The last thing you want to deal with inside your home or business are invasive rats. These tiny rodents can sneak around your property virtually unnoticed, staying where they think they’ll remain hidden. However, by understanding their behaviors, you can safely and effectively get rid of rats. Here are some insights into common rat behaviors to help you shape an effective pest control treatment plan.
Common Rat Behaviors to Help with Pest Control
There are several things to know about rats before you try to remove them. While they may seem harmless, rodents exhibit destructive behaviors that you should understand before attempting to get rid of rats from your home or business.
Nesting:
Rats are scavengers in nearly every aspect, including in their nesting behaviors. They’ll gather shredded material including papers, fabrics, insulation, and foliage to build nests in dark, secluded areas close to food and water sources. Take a look around your property for potential nesting spots in garages, attics or crawlspaces. Also keep an eye out for droppings on floors or dark stains on walls or near openings.
Feeding:
Rodents will chew through any type of material to dull their teeth and gain access to food. They will consume anything they can get their paws on, including grains, nuts and meats. They also aren’t picky and will chew on non-edible items, such as trash bags, cardboard, or soap. Inspect your kitchen for any chew marks on food boxes, and store perishable goods in sturdy, airtight containers. Also clean up and vacuum frequently to avoid attracting hungry rats.
Socialization:
Rats are highly social and will let out frequent squeaks to communicate to each other about food sources or warn of present dangers. Rats also live in hierarchical groups, where the most dominant rats will have top access to food and nests. If only the dominant rat is removed, however, it won’t take long for a less subordinate critter in the group to take its place and continue the rat infestation. That is why it is important to remove all invasive rats at once.
Offspring:
Rats can quickly reproduce, and mature females are able to have up to 12 litters of 6-12 pups per year. They can reach maturation by five weeks and have a gestation period of only about three weeks. This means that a small rat problem can quickly turn into a large one without the proper pest control methods in place.
Get Rid of Rats with Animal Wildlife Trappers
For the most effective and permanent way to get rid of rats, rely on the professional rat removal experts at Animal Wildlife Trappers. Our licensed and trained technicians have the equipment and experience needed to provide you with complete and permanent high-quality rat control. To schedule your appointment and receive a free estimate for our rodent removal services, give us a call today at 352-267-0546.