Rodent problems are common in Yuma Arizona. There are particular reasons for this, and some you can do something about to prevent a rat infestation. But, if you notice signs that you have rats, you don’t have to beat yourself up over it.
It would be prudent to take early action at the first signs to minimize the possibility that the rats might propagate and cause a health hazard – making the issue of ridding yourself of roof rats even harder to resolve. The best option is always to work with experienced roof rat experts like Hitman Pest of Yuma
To help you, here is a list of signs to look for.
In general, rats are intelligent creatures that have a mission regarding food and shelter. Furthermore, they like a warm place to shelter from the cold. So the winter season is no time to slouch on regular pest control services.
There is a high likelihood of finding rats have invaded your house or other properties during fall and into winter without anything luring them like pet food or animal feed. Farm or stable owners understand the significance of maintaining all feed well-covered and secured from rat raids.
Since rats can enter a property through any covering which they could chew, inspect the building from the ground to the roof. Focus on any place where exterior elements are fed via the outer building envelope into the cabin, home, or commercial properties like cable lines, vents, or where there might be ductwork or flashing.
Check out for any voids that are larger than one-fourth an inch. Maintain all trash cans sealed inside and outdoors. It would be best to store all firewood stacks and debris piles away from properties to eradicate potential rat’s nests.
These rodents are excellent climbers and can’t hesitate to utilize trellises and adjacent tree limbs to seek any unsealed nooks and crannies and get inside. Because nature has offered the rat a set of teeth that constantly grow, they’re always searching for materials which they can chew and gnaw to help keep those chompers filed down.
Typically, rats chew through plastic, metal, joists, wooden beams, cardboard, and wallboard. The longer your rat infestation goes unnoticed, the more financial damage they may cause to your building with their incessant chewing. The worst part is that they love to chew through wires – this may subject property to the likelihood of an electrical fire.
You don’t have to see a rat before the critters have assumed residence in your home. Although rats like to come out mostly during the night, you might be able to notice their invisible presence from the strange sounds they make. The funny part is that you’re less likely to see even one before you start to notice the signs that signify their presence. These include:
Rat Droppings: They are often found in concentrated places since rats produce about 40 droppings per night. Typically, brown rat droppings are in a tapered and spindle shape approximately 9mm – 14mm long. Generally, they may resemble a huge grain of rice.
Footprints (running tracks): These rodents usually leave foot and tail prints in dusty and less-used places. Shining your flashlight at a relatively low angle can reveal these tracks.
If you’d like to determine whether an infestation is active, consider sprinkling talc or fine floor along a small floor stretch near the footprints and look out for fresh tracks the following day.
Scratching Noises: Do you suspect you may have rats on your roof? Roof rats, or black rats, are known to be agile climbers and may easily invite themselves into loft spaces and upper floors of houses.
Hearing scratching noises during the night from above might signify their presence. On the other hand, brown rats are less skilled climbers. Mostly, you might hear them scurrying under sheds, floorboards, and decking. They’re more likely to be recognized by a grinding noise they produce with their teeth called bruxing.
Damage: As aforementioned, rats have constantly growing teeth; therefore, they need to gnaw them on plastic and wood to keep them trim. You might also recognize ripped food packaging since rats tend to tear open food and leave behind visible teeth marks.
Rub Marks: Rats usually use established routes along walls and skirting boards because of their poor eyesight. Dirt and grease on their bodies leave dark marks and smudges on surfaces and objects they repeatedly brush against. These marks might signify rodent activity. However, as smears might remain for an extended period, they aren’t an ideal gauge of an active infestation.
Burrows: Typically, brown rats are believed to dig and excavate extensive burrow systems for food storage, shelter, and nesting. Check out for burrows in garages, under garden sheds or decking, or in compost heaps.
Nests: Rats tend to build nests in warm and secret areas using different shredded materials like fabrics and newspapers. Mostly, nests will have young rats and are often found close to their food source.
