Rats can get into your home in a number of ways. They can chew up clothing and bedding, as well as electrical wires and even furniture. If you are seeing evidence around your home of rats, it is crucial that you get rid of the rats as soon as possible. Rats can bring harmful bacteria into your home that can be passed on to you or your family. Eliminating your rat problem will likely involve preventative measures so that more rats won’t come join the party. Knowing what steps to take to get rid of a rat problem and when to call a professional for help will give you a clear idea of how to get the rats out of your home.
Identify the Problem
Before you can find a solution for a rat problem, you must first confirm that you're dealing with rats and not another type of rodent. Rats are larger than mice and have distinct features, such as thicker bodies and shorter tails. Identify areas where you've seen rat activity, such as droppings, gnaw marks, and fabrics that have been chewed up.
Set out traps for rats
To further investigate whether you have a rat or mouse problem, set out a few traps in discrete areas in your home. You can use snap traps or live traps to capture rats. Place them in areas where you've observed rat activity. Bait the traps with peanut butter, dried fruit, or other attractive foods. If you nab a rat, you can wait a few days to see if you continue to see rat activity. If you don’t, you may have caught the source of your rat troubles. But if you continue to notice rodent activity, it's possible you are dealing with a larger problem.
Take preventative measures to keep rats out of your home
If you did, in fact, catch or kill the only rat in your home, you want to make sure more rats do not decide to move in. A few ways to prevent rats from coming into your home are:
- Store food in airtight containers, and clean up crumbs and spills promptly.
- Inspect your home for gaps, cracks, and openings that rats could use to enter. Seal these openings with materials like caulk.
- Pay attention to areas around pipes, vents, windows, and doors.
- Declutter your living spaces and storage areas to eliminate potential nesting sites.
- Store items off the ground and away from walls to reduce hiding spots for rats.
- Trim back shrubs and vegetation that provide cover for rats near your home.
- Remove clutter and debris from the yard.
Call a rat control professional
If you do not immediately see a decrease in rat activity after using traps, you need to call a professional rat control service. Rat populations grow at a significant rate. The more rats in your home, the more destruction they can cause and the more germs are being brought into spaces that you and your family eat, sleep, and gather. A professional will eliminate the rats quickly and safely so you don’t have to worry about the fact that you are sharing your home with rats.
If you are in Las Vegas, NV, give Pest Raiders a call today.