Its that time of year again! Preventing a rat infestation is at the top of all home and business owners list of priorities.
With winter on its way, and the oncoming cold, comes droves of pests looking for a warm place to call home for the chilly season. One of those pests looking for a comfy place to build a nest and a free meal are rats.
Rats : Deadly Pests
Aside from the obvious fright factor of a large hairy rodent scurrying around your home or property these rodents pose a large threat to the safety of humans and pets alike. Here are just a few of the reasons rats can be a dangerous pest:
- Rats transmit diseases like Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, Lassa fever, Leptospirosis, Plague, and many more.
- Rats carry parasites and bacteria that can cause further potentially deadly disease including Murine Typhus, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Scrub Typhus, and West Nile Virus.
- Rats are a highly invasive species. While it is widely known to almost everyone that rats have invaded almost any place where there are humans the impact these creatures have on the environment are huge. True rats are omnivorous and capable of eating a wide range of plant and animal foods. Rats have contributed to the extinction of many wildlife species, including birds, small mammals, reptiles, and plants.
Controlling Rat Infestation
There are three steps to effective rat prevention and control:
- Sealing entrances to the home or business.
- Trapping existent invaders
- Keeping clean living and work spaces to make home and businesses less attractive
Let’s learn more about proper rat pest control!
1) Sealing Out Rats
Its been said that the best offense is a great defense. This is true for all types of pest control too. Rats are incredibly pliant and flexible. They can squeeze through a hole the size of a half dollar! Since they can wriggle, climb, chew, and sneak there way into the most hard to reach places, the best bet for entry prevention is to make those places impossible to reach by sealing up holes and gaps.
Here are a few places to start when looking for potential entry points into your home or business:
- Inside, beneath, and behind cabinets, refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers, storage spaces, beneath bathroom sinks etc.
- Around pipes going to water heaters and furnaces.
- Attics and crawl spaces which may have ventilation holes to the outside.
- Basements and crawlspaces.
- Inside closets near the corners on the floor.
Outside your home or business:
- Beneath roof eaves
- Around older windows, especially those that may be ground level basement windows.
- Attic vents and crawlspace vents
- Large gaps beneath doors leading to garages and storage areas.
- Gaps around the holes used for gas lines, electrical cables, and plumbing.
Tips for sealing up your property to prevent a rat infestation
Vents
When sealing vents use sturdy materials such as nails or industrial staples to fasten lath screen, thick wire mesh, or vented metal sheets. Duct tape may be a miraculous and sturdy material, but it will not keep out rodents!
Gaps around Pipes or Cables
Fill smaller gaps around pipes and cables with steel wool and fill the gaps with caulking to keep the steel wool in place. Rats can chew through many materials, lucky for us, metal is not one of them.
For more information about pest exclusion read our comprehensive guide here!
2) Trapping
When you already have signs of rats showing up on your property you need to combine exclusion techniques with a more pro-active approach. Trapping is the most effective way to get rid of existent rodent populations. It is thorough and final, a trapped rodent can be removed from the premises never to return.
Trapping any wildlife can be dangerous. Rats can carry bacteria and parasites that can be deadly. Therefore, it is recommended to consult and hire a professional when planning to trap any type of rodents to assist in the planning and removal of trapped remains.
If you are planning to attempt setting traps yourself here is a useful guide from the CDC. Remember to wear proper PPE when removing rodent remains to avoid exposure to parasites and bacteria which can be as serious as the plague (not joking).
If you need assistance, advice, or recommendations on trapping rodents Got Gophers has all the solutions necessary to bring peace and safety back to your home or business. Contact us now!
3) Keep It Clean!
Rats want all the same things every creature wants. A warm place to rest, raise a family, and an easy meal. It just so happens that rats want you to provide those necessities for them. One of the biggest draws for rodents when they are scurrying and searching for a place to bed down is the availability of food.
This means the best way to combat a rodent infestation is to keep your residence or business as un-attractive to rodents as possible. By removing the availability of food sources and decluttering areas you can accomplish this with ease.
No place to hide
All types of rodents are naturally wary creatures. Rats, being highly intelligent, are even more so. Having clutter in an area gives rats many places to hide and plan. Rodents naturally are wary of open spaces, so the best thing we can do to prevent them being attracted to an area is to declutter an area.
Decluttering tips to prevent rat hiding spots:
- Keep as much of you can off the floor. Rodents travel along walls when exploring areas. Using durable plastic totes to keep all your belongings off the floor in cabinets, on shelves etc. helps to take away possible hiding places
- Keep pet food off the floor and within durable totes with sturdy lids and never leave food and water in bowls outdoors
- Keep bbq grills and outdoor cooking areas clean
- Clean up food spills and clean your utensils and dishware as soon as you can
Pest prevention that could save your life
Wherever we humans are, there are sure to be rats. Rats, throughout history, have proven to be dangerous carriers of disease.
Whether you live in the big city, suburbs, or out in rural areas, pest control is a constant battle. Rats, along with many other pests, can not only pester your loved ones, customers, and pets. They can threaten them with deadly diseases.
Recently, we at Got Gophers, have received several messages from our customers speaking about emergency room visits and long expensive hospital stays due to the presence of rats and their disease carrying bacteria or parasites.
This is an excerpt from just one of many recent messages we have been recieving from our customers here in the Bay Area:
“I’m so thankful for Victor (Got Gophers Technician), the services of your company, and the prompt responses to my email or texts.
I’m up at night a lot because I worked night shift for 24 years…[there would be] up to 3 rodent sightings per night in my garden or running along the fences. Thanks to your services, I haven’t seen any in weeks.
Your company could save somebody’s life…On April 1st [of this year] I was rushed to the hospital…I was admitted to the ICU [where] I spent 5 days…[doctors were] trying to keep me alive and [spent] another 8 days [in the hospital] to recover…
…[the bacteria] that made me so sick is commonly carried by rats. I work in my garden all the time. I’m guilty of not always wearing gloves when I play in the dirt. That’s the most likely source of the infection… I am now high-risk for catching the same thing again… [but] Victor’s efforts have put my mind at ease knowing I don’t have rats running through the garden every night.”
-Brian D.
Getting Rid Of Rats
At Got Gophers we specialize in keeping you and your loved ones pest free. We offer the highest quality pest exclusion, trapping, and prevention planning services to all our customers for an affordable price.
Our customers trust us and we value each and every one of them like family.
If you are experiencing a rat infestation, seeing signs near your property, or have any questions our technicians are always available to help solve any issues you may be experiencing.