Rats are surprisingly common pests. These animals do not only dwell in sewers and filth; they often burrow in suburban yards and neighbourhood parks. If they find an opening on your property, they will break in and wreak havoc on the structure of your home, costing you thousands in damages. They may even make you sick because they carry several diseases. Protecting your home against rats will save you the headache of an infestation. Call Rat Exterminator Oakville today if you’re worried about rats.
The most widespread species of rat in Ontario is the brown rat. This rat has many other names as well, such as the street rat, common rat, or sewer rat. The brown rat has shaggy grey or brown fur, black eyes, and a rounded snout. Its body measures about 28cm in length and it has a long, nearly hairless tail that reaches just as long. This rat burrows underground, so it commonly infests people’s basements. The second most common species is the roof rat, or black rat, which is darker in colour and prefers to live above ground in attics and trees. Both rats are nocturnal omnivores.
Rats invade people’s homes in search of food, warmth, and shelter. They are attracted to the warm air and smell of food that emanate from the home’s vents, doors, and windows. To prevent an invasion, start by making the yard less attractive to rats and work your way indoors. Remove sources of food from the yard like fallen fruit, bird feeders, and pet droppings. Then, move shrubbery and firewood away from the walls of the home. You should also cut tree branches a few feet away from the roof to make it harder for roof rats to enter the attic.
Before working on the inside of the home, examine your deck, foundation, walls, and roof closely for any gaps or cracks that the animals could use to get inside. Rats often burrow around houses and crawl through these holes to nest inside the house. Seal them shut with silicone, concrete, or steel mesh. You can also cap wall vents and pipes with steel mesh as rats are known to chew through them. Check the garage door and replace its weatherstripping if it is worn. Then, inside the house, store pantry goods in sealed containers and vacuum regularly. Reduce clutter in the basement and attic.
If you have been witnessing some rat activity on your property, you should call a professional rat remover for help. He or she can assess the situation for you and install bait stations to keep the rat population under control. Bait stations are little tamper-proof boxes that contain rodenticide and require a key to open. The rodenticide inside is specifically formulated to target rats. A professional can also pest-proof your home with commercial-grade, galvanized steel mesh and caulking on all potential entry points. Call Pest Control Oakville today for safe, high quality rat removal and proofing: 647-560-0354.