Here Come the Rats

As the weather cools, the minds of many turn to warm living rooms with roaring fires. Other animals also seek warmer quarters when the nights turn frosty. In many Atlanta neighborhoods, rats are included in this. To avoid sharing your cozy winter home with the local rat family, follow these tips:

Watch for Entrances

Rats can enter into a building through a very small crack. Essentially, every hole the size of its skull and larger is a passable entrance. If you regularly find that you have rodent friends, you may want to ask your local wildlife removal expert to take a look around. They can often find places you’ve overlooked that are common entry and exit points.

Remove Food and Water Sources                                            

Rats, in general, have a small forage radius. This means that if you have them in your home, you probably have the place where they’re eating in your yard. Common feeding grounds include pet food that’s been left out. This can be anything from a bowl of cat food to chicken feed spread in the yard. Chicken feed stored outside in a container that’s not airtight is another common location. Garbage cans and dumpsters that are not sealed are also common. Fruit trees, especially in abundance, can also draw rats.

Lose the Access Points

Georgia has two common rats, each with their own way of accessing your home. Norway rats are subterranean tunnelers and will find your home through low points. Watch for them to go in through your siding or into your crawl space or foundation. Black rats, or roof rats, are nature’s acrobats. They can follow anything from aerial power lines to overhanging branches to enter your home. They can head in through gaps in the eaves, roof, chimney, and siding. Roof rats will hang out in the attic, while Norway rats prefer the foundation.

Are rats a recurring problem for you? Do you want to stop them before they even get a chance to enter your home? Contact your local wildlife removal expert for a home and yard inspection. By hiring experts for rat removal service you can save yourself the damage to your home and increase your piece of mind at the same time.