Having rodents invade your home can be quite stressful. But if you ever get a glimpse of a big, fat rat milling about in the kitchen, you most likely will enter a new level of panic. Rats can get up to 18 inches long as they scurry from the nest to your kitchen and back again looking for food. Your home can suffer damage as the rats chew on anything from copper wiring, baseboards, doors, and wooden furniture. They can even leave behind harmful bacteria that can pass diseases on to you, your family, or your pets. Having a rat infestation is a serious problem that needs to be addressed swiftly before more rats are born and begin breeding. A female rat can have up to 85 babies in a single year. If you see a rat in your house, immediately form a plan to get rid of it in hopes of stopping a full infestation from developing. The following tips can help you decide what to do.
DIY approach
If you see a single rat in your home, head to your local store to get a few rat traps. Baiting the traps with something sticky like peanut butter will make the crafty rat spend more time on the trap allowing a bigger opportunity of setting it off. Rats can be quite impressive when it comes to getting a piece of cheese or other piece of food off of the trap without tripping it.
Place the traps in places that you may have found droppings but are well out of the way of where you and your family walk. If you have young children who may see the trap and want to pick it up, put the traps between the wall and the refrigerator, under the kitchen sink if you have baby locks on the cabinet doors, or in some other out of reach area.
It is also possible to buy rat poison over the counter. But exercise extreme caution, of course, if you decide to use it in your home. Children and pets can get into it if not carefully administered in out of reach areas. It is also possible for a poisoned rat to come into your home, eat out of your pet’s food, and end up poisoning your pet as well.
Calling in a pest pro
If you catch the rat and you are still finding evidence of rats in the home, it is time to call in a rodent control pro. It only takes two rats to make a whole lot more so if you have already seen two rats or find evidence that they are in your house, you can bet that there are even more rats behind your walls or in your attic. A pest pro will set bait traps outside your home to lure the rats outside so they can be safely caught. A pest control technician will not only address the rat problem, but they will also identify and repair any found entry points the rats are using to enter your home. After the rat infestation is completely eradicated, you will have several follow up inspections to make sure the rats have really been cleared out of your home for good.
Pest pro in San Diego County
If treating your home for a rat problem hasn’t worked, call a pro to get the job done swiftly and safely so you can get back to life as usual. If you live in San Diego County and want the absolute best rodent control, give Nixtermite a call today.
