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How to know when you have rats in your home & what to do about it

In this article, American Rat Control Inc takes a look at how to know when you have rats in your home & what to do about it.

Especially as temperatures begin to drop in late summer and autumn, rats look for ways into the warmth of your home and the food in your pantry for survival.

There are preventative measures you can take to discourage infestation, but rats are extraordinarily intelligent and adaptable.

Sometimes even the cleanest, most well-maintained homes can still fall prey to infestation.

In this short guide, we will cover

  • Some of the best preventative rat infestation measures you can take as a homeowner;
  • How to identify a rat infestation if you suspect you already have one;
  • And when to hire a rat exterminator.
Prevention

Making your home less appealing to rats is the fundamental strategy behind preventing infestation.

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Practically speaking, this means that you must prioritize interior, exterior, and structural maintenance in your schedule and budget.

Below is a checklist of preventative measures you can take.

Interior Prevention

  • Keep all dry food stored in tightly sealed glass or ceramic containers;
  • Vacuum several times a week and mop with hot water and soap weekly;
  • Keep all surfaces uncluttered and sanitized, especially in food prep areas;
  • Invest in tight-lidded indoor trash cans.

Exterior Prevention

  • Keep all junk or wood piles far away from your house, or remove them entirely;
  • Maintain the landscaping immediately surrounding your home to give rats fewer places to hide as they make their way toward your walls.

Structural Maintenance

  • Check every six months to one year for structural damage to your home, such as cracks, holes, and gaps that may have occurred;
  • Promptly repair any signs of structural damage to give rats as little time as possible to enter your house.
Identification

Even if you follow all the suggestions above, rats can sometimes still find their way into your home.

If you think you may have rats living in the hard-to-reach places of your house, here are some tell-tale signs that you are probably right.

  • Unidentified foul smell;
  • Chewed chords;
  • Broken or spilt food storage containers;
  • Large and copious droppings in drawers and cupboards;
  • Scurrying and squeaking sounds in the walls, often late at night.
Solution

If you have already been taking basic preventative measures, the only fast and effective way to evict an existing rat population in your home is to hire a rat exterminator.

As experts in rat biology and species, exterminators know how to use rats’ insticts against them to strategize the best way to take down the specific rat colony in your home.

Author Bio

Louis started American Rat Control Inc. because he realized there were not very many options in the pest control industry for expert rodent control and removal.

During his 37+ years in rodent control and construction, he developed processes and techniques to quickly identify rodent entry points on a structure and how to seal them up to last and look good.

Another article on how to deter rats using home remedies.

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