Rats can be very dangerous creatures that can contaminate your food, destroy your property, and even start electrical fires. Additionally, rats, their feces, and rat fleas can all carry disease, making them an especially risky health hazard. As such, it is very important to get rid of rats. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to get rid of rats, as they can inhabit many areas in and around your home, from piles of wood, bushes, or outdoor garbage cans, to insulation of walls and ceilings, low spaces, under cabinets and bathtubs, and close. Hot water heaters and ovens.
If you have detected signs of rats, including droppings; chewed siding, insulation or walls; or evidence of contaminated food, it’s time to act. Rats and mice breed frequently, so you will need to be vigilant in finding and removing rats from your home. Traps can be an excellent method of getting rid of rats; just bait the traps with nuts, peanut butter or cheese and wait to collect the trapped rats. Experts recommend that you place the traps at right angles close to the walls where rodents are suspected of living, with the bait side of the trap facing the wall. Always wear gloves and use a plastic bag to dispose of a trapped rodent to prevent the spread of disease.
It is generally not advisable to use rat poisons as they are less immediate means of killing rats. A poisoned rat may have time to crawl away before it dies, and as such, you won’t always be able to find it right away. These dead rats become breeding grounds for disease and bacteria. Additionally, rat poisons pose a significant health risk to pets, wild animals, and children and should therefore be avoided.
Ultimately, it can be incredibly difficult to eliminate a rat infestation. Rats are small and difficult to locate, and because they breed quickly and frequently, it can be a special challenge to destroy all the rats in your home and yard. While there are some great preventative measures to avoid rats, once you’ve seen the evidence of rats in your home, it’s probably best to seek expert professional help. Professional pest control services ensure that rats are safely and completely removed from your home without risking many of the health hazards associated with rats.
Still, here are some expert tips on how to prevent a rat infestation before it starts.
1. Eliminate sources of food and water by storing garbage in secure metal containers, composting in rat-resistant containers, removing fallen fruits and nuts from your yard, and keeping pet food in a safe place.
2. Eliminate living spaces by planting bushes and shrubs far from your home, removing sheds or buildings that are not in use, and storing firewood or lumber on stands at least 12 inches above the ground.
3. Protect buildings by covering crawl spaces, repairing cracks in concrete foundations, and building sheds and garages on concrete slabs.