This study investigated the role of the invasive Asian house rat in hosting chiggers and ticks in different habitat types on Lanyu Island, Taiwan. The rat is the dominant rodent species and was found in grasslands and natural forests, unlike in Taiwan where it is limited to human dwellings. A total of 254 rats were captured from forest, grassland and human dwelling sites over a year. The rats hosted over 100,000 chiggers and 1,500 ticks. Chigger and tick abundances were generally higher in grasslands and forests than human dwellings, suggesting an increased risk of scrub typhus and spotted fever transmission to humans from habitats beyond dwellings due to the expanded niche of the invasive rat on the island.