Rat Control
Rats in the home are a real problem. These smart little creatures really know how to find their way around, and you may not notice their presence until there’s already a large infestation. Rats may be small, but all they do is cause damage and spread infectious diseases.
First, watch out for the signs
Realizing the presence of these creatures is usually the first step towards excluding them, so here are the first signs of a rat infestation. Signs of a rat infestation can be pretty obvious, even as these mammals are nocturnal animals they still leave behind indicators of their presence. The first and most obvious signs are black pill-shaped droppings, scratching or scurrying sounds at night, musky smell, gnaw marks on fruits, walls, and on some other objects around the house.
Seal cracks and holes in your building
This is both a rat control and preventive measure. Rats usually squeeze through tiny cracks and gaps in the building, and they also get around by using these narrow passageways. Sealing holes limit their movement and prevent new rats from coming in, but it doesn’t completely solve the problem.
Rodents have very sharp teeth which they use to chew their way through a wide range of materials including wooden structures. These animals can be industrious and work persistently to create their own passageways in and around a building. A crack as small as ¼ of an inch is enough to let them get through.
Check for cracks in the roof
The two most common rats in the US are roof rats, also called black rats, and Norway rats which are also called brown rats. Roof rats are excellent climbers and usually live in the ceiling and attic, they will most likely find their way into your home from cracks in the roof, ceiling, and upper sections of your building.
Therefore, you also need to check for cracks around your roof, check for cracks in the roof tiles, shingles, soffits, fascia boards, and seal every gap with a powerful sealant. Also, make sure there isn’t any tree branch that extends to your roof as this will lead animals into your home. Trim tree branches frequently to make sure they are never less than 4 feet away from your rooflines.
Get rid of clutter
Rats are always looking for places to hide and a good way to discourage this is by ensuring there isn’t anything for them to hide behind. Remove piles of logs, junks, leaves, and ensure there are no objects resting on the walls of your building.
Move objects away from your walls, remove vines and other flowering plants, keep grasses beautifully trimmed. Your trash can should be closed properly with a tight-fitting lid, and keep your outside space neat and free of clutter. This should also extend into your living space, the interior of your building should be clutter-free and properly organized.
Store food properly
Animals have an innate survival skill and are able to seek out food sources even in the most unusual places. Eliminating a rat infestation is very similar to preventing rats, and since rats are always looking for what to eat, poor storage of food will certainly attract them to your building or keep them there for much longer.
Food items should be securely sealed in rodent-proof containers, including pet food and bird food if you feed garden birds. Rodents can chew through plastic containers and paper bags; therefore, the best storage containers are glass or metal containers with screw-on lids. Always keep your pantry and kitchen neat and free of food particles and debris, and store fruits, bread, cookies, and leftovers in the refrigerator which rats can’t get to them.
Removing rats
When there is already an infestation, the above steps alone will not get the rats out of your home. You will have to actually try to get the rats out by using an effective rodent removal method. There are a number of rat removal methods including different trapping techniques with appropriate baits. Rat traps include snap traps, live traps, glue boards, and baiting traps.
Snap traps: these traps are designed to hold bait and once the animal steps into the trap to snatch the bait, the trap immediately snaps on the rat and kills it. This is one of the cheapest options, but it may not be ideal if you have pets and little kids who may be tempted to play with it. The spring in the snap traps is very powerful and since it instantly kills a rat, it can break a finger or cause a serious injury.
Glue boards: these are simply boards or trays with very strong adhesives, they are able to trap anything that crawls or runs over them including insects, rodents, snakes, etc. They are much safer than snap traps but may not be very effective as rats may learn to avoid them. But you can always change the position and make sure it’s strategically placed in a way that it can’t be avoided, and you can have several glue boards simultaneously placed in different areas.
Live traps: this is one of the most humane ways of trapping rodents, it also requires some form of bait. The bait will lure in the rat, and as it moves in curiously to sniff or snack on the contents of the trap, the door snaps shut and the rat is trapped. The trapped rat will be unable to escape until you find it there.
And if you can’t get them to leave? Bring in the experts!
If you can’t seem to get all the rats out and after all your effort you still find traces of fresh droppings and rodent activity, then maybe it is time to invite a professional rodent exterminator. At Norcal Wildlife Removal, we provide professional rodent removal services, our wildlife control team will find their hiding places, remove the entire rodent population in your home, and seal up cracks and entry points to ensure they never return.
Cities we serve include;
Brisbane, Atherton, Half Moon Bay, Burlingame, Portola Valley, Colma, Daly City, Millbrae, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Belmont, Redwood City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Pacifica, San Bruno, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Woodside, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Campbell, San Carlos, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Francisco, etc.
Call us for animal control at (650)477-9070
How to Remove Rats From The Attic
Rats and mice are among the most common wild animals to find in your house, which of course, is causing property owners across the United States a lot of problems. First of all, there’s the obvious ick factor, the natural repulsion and fear most people feel when they spot a rodent scuttling across the floor. And while rats aren’t nearly as aggressive as pop culture has made them out to be, they are notorious carriers of disease, which is why you probably don’t want to come into contact with them.
