4 Common Signs of Rat Infestation

During cold weather, rats may move into your house, searching for shelter and food. A rat infestation can be dangerous since these rodents may contaminate your food, posing a health risk to you and your family members. Additionally, rats can destroy your property.



Although a large rat infestation is evident, you need to catch these rodents before their population increases. If you suspect a rat problem in your home, look for these four telltale signs to be sure.

1. Droppings

Rat droppings are the easiest ways to identify a rat infestation in your home. These droppings are usually ½ inch or longer, depending on the type of rat. When fresh, rat droppings are dark brown and moist. However, as time goes by, these droppings become gray and dry.

Rat droppings are commonly found in places where rats live or feed, including cabinets, under the sink, countertops, basement, and attic. You may also find these droppings behind big electrical appliances like a washing machine or refrigerator.

When cleaning rat droppings, don't sweep or vacuum. Instead, you should spray these droppings with disinfectant and allow them to soak. Afterward, you can clean this area with soap and water. When cleaning rat droppings, ensure you put on gloves. Otherwise, you risk getting respiratory diseases such as hantavirus.

2. Gnaw Marks

Rats have incisors teeth that grow continuously. To stop these teeth from overgrowing, rats gnaw on different objects to create friction and wear down their teeth. Additionally, rats like sharpening their incisors teeth through gnawing to enable them to eat properly.

Rats gnaw and create holes in different objects, including food packages, wood shelves, and baseboards. These holes are usually large and uneven.

Sometimes rats can gnaw on important objects like your plumbing pipes and electrical wires. In such cases, you may experience drainage issues or electrical fires.

3. Strange Sounds

Rats are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. When your house is dark, these rats come out of their nests, searching for food and water. Therefore, you may hear scratching or gnawing noises in your home.

At times, you may hear rat noises coming from your walls, even during the day. When rats get inside your walls, they feel safe and start producing strange noises. To know if rats are in your wall, press your ear against your wall and listen for any scampering or scratching noises.

4. Nests

Rats use shredded paper, strings, or cloth to make nests inside your home. Afterward, these rodents will nest in dark areas like your attic or basement, where they won't be disturbed. Nevertheless, rats may also build nests near warm things like ovens and water heaters.

If you get a rat nest in your home, you can destroy the nest to discourage the rats from coming back to your house. However, these rats may not leave your house immediately since rats are stubborn. Therefore, you may need to find a permanent solution.

Sometimes, you may find rats inside the nest. In this case, don't touch or disturb the nest since the rats may become combative and bite you. First, find a way to remove the rats from the nest before you destroy the nest or contact professional pest control services to assess the issue and help you get rid of the nest.

Dealing with a rat infestation in your home can be a daunting task. Moreover, if you don't completely get rid of these rats using effective methods, you may experience another infestation. Therefore, you need to contact professional pest control services since they have the best knowledge and tools to solve this issue. For the best pest control services, contact Pass Pest Control.