Roof rats can adapt to various environments, making them especially difficult to control. In addition, they reproduce rapidly and a small infestation can quickly get out of hand.

The best way to keep roof rats away from your home is by practicing preventative measures. These include trimming or cutting tree limbs that touch the roof, storing firewood up off the ground, and keeping trash cans tightly closed. Call Roof Rat Removal Texas today to do the work for you!

Signs Of A Roof Rat Infestation

Often mistaken for possums, roof rats have pads on their feet that facilitate climbing narrow vines and limbs, and they have long tails to help balance when climbing. As a result, they can gain access to attics and overhead garage storage areas easily. They are nocturnal and scurrying sounds at night can be an indicator of their presence.

Other signs of a roof rat infestation include droppings (they have a distinct smell), scratching or gnawing noises in the ceiling or attic, soiled insulation around vents, holes in walls, gnawed or chewed electrical wires, hollowed-out fruit on fruit trees, and tracks in dusty areas. These rodents eat almost anything, but especially plants, fruits, and seeds. They can also spread a variety of diseases and viruses, including Salmonella, leptospirosis, and rat bite fever.

Although they prefer aerial harborages, such as vine-covered tree limbs and roof lines, roof rats can also nest in attics, garages, sheds, woodpiles, and even interior walls of houses. Because they are highly adaptable and can squeeze through gaps and cracks the size of a quarter, these rats can infest any home or business.

Fortunately, there are some ways to prevent them. Make sure outdoor trash cans have tight-fitting lids, and keep trees and shrubbery trimmed away from the house. If possible, install screens over vents and make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens as well.

If you see a dead roof rat or hear scurrying sounds at night, contact us immediately to have an experienced pest control technician examine the property and perform any necessary treatment. Rats can cause serious damage to homes and businesses, and if they are allowed to nest in buildings, the costs to fix the damages can be high. Additionally, if a rat infestation is not dealt with quickly, the resulting feces and urine can cause significant health concerns for both humans and pets. This is particularly true if the rat has ingested poison or other chemicals that are toxic to mammals. In addition, the odor of a dead rat can also attract flies and other nuisance insects.

Rats In The Attic

When rats reach the attic, they often use it as a nesting area and a place to store food. Look for signs of rat infestation in the attic, including rodent droppings. Rat droppings are smaller than mouse droppings and have a dark, tapered shape. Look for them in dark corners and on insulation. You may also find them on top of beams and in boxes of stored items.

The smell of rat urine can also be a sign that a rat infestation has reached your attic. Rat urine has a pungent, rotting odor. You may also see signs of gnawing in the attic, including chewed wires and holes in insulation. If you notice any of these signs, contact your local pest control company for long-term rat removal solutions.

Roof rats are good climbers and can gain entry to your home by climbing tree limbs, vines, or ivy that hang over or grow near your house. They are also nimble and can squeeze through gaps as small as the size of a quarter. Keep trees trimmed and remove vines and ivy near your home. Also, keep piles of firewood and stacks of debris far from your house to reduce their appeal as shelter.

Like all rats, roof rats are omnivores and will feed on both plants and animal foods. They will also eat bird eggs, pet food, seeds, nuts, and other household food sources. If they cannot find enough food outside, they will head inside looking for a better meal.

You can prevent a rat infestation by keeping both human and pet food sealed in airtight containers to keep out these hungry pests. You should routinely pick fruits from your trees to make them less appealing to rats, too. If you must feed birds, use cages and clean feeders frequently to keep rat droppings to a minimum.

Regular inspections of your attic and other parts of your home can help you spot a problem early. A professional wildlife or pest control specialist can use a UV light to detect the presence of rodent urine in dark areas where rats hide. They will also check the attic for evidence of rat activity, such as rub marks from the rodents’ tiny feet and tracks in dusty spots.

Rats In The Walls

These rats are adept climbers and can gain entry to your facility through holes or cracks in the roof or walls. Once inside, they thrive by finding shelter and food. Once they are established, it is difficult to stop them from breeding and spreading the infestation.

Droppings are a common indicator of a rat infestation, as is the presence of gnaw marks in and around your building. Look for chewed traces in the drywall, wood structures, or electrical wires. These rodents are notorious for chewing through electric wires, which not only causes costly repairs but also poses a fire risk to your facility.

You should also watch for greasy or dirt-covered tracks along baseboards and around cabinets. Rats have poor eyesight and rely on a keen sense of smell to move about, leaving behind greasy or dusty marks as they go.

Inspect the facility for a rat-made nest. These creatures love to chew up paper, cloth, and other materials to make their nests, and they often leave their droppings in the areas they use. Look for small, dark droppings, which are a little bigger than a grain of rice and have pointed ends.

If you see signs of rats in the walls, it is important to call a pest control specialist immediately. Once the experts have a sense of where the rats are, they can begin to take action.

Depending on the extent of the infestation, your specialist may recommend various traps or other forms of control and management. These may include hazing or repellents. These methods focus on annoying rats in a non-lethal way, encouraging them to leave the area.

Rats can chew through most things to gain access to food or shelter, and they will do whatever it takes to breed and live inside your facility. A rat can squeeze through an opening the size of a quarter, and once inside they will create burrows and tunnel through insulation in your walls and attic to seek out more food, water, and shelter.

To keep rodents from entering your facility, you should do everything you can to reduce their food, water, and shelter sources outside. Keep garbage cans tightly closed and store waste in an airtight container. Keep bushes and trees trimmed back, especially within three feet of the roof. Store wood away from the house and do not leave a pile of firewood out in the open.

Rats In The Basement

As its name suggests, the roof rat prefers to live up in your house. They can climb tree limbs and dense vegetation to gain access to roofs or find their way into houses by entering through gaps and cracks. They can also chew through wires, which can result in expensive repair bills and a potential house fire.

Often, the first sign of a roof rat infestation is droppings around your home. These rodent droppings are 12 to 13 mm in size and may appear soft and moist when fresh, or dry and hardened when older. They can also leave greasy rub marks on pipes, walls, and other surfaces.

The best way to prevent a roof rat problem is to remove their food and shelter sources. Clean up your yard, and regularly discard rubbish and paper in tightly sealed bins (wheelie bins are ideal). Trim any trees that hang over your home, and keep piles of wood a foot away from the house. Also, avoid storing cardboard boxes outside your home, and only use the basement for storage when necessary.

If you suspect a rat infestation, it’s essential to contact a pest control specialist right away. Professionals can identify the type of rat, and provide targeted trapping or repellent solutions to eradicate them.

Rats are highly invasive, and once they make their nest in your house, they can quickly multiply and cause significant damage. If you notice gnawing, scurrying noises, or droppings in your attic or basement, it’s time to call a pest control company for help.

If you’re considering tackling a rat infestation on your own, remember that these rats are very wary of new objects in their environment, and will often run from a trap when it’s activated. For this reason, the most effective way to kill these rats is with snap traps or electronic traps that are designed to trigger instantly when a rat attempts to cross over them. Poisons are another common method of killing rats, but they can be extremely inhumane and dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with them. They often contain anticoagulants, which can thin the rat’s blood and lead to internal bleeding that suffocates, swells the body, or causes seizures.