My Neighbor Has Rats – What Should I Do?

You might have heard chatter about your neighbor’s having rats and that concerned you as well. This is completely normal knowing how rats have a habit of spreading out. There are numerous factors that contribute to your neighbour’s rat issue. You might have peeked over the fence and seen that your neighbor’s yard is a mess, not well maintained, with weeds growing out, fence in disrepair, and seeing an occasional rat in your own yard!

So how do you approach this issue if your neighbor is unwilling to address the issue or is unable to be reached?
Does your neighbor or you have rats and are concerned about rat presence on your property? Hire a fully licensed and insured rat control specialist from The Exterminators Inc. 

Let’s describe the steps that you can take to protect yourself against your neighbor’s infestation to make sure that your property does not suffer from the same consequences as well. You have seen a rat and that gave you quite the scare and now you’re wondering if rats are on your property as well.

Check for the following to identify rat presence:

• You may see rat droppings that resemble olive pits. Rat droppings are on average 10-12 mm long, are black, and shiny depending on how recent they are and have pointed ends. These droppings can be found everywhere the rat is active or has been active since they do not have a designated area to poop.

• Rats are natural wreckers, and they show this very well by gnawing on everything they come across. You can find gnawed woods, plants, cables, and even yard decorations. Gnawing marks are a definitive sign that a rodent is or has been at work.

• A rat makes rat holes also known as rat burrows to house themselves. These rat holes can be found around the property and might be easily confused for a molehill. This might be a sign of a more serious rat problem that can spread to your home.

• It might be that your pets seem a bit more hyper than usual and that is because they notice something that you don’t – rats.

Hiding Spots

 Rats unlike mice are not very curious by nature and will do anything to avoid detection due to their size. If your neighbor’s yard is poorly maintained, it becomes the perfect hideaway for rats, but this does not mean that the rats won’t hide in your yard as well.

As mentioned before, rats make burrows. These are essentially holes that rats live in. They will make burrows directly in the ground or under the base of any structure. These include stone patios, wooden decks, sheds, and storage units.

The base of the structure acts as a fortified roof for the rat since they want to always feel safe.
Even though rats are outdoor creatures, if they have a good opportunity, they will forfeit all that and seek inside cover.

Rats will enter garages and make a nest out of whatever material they find. This can be styrofoam, steel gauze, sticks, fabric, you name it, the rat will make it.

So now that you know how to recognize rat presence, how do you protect yourself?

Remove Foods

Rats are wherever food is. So, when there is no food, there won’t be any rats. Rat food can eat any type of food since they are omnivores meaning that they eat pretty much everything. Rats can be attracted to bird seeds, pet food, and vegetation. Make sure everything is stored away properly. This goes without saying, that whatever is on the ground should be removed as well.

Seal and Dispose of Trash As Soon As Possible

If you have trash, that can be the rat’s treasure. Make sure to seal garbage bags tightly and ensure that they are stored in garbage bins so that they can’t reach them. Garbage bags left outside can also attract a host of other pests that you do not want on your property as well. A good tip is to bring out the trash on garbage collection day.

Regular Yard Maintenance

Rats hide, and they hide well. This is why your neighbour has rats because they hide between overgrown vegetation. Make sure you don’t meet the same fate as your neighbour by maintaining the yard properly. This starts by trimming down grass, bushes, and weeds. If you have leaves and twigs, make sure this is removed as well since this can well be used as nesting material. While your yard may not win a beauty contest, at least it won’t attract rats.

Preventative Exclusion

Ever heard of the expression “better safe than sorry”? In this situation, this certainly needs to be applied. Rats will take advantage of every hole and every gap the size of a quarter that they can find to get to more food and that includes coming over to the other side – your yard.

The best thing to do here is to patch up any holes from your side including the fence that you both share. Make sure to carefully scour your yard for any hole or gap that needs to be patched. This includes the base on where the deck or patio sits on. We highly recommend professional assistance since they know what rats are capable of. Professionals have access to rat-proof materials that are impossible to penetrate. Need help? Call 647-496-2211

Hire a Professional to Place Bait on Your Property

Hire a professional rat exterminator professional that is licensed and insured. These professionals have all the tools and equipment needed to remove and prevent rats. Licensed professionals have access to commercial-grade rodenticides not available to the public that they place in tamper-proof bait stations strategically around the property. Rats are attracted to the bait, eat it, and perish. If the rat issue keeps persisting, take action by going for this guaranteed and permanent solution. It might be so that you need to coordinate with your neighbor on this.

Hire Us – The Exterminators Inc. For Guaranteed Rat Extermination!

 Professionals use a multi-step approach, especially the professionals from The Exterminators Inc. We are fully licensed and insured exterminators with experience that goes back years and have been helping families, business owners, and individuals ever since we started.

We conduct thorough inspections to determine problem areas and rat presence.
We deploy commercial-grade rodenticides in bait form stored in tamper-proof exterior bait stations and put snap traps on the inside.

Finally, we seal and protect the property from any future rat presence with rat-proof materials. Here you have it! Rats gone and safe is your lawn.

Want to benefit from our affordable high-quality services? Call our customer representatives at 647-496-2211 and book us today!