With all the rain around I thought it would be a good time to talk about Rats.
I know as home owners there is nothing more frustrating than just drifting off to sleep and the banging begins in the ceiling. It’s like the rats are throwing a party. At the end of this blog you will leave with a few tips you can use to prevent them from entering your ceiling and hanging around your home.
Did you know there were 200 claims made for damage caused by Rats and mice snacking on plastic parts in motor vehicles last year?
The risk to your health from ingesting foods and water that these rodents have come into contact with can cause diseases. Rats can spread 35 different diseases.
Homes are at risk of structural weakness caused by rats gnawing through aluminium and lead sheeting.
They are also well known for chewing through wiring and causing house fires.
So what are some of the tell tale signs you have rats around your property
- droppings these are around 12 mm to 18 mm in length
- added debris such as fruits with the sides eaten out
- burrow holes around buildings
- signs of gnawing damage
- pet being more excitable than usual
- squeaking, gnawing or scratching noises in walls, cupboards, ceilings and under floors.
So what can you do to deter them?
- Store firewood away from the sides of sheds and fences and keep it well clear (40 cm) off the ground.
- Regularly remove or limit garden waste or other disused material in sheds or around your yard.
- Remove fruit and nuts from trees or vines at the end of the season.
- Block holes and other potential access points around all buildings.
- Store bird seed and chicken feed in an airtight container.
- Keep pet food dishes clean and store bulk pet food supplies in containers and locations where rats cannot enter or chew through.
- Maintain rubbish and compost bins free from holes.
- Do not include meat scraps in compost.
We use Rodent stations to eradicate rats and these are lockable and not accessible by your pets. The rat makes their way into the station gnawing at the baits, the baits create thirsty rats and in turn leaves them seeking water away from the home.
If you do feel like you have got an infestation give us a call and we can certainly head out and place these Rodent Stations around your perimeter and roof void.