Rats may be more common than you think. Though they are famous for infesting restaurant alleyways and sewers, rats are often found in upper-class neighborhoods where they can burrow underground and into the basements of century homes.
If you suspect that there are rats in your home, look for the following signs and call a pest control company for help.
Scratching Sounds at Night
Rats are most active at night, so that is when you are most likely to hear them. Rats living indoors can often be heard scratching and gnawing at the insides of the walls at night. As rodents, they are constantly chewing, making a repetitive scratching sound.
Rat Droppings
One of the clearest signs of a rat infestation is finding droppings throughout the house. Rats produce up to 40 droppings per night, leaving them everywhere they go. Rat droppings are mostly found along the walls of the home and in areas where there is food, such as the kitchen cabinets. They are shiny, rounded at the edges, about half to three quarts of an inch long, and dark brown.
Chew Marks
Rats are constantly chewing, so it is common to find chewed wires, torn boxes of food, and chewed holes in the wall. They have also been known to tear through fabrics, paper, and other soft materials they like to use in their nests. If you have found a mysterious hole in something, look closely for teeth marks. Wash chewed fabrics in hot water and do not eat anything that has been chewed on.
Burrow Holes in the Yard
Rat problems begin outside. These animals dig extensive networks of tunnels underground, with several openings they use to find food on the surface. Rat burrow holes in the lawn outside are common with interior infestations. These are rounded holes that are about 2 to 4 inches and that often appear in clusters of 2 to 4 holes. Rats that have burrowed through the foundation may have a burrow hole just a foot or two away from the house.
Grease Marks and Footprints
Rats see very poorly, so they follow the same paths every night. As they walk along the same walls and objects inside the home, they leave greasy, dirty smudge marks behind them. Strange, dirty marks on the lower surfaces of the home may point to rats. Footprints in the dust are also a strong indicator that there are mice living in the house.
Rat Nests
Rats nest in wall voids, floor voids, attics, and other enclosed spaces. Here, they shred the insulation and build nests out of paper, cardboard, fabric, and other materials they find. If you’re not sure where the animals are nesting, ask an exterminator if they can use an infrared camera that can locate nests within walls. You may need to have them opened and cleaned up once the infestation is removed.
How to Get Rid of Rats
Seal Points of Entry
First, examine the exterior of your home. Look for holes and gaps in the walls that could be letting rats inside. Wall vents, crawl spaces, and other openings near the bottoms of the walls are common entry points. Seal these shut with caulking and a quarter-inch steel mesh, leaving one opening behind. On that opening, you should attach a one-way door.
Professionals use one-way doors to let rats out of the house. In many cases, rats will venture out of the home at night to feed. Since it only opens one way, the one-way door lets the animals out while blocking their return. Contact a pest control professional for the installation of the one-way door.
Clean up the House
Next, you will need to clean up the house. Get rid of all unnecessary clutter and deep clean to remove all food particles. Avoid leaving any dirty dishes out and store all your pantry goods in jars. The cleaner the home, the better. Keeping the house clean will encourage the rats to leave and feed on the bait.
Set Lots of Traps
The key to getting rid of rats and mice is to set multiple tracks and monitor them closely. Rats are social animals that live in groups. To get rid of them, you will need to eliminate as many as you can in as short a period as possible. Bait snap traps with dried fruit, nuts, pet food, or small bits of meat and place them along the walls of infested rooms. Check them every day.
When you have caught a rat, spray it with disinfectant, wait for 10 minutes, then throw out the pest in a sealed plastic bag. Always wear gloves when touching the animals. Disinfect the trap, then bait it and set it again to catch more. Be very careful when handling rat snap traps because they are dangerous.
Use Rodenticide Outdoors
Rat colonies can be very large, spanning across entire neighborhoods. Suppress the exterior population to help prevent the pests from coming back indoors. Call your nearest pest control company and ask for bait stations. These are locked, tamper-proof boxes that contain rodenticide.
To ensure that no other animals get hurt, the rodenticide is specifically formulated to appeal to rats. It also takes several ingestions for the product to work. After a few ingestions, the rats will feel sick and crawl into their burrows to perish. Place one or two of these outside, near the fencing. Have the pest control company to service the bait stations for a few months to bring the rat population down.
Hire a Pest Control Company
The most reliable solution to a rat problem is to hire a professional for help. Technicians can tell you where the rats are coming from, eliminate them, and seal all points of entry to ensure that they do not come back. They can also keep the outdoor population under control by servicing exterior bait stations. Call a pest control company as soon as you need help.