So what do you do if you find rats in your attic?
We’re focusing on the attic in this article because that’s one of the most rat-prone areas of the house because it’s probably the least inhabited room in your home, and traditionally used for storage, which means it offers a lot of great hiding places for rats. To learn more about rats in the attic visit animalatticpest.com.
First, figure out what’s attracting the rats to your property.
Sure, you can get rid of the rodent and hope the problem will take care of itself, but the truth is until you work out what’s attracting wild animals to your home, you’re going to be dealing with an ongoing problem. Usually, rats are attracted to human dwellings because they provide food, water, or at the very least, warmth and safety. Now, there isn’t much you can do to eliminate that last one, but you can cut the food sources by ensuring your food is stored in safe containers, and checking for open water sources, such as a leaky pipe.
You’ll want to also inspect the property for cracks and holes in the walls, to figure out where exactly the rats are entering your property. You want to seal the cracks with wire mesh, or some other material that’s hard to chew through, so as to prevent future invasions.
Now that you’ve taken care of these problems, you’re ready to move on to the next step – removing the rat itself.
Use a live trap.
If you’ve already sealed the entry points to your attic, then you only need to worry about the existing rat population. Obviously, it will be heavily impacted by your cleaning the attic, as that will reduce its food sources, and hiding places, hopefully.
If the problem persists, know that live trapping is an option. Live trapping usually consists of a cage whose door is activated by a motion plate. You lure the rodent inside using a bit of bait, such as a scoop of peanut butter. It steps on the plate, causing the door to fall shut, trapping the rat inside.
Make sure you check on a live trap frequently, to minimize the time the rat is trapped (and frightened). Once all the rats are trapped, you can use the live trap to remove them from your property and release them in the wilderness.
Use deterrents.
You can also browse online and specialty stores for noise or light deterrents. These are usually motion-activated, and they either flashlights or emit high-pitched noises when they sense rodent activity. Since rats tend to be more sensitive to light and sound, this can be an efficient method to keep them at bay.
Call a professional wildlife removal company.
Lastly, you can call a wildlife removal company like Norcal Wildlife Removal, to inspect the property and advise you on future prevention methods, as well as get rid of the bothersome rodent. It’s often a good idea to call a professional, particularly if you’re squeamish, or want quick and guaranteed results in your rat removal process.
What’s the Most Efficient Way to Get Rid of Rats in a House?
Rats are one of the most destructive and irritating nuisance animals that you can get in your home. These critters are capable of chewing through siding, drywall, lumber, and many other materials, all while spreading disease throughout your home. When you have them in your home, you are likely looking to get rid of them as soon as you can. Continue reading to learn what the most efficient way to get rid of rats in a house is.
Why should I remove rats?
Before you begin to decide how to get rid of rats, it is important to understand how quickly you need to remove rats. It is vital to understand that every day they are in your yome, they are causing more damage, reproducing more, and spreading more diseases throughout your home. Rats are capable of spreading some very dangerous and potentially deadly diseases to you, your family, and your pets. They can spread these illnesses through their droppings, urine, and saliva, as well as through bites and scratches. In addition to these illnesses, rats are also fond of chewing on wires, tearing up insulation, creating more entry holes that can allow other mice and rats, and causing many other problems. These are the major reasons why removing rats from your home is so important.
Do It Yourself
One of the most common ways to get rid of rats in your home is to perform a do-it-yourself removal. This can be performed in a wide variety of ways, but the general purpose is to set a few traps and hope that the rats get caught. Doing it yourself removal can present many challenges, particularly when removing rats. Rats reproduce very quickly, which means that if you do not get them all removed in an expedient manner, they will reproduce and multiply the infestation greatly. This can lead to increased damage and expenses in the long run. Another complication that can arise from DIY removal is potentially exposing yourself, your family, and your pets to the diseases the rats are carrying.
Professional Removal
This type of removal is in direct contradiction to the DIY removal method. Hiring a professional wildlife removal company is an excellent idea, particularly when it comes to rats. Experts will be able to use many different techniques to remove rats from your home, and this is greatly enhanced by the wealth of experience they have in dealing with a variety of rat problems. Not only will they be able to remove the rats, but they can even provide a variety of services that will prevent any future rat infestations from being possible. Hiring a professional wildlife removal service is hands-down the most efficient way to get rid of rats in a house.
Lethal Traps
One of the most common ways to get rid of rats in a house is to use lethal traps. These can take many forms, but the most common is the snap trap that can be baited with peanut butter or a similar food item. In addition to the large snap traps, there are also covered snap traps that will go off once a rat pokes its head into the box, keeping pets and kids out of the way of the trap.
Humane Traps
Humane traps are another category of traps that consist of a variety of styles. Glue traps are commonly used, and they allow the rat to stay alive and be released somewhere else. Another style of trap is the humane box trap that lets rats inside, but won’t let them back out. These can then be opened and the rats can get away where the person lets them go.
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