Do rats go near sleeping people?

Rats generally try to avoid direct contact with sleeping people because they see humans as large predators, but they will go near sleeping people at night if they are motivated by food, warmth, or a travel route, especially in homes with significant infestations. Rats are nocturnal and most active when the house is quiet and dark, which coincides with when people are sleeping. They prefer to travel along walls, under furniture, and through hidden routes, and if your bed is against a wall, if you eat in bed, or if you have food crumbs, pet food, or trash in the bedroom, they may climb onto bed frames, walk across mattresses, or explore nightstands. Most rats will avoid crawling directly over a person because movement and body heat can startle them, but in heavy infestations, when people sleep on the floor, or in cluttered rooms, contact can occur. Rats are heavier than mice so you are more likely to feel them. While they rarely bite sleeping people unless they feel trapped or cornered, any contact can expose you to droppings, urine, and parasites. To reduce risk, keep food out of the bedroom, avoid eating in bed, store bedding off the floor, seal gaps around baseboards and pipes, keep the room uncluttered, and place rat-sized snap or electronic traps along bedroom walls outside the immediate sleeping area.