Since rats are most active at night, it is often challenging to see the actual rats that may have invaded your home and made a nest. But just because you do not see them does not mean that your house is vermin free. To protect yourself and your family from suffering the kind of property damages these rodents bring, not to mention the potential health hazards and diseases, you need to keep an eye out for signs of a rat infestation. These signs will give you a clear indication that you have a rat infestation in your home and need to call for rat control services.
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Signs of a rat infestation
Rat Droppings
This is often the most obvious sign. A rat typically produces up to 40 droppings a night, and these dark, rice-shaped droppings will be concentrated near food packages, under sinks, and in hidden areas. Older droppings are often dry and easily crumble when touched. New droppings, on the other hand, are dark and moist. On further investigation, you might find the rodent’s nesting area as this will be the location with the most droppings concentration. But do rats dig tunnels? Often rats build burrows near the source of food using their limbs to tunnel their way.
Scratching or Grinding Noises
The type of noise you hear will depend on the kind of rats you have in your home. Black rats do a lot of climbing and often produce scratching noises at night. Brown rats, on the other hand, tend to gnaw at the housing structure itself as well as pieces of furniture around the house. You will also find bite marks on food packaging and even clothes.
Rub Marks and Footprints
Because rats commonly have dirt and grease on their coats, they tend to rub this off on clean surfaces. You may begin to notice small streaks of dark markings, akin to skid marks, on your carpets. You could also see a trail of tiny footprints on dusty surfaces as the rats scurry around in the dark. If you want to find out whether the infestation is new, try sprinkling fine powder around the trail of the footprints and check the next morning if there are fresh marks.
Call a licensed exterminator at 647-496-2211 as soon as you even suspect that you might have rats. These rodents are not to be trifled with at all. Not only they can cause significant property damage, but they carry with them diseases and a host of health hazards that will infect your household. Hire a professional exterminator to get rid of them and close any entryways or attraction sites that might be drawing rats to your home. If you want to buy some rat control products please visit our online store.
