Did you know that rats are excellent jumpers? These pests may be known for climbing and scavenging; however, they are also extremely agile.
The best way to keep rats out of your home is to identify and block all potential rat entry points into your house. Working with a professional pest control service is the best way to cover all of your bases with these pests. An expert can identify all rat entry points for you, including the ones that most homeowners do not think about. If you already have a rat infestation, working with a pest control service is much more effective than trying to control the rat colony on your own.
How High Can Rats Jump?
Rats are known for being excellent climbers, but many homeowners don’t realize that they are also skilled jumpers. Rats can jump up to four feet high. In particular, roof rats can jump and climb their way into homes, entering through small entry points on roofs.
Rats are highly resourceful pests that will invade homes in order to find food, water and shelter. Because they are agile creatures and can find sneaky ways to get inside, it’s important for homeowners to be proactive about keeping rats out of their homes.
There are a number of rat species that like to live in homes, and they find many ways to get in. For example, since roof rats are great climbers, they are known for climbing up exterior walls, pipes and fences with little effort.
Roof rats often climb trees, limbs and vines to access roofs, which is why one way to deter rats is to keep the vegetation surrounding your house trimmed back.
Even though rats are bigger than mice and other types of rodents, they can enter homes through tiny openings as small as half an inch. For example, gaps in your home’s foundation, holes around utility lines, cracks in the walls and other small holes can become easy entry points for rats.
Rats can easily navigate drainpipes and gutters to find their way inside your home, and they often use them to gain access to your roof and attic.
Finally, small holes beneath doors and around your windows also become entry points for rats. The best way to keep these rodents out is to seal off all potential entry points. Conduct a thorough inspection of your entire home to look for openings. Do not forget to look around your vents and utility openings.
How to Deter Rats
Once you identify all the entry points, be sure to seal them. Next, keep the vegetation around your home neat so that rats cannot use tree limbs to access your home.
Rats seek out the indoors in order to find food, water and shelter, so it’s important to eliminate easy access to those components in order to keep these pests away. Keep a tight lid on your outdoor trash bins and do not allow trash, especially food scraps, to pile up outside the bins.
Keep your property free of debris and clutter that rats could hide in. The more unappealing you make your property for rats, the less likely they are to come inside your home.
The best thing you can do to control rats on your property is to work with a professional pest control service. The experts can identify all potential rat entry points and offer personalized prevention solutions to keep them away.
Can Rats Swim?
Along with being capable climbers and jumpers, rats are also good swimmers. Rats use their swimming abilities to access sewage systems and navigate pipes. They can find themselves in homes after swimming through the plumbing system. While it is quite rare, some homeowners walk into their bathrooms and discover rats swimming around in their toilet bowls.
The fact that rats are skilled swimmers makes it even more important for homeowners to be proactive about deterring these pests from their homes. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to make your home less hospitable to unwelcome rats.
For example, maintaining proper sanitation in your home is extremely important. Rats are on the hunt for a reliable food source, so it’s important not to give them one. Wipe up all food and beverage spills and clean up crumbs right away.
Do not leave food out on your counters overnight, and store your pantry goods in hard plastic or metal containers that rats cannot chew through.
When you inspect your home for potential rat entry points, it’s important not to skip over your sewer system. Since rats are great swimmers, they will often sneak into your home undetected through the sewer.
Installing sewer traps or backflow prevention devices is a helpful way to keep out rats. You should also repair all leaks and other issues in your plumbing to eliminate water sources for rats.
Keeping rats out of your home requires forethought and quick action. These pests have several ways to get in, including swimming through your pipes, so it’s important to think through every possibility of how they could be getting in. Working with a professional pest control service is the best way to be thorough with your rat prevention.
What are Rat Entry Points?
Rats can enter your home in several ways. Common rat entry points include:
- Gaps in your home’s foundation. Rats only need to use a small opening about the size of a quarter to enter your home. They often find these openings around your home’s foundation, which is why it’s important to conduct a thorough inspection and seal up all noticeable gaps, holes and cracks.
- Holes or gaps around pipes. If your plumbing pipes or utility lines have small holes or gaps, rats will use them as an entry point into your home. They can easily swim their way into your home through your plumbing system.
- Gutters and drainpipes. Rats are known for climbing up pipes in order to access roofs and attics. It’s important to inspect these parts of your home that rats could use as a bridge to another entry point.
- Holes around doors and windows. Rats can squeeze themselves through small openings in order to get inside your home to seek food, water and shelter.
How to Identify Entry Points
There are several ways you can identify how rats are getting in your home. For example, rats will often chew through wood, insulation and wires to create their own entry points. If you notice chew or gnaw marks, especially around the exterior of your home, there’s a chance rats are making their way in your house.
Once you identify all of the potential rat entry points around your home, seal or repair them as quickly as you can. Working with a professional is the best way to be thorough.
If rats have already entered your home, do not try to control them on your own. A professional pest control service can spot the signs of rats, find the rat nest for you and control the pests.
Keep Rats Out of Your Home With Professional Help
Rats are unwelcome house guests that can become a major annoyance for homeowners. Luckily, when you partner with pest control experts, you can get a rat infestation under control. You can also take steps to prevent rats from getting inside your home to begin with, such as sealing up potential rat entry points.
Working with a pest control professional is the best way to be proactive about deterring rats and other pests from disturbing your home.
ABC Can Help With Any Pest Problems
It can feel frustrating when rats infest your property. Instead of spending your time trying to get rid of rats on your own, contact ABC Home & Commercial Services. Our experts will be able to control the rodents on your property. We will create a custom pest treatment plan, so you don’t have to worry about these creatures.
