Rats, The Uninvited Guest
No RSVP needed for these visitors. Rats will invade your home and you may not even know that they are there, for a while anyway. They make nests in your attic, garage, shed, garden, or other areas around your property and may remain undetected. You’ll be lying in bed one night and hear scratching in the walls or movement in the attic, Oh no, you’ve got a problem.
Let's take a closer look at rats
Rats can multiply very quickly. They have an average of 8-18 babies at a time, that reach full maturity in only 8-12 weeks, and can reproduce every 60-90 days. That means, in just a few months you can have a large number of rats living on your property.
Rats are most active at night. They don’t see well so they depend on their other senses; smell, taste, touch and hearing, to learn about their surroundings. They remember where they are and how to return by what they feel and smell. If there is something out of place, such as a trap that was set, rats will avoid it for a while because they aren’t used to it being there.
Rats have very strong teeth that can chew holes in wood and plastic. They are excellent climbers and will use trees to access the roof of your home and gnaw their way into your attic. Rats can enter through a hole as small as a 1/2 inch, under doorways and in cracks in your walls and along your roof line and eaves. Once there, they will make their nests out of the insulation and start breeding. Rats will travel into the walls and cabinets as well. They will seek out food and water both in your home and outside. They chew on wires and can cause major electrical issues and possibly cause a fire.
So, do you have a problem?
Don't Worry, We Got This
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you need to take action, RIGHT NOW! Because rats multiply so quickly, it is imperative that you stop them before they have time to exponentially increase in numbers.
Some first steps you can take is look around the outside of your home and see if you have tree branches that extend over the top of your roof line. These should be trimmed so they are no longer a convenient way for rats to get onto your house. Check the garden beds and trim hedges and bushes so they are at least 2 feet away from the outside walls of your home.
Rats are always looking for food and water. If you have house pets, make sure all pet food is stored in air tight containers and don’t store open packages of food in your pantry. Areas where there is water, like the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room, are other areas that could attract rats, especially if there is an active leak. Check inside cabinets to make sure you don’t have a leaking pipe that would become a source of water for the rats. Check the outside too, make sure the water hose and faucet isn’t leaking.
If you enjoy feeding the birds, you may also be feeding other, unwanted visitors. Rats will eat the bird feed, either out of the bird feeder, or right out of the bag that you keep in a shed or garage. We suggest you store bird seed in a sealed container. Thus preventing the rats from even smelling it.
Of course, rats are also attracted to trash heaps. Be sure to keep the outside areas around your home free of trash and debris that would make a good home for rats. They may also find wood piles to be a safe place to hide. However, most rats in Florida prefer to live in high up locations, there may be a few that find safety in lower lying areas.
Help Is On The Way
Asking a professional to survey your home and check for evidence that rats have invaded your house may be your best option. Our technicians at Venom Pest Control are trained what to look for. We will walk your property and focus on key locations that are the most popular areas for rats to nest and enter buildings.
Once we feel that you have a problem we will work with you to eradicate them and establish a plan for prevention of future re-infestation. Rats are very smart and we know their patterns. Our number one goal is to make sure that you and your family are safe and that your home is protected.
Call us today at 352-223-3618 or click here to make an appointment for a FREE inspection.
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