Rat Infestation
Finding a rat infestation in your home or garden can be stressful, they can cause damage by gnawing through wood, electrical wiring, plastic and soft brick work can be expensive to repair if the rat infestation is not dealt with quickly.
If you have set up traps but keep finding rats then we would highly recommend seeking out professional help. Eraserpest are highly knowledgeable when it comes to dealing with rat pest control, we come across them daily, so you know you will be in safe hands!
The Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus)
- Also known as the common, street or sewer rat
- Head and body length of up to 28 cm
- Brown or grey in colour
- One of the more severe dangers are that they can carry disease
- Including salmonella and leptospirosis
- Spread through direct and indirect contact with their urine
- Also spread through water they have been in contact with
How to tell if you have a rat infestation
Rat droppings are most commonly the first sign of a rat infestation, they are dark brown, roughly 2cm long, usually tapered at either end and spread out as rats defecate on the move.
Avoid touching droppings with your bare hands, use gloves and strong bleach to clean the area once removed. If you have contacted a professional for help, it may be safer to leave any dropping for the pest control expert to deal with.
Another sign of rats in your home are rub marks or smear marks are grease and dirt left from the rat bodies as they travel across surfaces, these too are a health hazard and gloves should be worn along with a strong bleach or biocide to remove the marks.
Rats can also cause damage to your property due to them being very good diggers; they can make holes under and into your house, shed and holes through your loft insulation. Holes give rats a way to get access into your home, somewhere to shelter and store food, which can cause a whole new pest issue of its own.
You’ll be surprised to know that rats need to constantly chew or gnaw because their incisors never stop growing. By chewing it wears the teeth back, if they did not chew, they would just carry on growing until the rat was unable to eat, inevitably ending in death. By having these very strong teeth it enables rats to chew through a vast amount of materials to find shelter, warmth and food. So, keep a look out for chew marks and be sure to proof/fill any entry points the rats may be using.
Where to check for signs of a rat infestation
Your loft is full of warm insulation for the rats to nest in, timber, brickwork and wires for rats to chew on. Lofts are also generally left quite for long periods which can allow a rat infestation to become quite large. Look for rat droppings, chewing or gnawing and even the smell from rat urine.
Kitchens, washrooms and laundry rooms can give many places for rats to hide so look behind appliances such as washing machines and cookers and check any gaps where pipes or electrics come in for smear marks or chewing.
Outside, start by looking around the perimeter of your building looking for holes, chew marks or grease smears where rats could be entering. Next, check drain covers or lids for cracks or damage which could be enabling rats to enter the drain system and coming in through your toilets. Check any outbuildings or sheds for signs of rat activity. You may see droppings around undergrowth, even runs where rats are using these regularly to travel around your property.
How to get rid of rats?
The most effective way to get rid of rats from your home or business is to use a professional in rat control who will use integrated pest management to control them.
Our rat pest control treatments follow a 3-step programme with a 4th as an optional extra
- Carry out a professional survey to work out the level of the infestation and the access points they are using.
- Use the appropriate treatments to quickly and effectively erase the rats.
- Advise you on the proofing measures needed to prevent future infestations and carry out any work needed.
- Using our specialist machinery, we can mist either:
– A biocide effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi through anywhere that contamination could pose a risk to you.
– A highly effective odour control product which will get rid of any smells the rats may have left through urine and faeces.
We offer a range of rat pest control treatments from one off visits to contracts for homes, businesses, equine and agricultural premises.
How much does rat pest control cost?
For a quote on rat pest control, do not hesitate to contact us via email at contact@eraserpest.com or call us on 07572 458216.