Almost everyone knows the feeling of finding mice or rodents in your home. A rodent sighting can provoke fear in even the most composed homeowner, whether in the kitchen, basement, attic, garage, or dining room. Also, these rodents are resourceful creatures that can enter a home through a minor crack or opening and need very little space to travel inside.
Rats cause many problems and can’t be allowed to stay that include:
- The spread of disease, even fatal.
- Damage to your property.
- Contaminated food storage and preparation areas.
- The risk of fires from chewed wires.
Signs of Rodent Presence
When a mouse or rat enters a house, it often goes unseen. Typically, signs of them include small dark droppings of feces that look like tiny grains of rice. You may also notice other damage, such as chewed holes in bags and boxes of dry goods, in pet food bags, etc.
Inspect closely along baseboards or near any holes in the floors, like where radiator pipes come through, which may show rub marks where the rodents have chewed to gain access. In addition, you may find small areas filled with debris and feces in hidden areas beneath cabinets.
If you have pets, then they may exhibit alert behavior, sensing the presence of a rodent. And you may even hear sounds of scratching or scurrying in the walls or floors, especially at night in silent and dark.
Find Their Entry Point
Before putting down any traps or bait, first, figure out where they’re coming from. Without finding their entry points, putting traps randomly all over your basement floor isn’t going to do you any good. So instead, try your best to discover where the mice live and build nests, and then set the traps around those areas.
Block All Entry Points
After finding the entry points, block all of them. It is the single most crucial preventive measure you can take to inspect the walls and foundation of your house to ensure any potential entry points are blocked. Mice can enter through small cracks like 1/4-inch in diameter, so block wall cracks. In addition, you can use a masonry repair material and inspect joints around windows and doorsills for space that lets them access your indoors.
Don’t forget the garage. Ensure weather seals along the bottom corners of doors are good. If your garage is packed, it may become a home for a rodent. Also, check your attic since rodents love the warmth of insulation.
Don’t Let Them Eat
Rats will find things to eat around your property. They are resourceful, so you have to be careful in dealing with them. Cover garbage cans always. Pick up fruit and vegetables that fall to the ground. Get produce from your garden and trees as it ripens. Don’t leave leftover food lying around and feed outdoor pets during the day. Don’t put pet food outside without making it rodent-proof.
Remove Their Habitat
Don’t give these rodents a place to live. Instead, remove debris like limbs, old cars, or appliances from your property. If you have woodpiles or lumber, store them above ground and a foot or so away from your home and other walls.
Remove Heavy Nature
Trim trees, shrubs, and limbs back four feet from your home
Set Traps Inside
Now, it’s time to set traps. Many traps are available in the market to catch rats inside your home, such as cage traps.
Use Baits And Poisons Outside
Use toxic baits and poisons outside the home as rats can spread poison indoors, making it dangerous for all. Before doing this step, always read and follow label directions. Ensure rat bait is in an enclosed bait site. Keep the bait where kids and pets can’t reach it.
Check Your Neighborhood
Rats could be your neighborhood issue. Check them out. If you have a rat problem, deal with it. Join with neighbors to check community areas for rat activity or hire professionals. Then, take the same steps listed above in these areas.
Call The Professionals
Generally, the most effective step for getting rid of rats is to call on professional rodent exterminators when you see signs of a rat infestation. However, rats are dangerous, so it’s best not to take a chance when dealing with them. Also, expert help will give you much better results than working on your own.
Conclusion
Rats harbor diseases and destroy your house, also contaminate your food. So, if you spot any rodent infestation or see any signs, do not wait and handle the situation with the above measures. Rodents reproduce quickly and can turn into a big issue overnight if left untreated.
