How to eradicate rats from your home

Who can tell you how to eradicate rats from your home?  

To eradicate rats from your home, you need to be quick and thorough. There’s no point mucking around with what ‘might work’ when you need to do things that WILL work to get rid of the rats.

No time to waste when it comes to rats and mice in your place

Don’t just sit there wondering how to eradicate rats from your home – get professional help first. The idea that you can tackle a rodent problem all by yourself is understandable, but it’s not the best or most effective way to go. Just ask yourself a few quick questions and you’ll see what we mean.

1. Do you know if you have rats or mice in your place?
2. Where are they getting in?
3. Have they made a nest and where is it?
4. How bad is the rat or mice problem?
5. Where will you start if you do know how to eradicate rats from your home?

If you know the answers to all these questions, then stop fluffing about and get to work to get rid of the rodents. If you’re honest with yourself, you probably don’t know the answers and you could do with some help in getting the problem sorted out as quickly as possible.

Why rats are a problem in your home

Before you even think of how to tackle a pest problem of any kind, you need to work out IF you have a problem and how bad it already is. That is especially important when it comes to rats and mice. Rats are known for the damage they can cause to your property. It’s the fact that they can easily spread disease that is the scariest thing. Once they’re inside your place, they can contaminate food and pet feed while bringing along the nasty likes of fleas, ticks and even lice. Working out what scale of the rat or mice problem you have is the key to getting rid of them.

The first steps in being rodent-free

There are a few key things to look out for when you need to identify if you have rats at your house. You need to remember that rats (and mice) are active at night. They like the quiet and to be undisturbed. They do not like heavy traffic areas of your home and usually stay close to a reliable food source. There’s a very high chance that they will be somewhere close to your kitchen. That means checking in and around the fridge, freezer, oven and pantry.

The tell-tale signs of rats being in your home include;

• Damage to food packets – You may be able to notice damage to food packaging. Because rats tear open to get their teeth into things, there could be rip marks in packaging and even visible teeth marks left behind.
• Rat prints – rats can’t help but leave footprints and tail marks behind. This is easier to see in dusty areas. By shining a torch down low, you will be able to see any track marks the rodents have left. If you want to know if you have a rat problem that is still active, try sprinkling a layer of flour along the floor where the original marks were made. Then all you need is to check for fresh tracks the following day. You might be able to tell in which direction the tracks are heading that will lead to the nest.
• Rat droppings – a single rat can produce up to 40 droppings a night and they will be often in the one area. Droppings usually look like a dark grain of rice – something between 10 to 15mm long. Make sure you clean up any droppings by spraying with disinfectant and leaving it for at least 5 minutes.
• Rats have poor eyesight. This means they use the same routes along skirting boards and walls to get in and around. The dirt and grease on their bodies will often leave marks on the surfaces as they pass back and forth. It will be hard to tell if you have an active problem but it is another sign that you may have these pesky rodents around.
• Teeth marks – Rats have to be chewing and gnawing through things because their teeth do not stop growing. They will gnaw on anything from wood to cement, brick, plaster, cables, plastic and furniture – almost anything to keep their teeth trim. If you find damage to any part of your home that looks like it has been gnawed or chewed, it’s a good chance that rats are the culprit.
• Sounds – any squeaking, scuffling or scurrying noises in the walls or roof at night could be the tell-tale sounds of rodents moving about. Check the areas near those walls in the morning for any of the other signs of rat or mice activity.

Rats will be happily hiding during the day and waiting until it’s night. That means you will have a better chance of seeing the signs of rats in your home than an actual rat itself.

Reasons to get onto the rat problem quickly

If you have any sign of having rats in your home, get onto it at the very first sign. There is no time to waste when it comes to rodents and the disease they can bring and the damage they can do. If you act fast, you have a better chance of reducing the time it takes to deal with an infestation. A rat problem can easily get out of hand because they are quick breeders and what was a small problem can become a serious one. Call a trusted professional pest control team who can work out if you have a rodent problem and how serious it is. It will save you time and money if you act quickly.

Making your place rodent-free

There are some things that you can do to ensure your place is not inviting rodents in.

1. Check there are no obvious entry points into your home. This can be cracks or holes in the outer walls such as in the brickwork, around pipes or where trees and bushes are close to the house.
2. Get rid of the food source. Make sure that any rubbish bins are properly closed and tightly covered. Clean any outdoor dining areas, the barbeque and wipe down outdoor furniture. Look at clearing away any fallen fruit and check your compost for signs of a nest.
3. Cut back on their water supply – rats and mice need water to survive. Clear up any containers of water such as under dripping taps, gutters or spoutings and pet bowls.

Some people use strong smelling oils such as Eucalyptus and Peppermint to deter rats and mice. While this may do something to keep rodents away, any smells will only ever be temporary deterrents. Instead of asking if you can or how to eradicate rats from your home, you can only do so much yourself to be rodent-free. That’s where calling in the services of a trusted pest control team makes all the difference.

Rats out by calling Jacka Bros Pest Control in

Before things can get out of hand, see the professional team that can tackle your rodent problem promptly and properly. That’s where Jacka Bros Pest Control are the name to remember. Forget the headaches and hassles of how to eradicate rats from your home for good. Let the experts get the problem sorted out in the quickest and most efficient way. Whether it’s rats and mice, spiders and wasps, termites or ants, cockroaches, bed bugs and fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and more – Jacka Bros Pest Control have you covered. They’re the experienced team who will talk you through the specific steps in effective pest control and they’re always happy to answer any questions you have. No pushy sales stuff, no hidden costs, just straight talk and quality work every step of the way. Talk to Jacka Bros Pest Control today and have a pest-free tomorrow.