a playground for them. Our subway system provides a climate-controlled basement that never freezes. Underneath the pavement, there's a literal labyrinth of hollowed-out "rat runs" connecting sewers to basement foundations.
The Trash Problem
Let’s be real: New York is one of the only major global cities that still piles bags of raw garbage on the sidewalk. It’s a 24/7 all-you-can-eat buffet.
- Black plastic bags are easily shredded.
- Piles stay out for 12+ hours.
- Liquid runoff creates a "scent trail" that rats follow like a map.
Mayor Eric Adams famously declared "the rats are going to hate this" when he appointed Kathleen Corradi as the city’s first "Rat Czar." The goal was simple: containerization. By moving trash into hard-sided bins, the city is trying to starve the population. It’s working in some zones, but rats are adaptable. They’ve been known to chew through heavy-duty plastic if they smell something good enough on the other side.
Health Risks and Real Dangers
It isn't just about the "ick" factor. These animals carry pathogens. Leptospirosis is the big one people worry about. It’s a bacterial disease spread through rat urine, and while rare, it can be fatal to humans and dogs. In 2023 and 2024, NYC saw a handful of cases that made headlines, reminding everyone that the big rats in New York are a legitimate public health crisis, not just a TikTok trend.
Then there’s the property damage.
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Rads have teeth that never stop growing. They have to gnaw on hard materials to keep them filed down. They’ll chew through lead pipes, cinder blocks, and—most annoyingly—car wiring. If you park your car near a construction site or a park, there’s a non-zero chance a rat is currently nesting in your engine block because it’s warm and smells like soy-based wire insulation.
Debunking the Myths
People love to say that there are as many rats as people in NYC—roughly 8 million.
That’s probably false.
A 2014 study by Jonathan Auerbach used statistical analysis of 311 data and estimated the population is closer to 2 million. Still a lot? Yes. But it's not a 1:1 ratio.
Another myth: "Rats the size of dogs."
Unless you own a teacup Chihuahua, no. A 2-pound rat is enormous for a rodent, but it’s still a rodent. The shadows and the fear factor often add five pounds to the story when someone is recounting their walk home at 2 AM.
How to Handle the Situation
If you live here or are visiting, you have to be "rat smart." Honestly, the city is never going to be 100% rat-free. It’s an island built on old fill and tunnels. But you can minimize the impact.
First, stop feeding the birds. Seriously. If you drop breadcrumbs for pigeons, you are feeding the rats. They come out the second the birds leave.
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Second, if you’re a resident, invest in metal trash cans with locking lids. Plastic is a suggestion; metal is a deterrent.
Third, report sightings. The city uses 311 data to map "Rat Mitigation Zones." If people stop complaining, the city assumes the problem is solved and moves the budget elsewhere.
What to do if you encounter one:
- Give them space. They aren't usually aggressive unless cornered, but a cornered rat will lung.
- Watch your step near subway grates. They live under there.
- Keep your dog on a short leash. Terriers might want to hunt them, but rats carry parasites that can make your pet very sick.
The battle against the big rats in New York is basically a war of attrition. We won't win by killing them all—we win by making our streets less hospitable. Until the city fully moves away from the "bag on the sidewalk" model of waste management, the pizza rat and his cousins are here to stay.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the Department of Health’s "Rat Portal," which is an actual interactive map where you can see the inspection history of any building in the city. It’s a sobering look at who your neighbors really are. If you’re moving to a new apartment, check that map before you sign the lease. It’ll tell you more than the landlord ever will.
Follow the city's new trash set-out times strictly. Putting your bags out later reduces the window for foraging. Use the new city-mandated bins if your neighborhood has them. Every small barrier helps.