The Restless Rustling of Roaming Rats
The pitter-patter of tiny feet scampering through
your attic late at night is likely to be a sign
that roof rats have found an ideal nesting area
in your home. Roof rats (rattus rattus) are fond
of nesting in secluded areas high above the ground
such as attics, overhead garage storage, palm trees
or wood piles.
Other signs that roof rats have made a home in
your home are smudge marks on surfaces from oil
and dirt rubbing off their fur when they travel
high up in structures, such as between rafters.
Because roof rats prefer to live overhead, there
will be fewer signs of droppings, urine, or rat
tracks. Most often, though, the only sign of their
presence will be the sounds they make while scurrying
about above your ceiling and inside the walls.
Roof rats can cause considerable damage by tearing
up insulation, chewing through wiring (which creates
a fire hazard), and can carry human diseases such
as murine typhus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis,
rat bite fever and plague. They may also transfer
fleas, ticks, and other blood-sucking insects from
one place to another.
Our technicians know that accurate identification
is critical to effective control. Roof rats are
especially wily and adaptable, which is why many
typical rodent control methods are not effective
on them. Also, because roof rats may travel several
hundred feet in one night to find food and water,
the pests you’re hearing may be nesting at
your neighbor’s house, and just using yours
for a “night on the town.”
We focus on exclusion for controlling roof rats,
which means we will work with you to modify your
home to make it less suitable for these pests. Because
they can fit through openings as small as 1/2-inch
wide, we will examine your attic and roofline as
thoroughly as possible to identify and seal these
entry points. Attempting to control rats without
taking this important step could become a never-ending
battle.
Roof rats are fast breeders. Females produce five
to eight pups / litter, and can have around five
litters per year. That’s 40 little roof rats
living in your home!
Roof rats are very sensitive to changes in their
environment. You can do a lot to deter them by simply
by making your home less attractive to pests. This
means eliminating food sources, cutting back protective
cover such as ivy and vegetation, and cutting off
aerial pathways.
The pitter-pattering of little feet should be from
your kids, or grandkids, or pets, not from roof
rats. If scampering in the ceiling or scratching
in the walls keeps you up at night, call us or schedule
online.
