Rats In Your House
Thinking about rats in your house usually brings on the same reaction in most people: a shiver of dread. Rats are thought of as dirty, nasty, foul critters.
And they are.
But with colder weather on the way, rats may be seen more often in your house. Or at least, the evidence of rats being there will be seen more often. Unless there is already an infestation of rats in your house, you may not see the animal itself.
Rats prefer to stay away from humans, and this makes it harder to determine if there is an infestation if there are only a few of them. But as the population grows, more and more evidence will be seen.
When you begin seeing a lot of evidence of rats in your house, or you see the rats themselves, you likely have an infestation. That’s the time you should contact a professional to get the job done the right way and get rid of the rats completely.
Most of the time, when you have rats in your house, they will be in the insulation of walls or ceilings, in cellars, in cupboards, even behind shower stalls and bathtubs. They may also crawl in the spaces with water heaters and furnaces.
Food sources usually bring rats in your house or yard. Be sure any garbage cans have tight lids that they can’t open. Pet food that hasn’t been eaten is a good food source for rats. Fruit and berries that fall to the ground and aren’t harvested provide good food for rats. Any food that people eat, rats will eat. So you need to make sure the foods inside your house are stored appropriately.
Rats in your house can also bring diseases. Leptospirosis can be spread through rat urine. This disease may bring on liver and kidney damage, as well as heart and vascular problems. Lymphosytic choriomeningitis, a viral infectious disease, can be transmitted by rats in their saliva and urine. Ticks and fleas that live on rats may bring diseases with them, as well. The presence of rats in your house may also increase allergic reactions due to the dander, droppings, and hair left by the rats.
Rats in your house also cause damage by chewing. They are rodents and, as such, have to chew on things because their front teeth continue to grow. Gnawing on wood, plastic, even some softer metals keeps these teeth worn down. Of course, if these substances being chewed on are in your house, the damage can add up if you have a rat infestation.
When you have rats in your house, you may want to consider hiring a professional to take care of the problem for you. Heath’s Wildlife Service provides 24 hour emergency and long-term nuisance wildlife solutions for your home or business with a focus on customer service, mutual trust, and ongoing support and information. Chris Heath will give you a no-obligation, free estimate for removing pests from your home. Call 855-422-0434 or 603-664-0513.