Roof rats are common household pests. They tend to like high places such as trees and the upper levels of buildings. They can be destructive if they take up residence in your attic. Roof rats also carry various diseases, so they are dangerous to have in your home. Controlling roof rats is a combination of killing off the rats in your house and blocking rats from getting inside. Here are some tips that might help keep the pests out of your house:
Trim Trees That Are Near Your Roof
Since roof rats like to climb trees, you want to make sure they can't jump from the top of a tree onto your roof. If you don't trim branches so they don't hang over your home, the rats will have a clear path to get on your roof. Once they do that, they can chew their way inside your attic where they will do all sorts of harm. The rats like insulation for nests, so they will tear it up and soil it with their droppings. This leads to a foul odor in your home and the risk of rodents spreading diseases through their droppings and fleas that may jump off and bite your family or your pets.
Hire A Pest Control Company To Seal Your Home
Keeping the rats out of your home is of utmost importance. This requires going over the exterior of your home and sealing all the gaps you find. Since roof rats often enter through the top of your house, you may need to hire a rodent expert to climb on your roof and place barriers over open vents and pipes. Gaps should be sealed with steel mesh or plates since rats will chew through most other materials if they detect warmth for shelter or food inside the attic.
Set Traps Inside The Attic
Once your home is sealed, the rodent control professional can set traps inside your attic to get rid of any pests that are living in your house. It's usually a good practice to start off with a large number of traps so the infestation can be cleared out before the rodents become wary of the traps. By placing them in the attic, the traps will be away from kids and pets and be where the roof rats are most likely to be found. However, it's possible for the rats to be anywhere in your home. Since they tend to follow the same path when they move about, you can usually tell where they frequent by looking for an oily trail they leave behind.
Deny The Rats Food, Water, And Nesting Places
The final step in rodent control is to stop attracting the rats to your home. This is often difficult since the rats seek warm shelter in the winter, and your home is a warm and cozy place to build a nest. Instead, you can get rid of clutter so the rats have fewer places to hide and make their homes. Also, seal all your food and repair water leaks so it won't be easy for rats to find a meal or water to drink inside your home.
If you see rats during the day, that could be a sign of a large infestation. Roof rats are most active at night, so you may not see them at all. You may hear them scratching and gnawing in your attic or see their droppings instead. Rats are smart animals and they can be difficult to eliminate. It's a good idea to bring in a professional exterminator so you rid your home of the dangerous pests as quickly as possible.
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