Have you ever heard of the term co-dependence? It is when two things rely on one another to exist comfortably. In a relationship, it is when one partner cannot go to the supermarket if the other won’t go with them. In the pest world, it is when a creature directly relies on a human habitat to survive. Today we will be talking about rats, one of the most co-dependent pests in existence. To help you understand these furry invaders, here is everything you, as an Opelika property owner, ought to know.
Common Rat Habits and Behaviors
Rats are one of the largest property-invading rodents in the United States. One thing rats are best known for is their sharp front incisor teeth. Just like cat claws, these teeth must be filed down on a regular basis. Common things rats chew on or through include walls, ceilings, furniture, utility piping, and electrical wires. As a general rule, if a rat wants to get from point A to point B and something is in their way, they will chew through it.
Rats are omnivorous, meaning they can eat both meats and vegetables. Around properties, rats will look for convenient food. We should mention that rats are also nocturnal and will most often only come out at night to scavenge for food. If they have trouble finding things to munch on around your home, rats might decide to put in some effort, chewing through stored boxes of food to find a bite to eat. This is when real problems start.
Problems Rats Cause
Rats are a trifecta of problems. They are annoying in the way they make noise at all hours of the night. They are destructive in that they use their teeth to chew through walls, sever electrical wires, and gnaw holes into utility piping.
Above all else, rats are dangerous. Rats are one of the filthiest and disease-ridden pests on the planet and are directly or indirectly responsible for at least two major plagues. This problem mostly stems from their desire to swim and crawl through filthy areas such as sewers, garbage heaps, and around dead animals. When rats wander through properties, they spread disease-causing organisms from their bodies and through their fecal matter and urine. Food is quickly contaminated, and families are put at risk of serious sickness. Here are just a few common diseases these pests spread.
- Hantavirus
- Leptospirosis
- Rat-bite fever
- Salmonellosis
- Tularemia
How To Prevent Rats
If your home does not already have a rat infestation, we have some good news for you. It isn’t too late to put in place prevention strategies. Here are some of the best ways you can deter and exclude these pests from your Opelika home.
- Use a caulking gun and some steel wool to fill in gaps, cracks, and holes in your home’s exterior foundation.
- Repair damage to the exterior of your home that might allow rats a way inside.
- Eliminate clutter and debris from your yard.
- Trim back bushes and tree branches at least five feet from your home’s exterior walls.
- Install metal screens over spouts to gutters and utility piping leading out of your home.
- Pick up fruit from your yard as it falls from trees.
- Keep your yard and home/business as clean as possible.
- Store leftovers and boxed foods inside tough airtight containers. Metal and glass containers work best for keeping out rats.
- Clean out your pet’s food and water bowls after they finish each meal.
For more help preventing rats, or to have a current infestation eliminated, contact the experts at Prewett Pest Control. Our team is equipped with advanced solutions and uses industry-leading pest control technologies to effectively and quickly handle rodent infestations. We are your home or business’s best solution to rat problems.