How to Prevent Rats in Your Home?

How to Prevent Rats in Your Home?

. 4 min read

Unless it is pet rats in a cage, other rats are a problem in your house. They contaminate food, damage electrical cables, and spread disease. In addition to the fires caused by gnawing the electrical wire's insulation, these rodents can transmit diseases such as hantavirus by inhaling dry urine dust from the infected rats. Eradicating them from your home can be difficult because they create hidden nesting areas. Therefore, it is best to prevent their infestation before they happen.

If you discover that your home is playing host to rats, you need to take the right steps to prevent them from entering your home. Usually, the signs of their presence are the small and dark stools that look like small grains of rice found along the walls or in places with food material. Also, you can notice other devastation like chewed holes in bags and boxes of dry goods in pantries, pet food, or grass seeds in a garage.

If you actually have rats in your home already, it's normally best to opt for professional pest control, and you can find this via ExpertEasy in many locations, such as:

Having said this, below are the day-to-day ways to prevent rats at home so that, hopefully, you won't need to get pest control experts in very often.

Block all entry points

The most crucial preventive measure to prevent rats in your home is to check the foundation and the walls of the house to ensure all entry points are blocked. The rats can get in through the smaller cracks.

Therefore, block the foundation cracks with the masonry repair material and check the joints around the doorsills and windows, which might allow them. Make sure the seals at the garage door edges are in good condition. If your garage is isolated, it can become a comfortable home for rats, so check any entry points.

Keep bird feeders distanced from home

The ground grains and seeds found in many bird feeders please the rats. This is evident with the availability of squirrels, which are the cousins ​​of the rats. Feeding the birds become a loved hobby, but you should not be surprised if their feeders attract rats. If you need to feed them, keep the feeders as far away as possible from the house to keep the rats away.

Seal pet food

You need to seal cat and dog foods and make them airtight immediately after purchase. Many homeowners pour the food dump, which attracts the rats at the same time. The rats love dry pet food; therefore, keep them tightly sealed in the containers and above the floor.

Seal garbage cans and bins

Garbage cans and bins near the garage or house are a call for the rats. Unless they are tightly sealed with airtight lids, they will attract rats. Preferably, keep these containers as far away from your home as possible. Place them on the platforms above the floor and secure the lids with heavy stones or bungee cords.

Management of plants

Having dense garden plants and shrubs near the house can provide hiding places for rats searching for entry holes through walls and foundations. Plants and shrubs should be planted some feet away from the foundation to keep the level of the soil low enough to prevent rats from pushing behind the sliding.

Clean countertops and floors

Occasional cleaning, especially in a kitchen, which leaves food scraps or spilled crumbs on the countertops or floor, helps to prevent rats in your home. Always keep the broom handy to pick up crumbs, do not leave pet food on the floor or the plates. If you have a pet bird, sweep up any scattered seeds which have fallen to the floor.

Seal dry food

Rodents and insects are easily attracted by sugar, flour, and other foods stored in paper cartons or bags. They also attract rats, which are in the group of rodents, and these foods need to be airtight in metal or plastic containers. You can also store them in the refrigerator or on high shelves. Rats have no incentives to attract them to your homes unless they smell the source of the food.

Close outside doors

Open garage doors can be an invitation to the rats, particularly when they want a warm place in the winter season. You need to make it custom to close the garage door immediately after exit or entry. Keep sliding glass doors and basement windows closed or at least protected to prevent rat access. Never leave your garage door or other entrances open at night, as they are active in the dark.

Use holistic repellents

Although this is purely a preventive measure, you need to add holistic repellents outside and inside your home. Peppermint oil is well known for irritating the nasal passages of rats due to its strong menthol smell.

Try to spray essential oils or grow peppermint leaves around the house to prevent their entry. If you do not like the peppermint odour in the home, sprinkle some essential oil.

Set traps and live bait

Another way to prevent rats in your home is to set up some traps and live bait stations throughout the year.

A trap is a poison-free and humane way of trapping the rats while alerting you when they're entering your home, while bait stations contain toxic granules that cause the rats to get thirsty and go in search of water outside the home so that they normally die near rivers and creeks.

It is easier to catch either one or two in the beginning than to deal with them after the entire colony has entered the house through the walls. Keep traps and live bait out of reach for pets and children.

Conclusion

Rats are irritating animals when in our homes. You need to know that they are the most frustrating pests in homes, which can cause diseases, contaminate food and cause destruction in your home. They can cause more damage in a short time if not prevented.

This means you need to look for the best and most effective method to prevent them. You should opt for professional pest control when there is evidence of a rat infestation. Rats are dangerous, so it is best not to take any chances when handling them. With an expert's assistance, you are sure of getting the best method that will fit you.



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Laura Kemp

Laura is from the UK and has a background in digital marketing for consumer products across global markets.

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