Like many homeowners, you’ve unfortunately found yourself with a rodent infestation. Rats have invaded your home. Before you even begin to attack the problem, you might be wondering: how did these rats even get into my house? Clearly, you didn’t let them in the front door, and you keep your windows closed all the time. So how did they get in?
Where do rats come from?
First, you have to consider what attracts rats, or any rodent for that matter: sources of food and shelter. Your home is a shelter, so there isn’t much you can do to change that. However, you can take steps to keep the food in and around your home from attracting rats.
What attracts rats?
Rats have a keen sense of smell, so the best way to keep them from detecting food in your home is to seal it up as much as possible. Consider these tactics:
- Move any food that lives in plastic bags to glass or metal containers.
- Store all fruits and veggies in the refrigerator, rather than the kitchen counter.
- Keep floors clear of crumbs and wash dishes regularly.
- Put away pet food and water bowls when not in use.
- Cover exterior and interior trash and compost containers – and keep them covered.
- Seal any pipe or faucet leaks in bathrooms or kitchens. (Rats need water to survive, so don’t give them a water source!)
- If you have ivy growing on exterior walls, remove it. Rats use ivy as a source of food and shelter, and they can use it to scale walls and enter a house.
In addition to having a strong sense of smell, remember that rats have serious skills. They can fit through holes that are a half-inch in diameter, even though their bodies are usually several inches in diameter. They can chew through very tough materials, such as wood, glass, metal, concrete, etc. Rats have large, strong feet that make them excellent climbers. They are also skilled swimmers – they can access your home by swimming up through pipes and drains, even going so far as to enter through the toilet!
How rats enter your home
A rat’s agility and sense of smell make it a prime candidate to enter your home, whether for food or shelter. Unfortunately, there are numerous places where rats might enter your home that have no bearing on doors or windows. When a house is being built or even repaired, there are plenty of opportunities created for rats to enter. If you’re looking for the specific entry point, listen for rat noises to see if you can pinpoint it that way. Look for these types of openings where rats may be entering your home:
- Holes chewed around pipes or wires
- Intersections of roofing where gaps occur
- Vents or screens that are chewed up
- Cracks in basement foundations
- Unsealed windows and doors
- Holes in cabinets or closets
Once you find any of these entry points, you can decide whether to seal them now or attempt to draw the rats out and trap them so they don’t die inside your walls or crawl spaces. Materials commonly used for sealing are aluminum flashing and metal mesh that is at least ¼ inch thick.
How to get rid of rats
Rats are pretty resourceful creatures, but we also give them plenty of opportunities to invade our homes. Make your home as inhospitable as possible – to rats, that is – by sealing away all that scrumptious food and easy entry points. And if you don’t want to take on this arduous task, contact ABC to learn more about our rodent control services. We can do the hard work of identifying the location of the rodents, removing the infestation and sealing up entry points so you can go back to enjoying your home.