Spotting a rat inside your home can be a scary and rather disturbing experience. It’s your home, you have worked hard to get it the way you want it, and you certainly do not want to be sharing it with a rodent or group of them! Rats can cause you big problems from gnawing on furniture, through cables and generally make your house very dirty. They also carry some very nasty diseases which can be transmitted to humans. In other words, you certainly don’t want them in your house.

Let’s say you have seen droppings or noticed a few bite marks on your sofa; what are you going to do? We recommend calling a local rat exterminator, but there are some things you can do in an attempt to get rid of them yourself.

What Is Attracting The Rats Anyway?

Knowing what is attracting the rats can help you in the future as a preventative measure. There are two things that can attract rats – food and shelter. If you don’t keep your house tidy and leave food waste on the sides and floor, rats are going to love it. They also need shelter, particularly during the winter months. However, the same is true during the summer when they are looking for a spot to raise their young. A home that is warm with lots of space to hide in is perfect and an untidy one with a food source even more so.

Rats can squeeze through very narrow gaps, so any holes you have that lead from the outside to the inside of your home will serve as a gateway straight into your home.

The Signs to Lookout For

Luckily enough, if you do have rats inside your home, you are probably going to notice as they are not very good at masking up their presence. These are the signs to look out for:

• Grease marks – Rats leave dirty grease marks along travelled routes, particularly when they are moving through small spaces or narrow gaps.
• Droppings – Rats won’t have much respect for your home and will lay their waste wherever they please. If you spot any droppings, then you can be sure you have rodents in your home.
• Bite marks – Rats need to continuously gnaw objects in order to keep their teeth sharp. And, like our previous point, they will disrespect anything they can get their teeth into.

Simple Things That Can Keep Rats Away

Rats really do not like strong scents, and one of them right on top of the list is peppermint oil. Try soaking some cotton wool balls in peppermint oil in the corner of your rooms or around the areas where you think rats might be able to get in. You could also invest in a plug-in device that emits high-frequency sounds that rats will hate.

It also goes without saying that keeping your home clean and tidy with any food sealed in containers is really important.

Don’t Just Buy a Cat

A lot of homeowners buy a cat just to get rid of rats. But, in reality, this is a very bad idea. Yes, we totally agree that cats are natural-born hunters and make loving pets but getting one just to kill rats is morally wrong. They will be able to kill rats that are yet to enter your property and then bring them inside as trophies. This is bad enough, but when a cat kills a rat, they expose themselves to a whole range of diseases that are carried by the rodents.

Dealing With a Serious Rat Infestation

If you have tried to get rid of the rats in your home with no prevail and it has turned into a serious infestation, then you need to contact a local pest control company. Rats carry diseases, so you certainly don’t want them in your home, especially if you have young children. Don’t be ashamed of making the phone call either. Thousands of homeowners have issues with rats each year, and it is a common occurrence during the colder months.