The rats Perkes has been dealing with aren’t your cute little pet rats or mice. They’re the big, invasive Norway rats that have bedeviled cities like New York and Los Angeles for decades.

Rattus norvegicus, also called the Norway rat or brown rat — doesn’t hibernate in winter but does become less active when the weather is freezing for prolonged periods.

Reports of Norway rat sightings in Boise and Eagle have become increasingly common since 2020, leading to local experts believing that the populations have proliferated to the point that they're ...