Rats, especially an infestation, are capable of transmitting very many diseases. Their nesting can significantly compromise the structure of the buildings they infest while their feeding is destructive. When there is a low infestation population, it proves difficult for us humans to confirm as they are very secretive and not easily seen.
The discovery of dead or living rats is the most automatic sign of pest infestation. A full blown infestation is imminent when rats are seen in plain sight they love to hide when giving room. Rats are forced out in the open when there is an increased population and space becomes limited.
A healthy feeding population of these rodents can also be confirmed by the presence of their droppings and dirt marks on the floor and walls. Look the surrounding for running rats if the visible signs are absent whose tracks are left little vegetation and grass which are loved as foraging paths for these small animals. After they are established these rodents, tend to follow the same route.
Rat’s nests is also another sign, and they are found in attics, lofts, in areas that are not frequently visited and under floor boards. Rats love to gnaw on materials such as wood and plastics and by having damaged material, and significant holes in walls and floorboards is a way to ascertain rat infestation and their teeth leave behind marks that are rough in appearance and big. It’s always best to consult an exterminator or a professional in pest control.
Most of the available traps take care of individual specimens and will not be effective when the infestation is full blown. Rats are also wary of unknown objects in the paths of foraging making many tracks where you can set the traps ineffective.
How The Homeowner Can Get Rid Of Mice/Rats
Eliminating places where rats and mice reside, their food and water sources is critical in controlling their presence in your home.
Rats need a direct supply of water while mice get water from the food they eat. Sanitation is essential in preventing access to food including the one stored in cardboard boxes.
Garbage should also be kept in sealed containers, and eventually, when the supply of food is limited, the rodents start to kill each other and move to other places which offer suitable conditions.
Exclusion is also imperative. Seal off all openings to your property which are more than a quarter inch in size. This may openings may include places like around doors and window frames, floor cracks and crevices and any other place with mortar, screen or metal or other barriers that the rodents cannot eat through.
After this steps are implemented, a small infestation may be brought under control by the use of traps; a wood base trap and peanut butter as the bait. Rats are more sensitive of baits than mice because mice are curious naturally. Your traps should be perpendicular to the frames and walls so that the rodents may run over them as they move. Though trapping may eliminate a small populous, large infestations may require bait poisoning.
Many poisons that were previously used have been banned as they represent health dangers to both humans and pets such as strychnine. The most popular poisons used today are anticoagulants that work differently from conventional poisons as they cause internal bleeding in the rodent. The poisoned mice and rats simply hemorrhage to death internally. Some of this anticoagulants require several daily doses to be efficient and even higher quantities to prove detrimental to humans thus a single dose is not fatal.
Others include chemicals which are so bitter for pets or people to stand even a pinch as a safety precaution. Anticoagulants have the advantage of not inducing bait shyness to the rodents, but you must keep a continuous supply until the anticoagulant becomes useful when using multi-purpose formulations. You can single handily mount the attack on mice and rats because the traps and baits are readily available in your nearby stores.
The demerit of contacting a professional is you will have to finance multiple visits. However the pest control professional is more experienced and knowledgeable; skills that prove priceless in the endeavor to a rodent free home.
