Local Richwood Rat Removal Company

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Richwood Texas Rat Removal: Importance Of Rat Removal and Rat Control

Looking for Richwood rat removal services? Of all the pests you may find invading your home, rats are undoubtedly among the worst. These destructive rodents can do a great deal of damage, breed rapidly, and be in control of your Richwood, TX home before you have a chance to take action.

Common Species

Roof rats are a type of rodent identified by their long tails, large eyes and ears, and pointed noses. They have small, bodies covered in short fur and hairless, scaly tails which are longer than their heads and bodies. Usually black or brown, they can reach a length of over 40 cm long.

A single roof rat can produce three or more litters a year, with five to eight babies per litter. The young are born after a 21-23 day gestation, and develop rapidly, growing hair within a week, opening their eyes between 9-14 days. At this point, they begin to explore the area near the nest. They continue to nurse until they are 4-5 weeks old, and are entirely independent at three months old. The critical issue here is that young rats cannot be trapped until they reach a month old, leaving plenty of room for potential disruption.

Their Senses

Rats tend to be color-blind, able only to sense the degree of light which is around them. While you might think this makes them easier to capture, they have a keen sense of smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

Their smell helps them to identify travel routes, and locate food items; keeping all possible temptations out of reach is a good way to prevent rats from being attracted into your home. Once they have discovered a food source they like, the rodents tend to return time and again.

Touch is also important; they can use their whiskers and guard hairs as tactile sensors, allowing them to travel in the dark. This means areas such as attics are perfect places for them to nest and breed. Their tails provide an excellent sense of balance, meaning they can hide on roof beams and planks with ease. This can also help them to enter your property; they can easily access gaps and roofs and use power lines to move from place to place.

Risks of Them In The Attic

Once you have a Richwood roof rat infestation within your home, the damage can be significant. As well as the annoyance of scratching and squeaking, there are more serious possibilities.

• They will chew through electrical wires, and is more than a mere inconvenience: this has the potential to be a huge fire hazard and safety risk.
• Furniture and soft furnishing can be severely damaged. Household objects are often stored in attic spaces, and these can be attractive to rodents who are looking to gnaw whatever they can reach.
• Perhaps more seriously, rats have been known to rip up the insulation in homes, leaving it exposed to the elements, and reducing heating properties.
• Rats will also leave droppings in the space they occupy. These can pose a serious health risk and may spread disease throughout your family. Conditions such as salmonella can be spread through droppings, while rat bite fever can be transmitted through bacteria in their mouth. There is also a risk of trichinosis if you eat under-cooked meat from animals which have fed on the rats. If rats are running on work surfaces, there is also an increased risk of food poisoning.

Signs You Have An Infestation

There are many warning signs if you suspect that rats have moved into your attic. These can include:

• Droppings: rat droppings are 12-13 mm long with pointed ends, and are a clear indication that you have unwanted guests.
• Visual sightings: The easiest way to tell if you have rats is to see one. A sighting of a roof rat, either dead or alive, indicates that other rats fill their nest or hiding space, or that they have been disturbed. This is time to start looking for a nest.
• Grease marks: This is a little-known sighting. As the rodents travel around the house, the oils in their fur brush along the edges, leaving a tell-tale trail.

What Can Be Done To Get Rid Of Them?

If you find yourself with a rat infestation in your attic or home, the best solution is to professionally trap and remove the rodents. There are the steps we take to help make sure our Richwood Texas rat removal services is successful:

1. We inspect the entire building and locate any holes or gaps which rats may be used to enter, such as roof lines, eaves or vents. It is essential to pay particular attention to the roof, as this can be a neglected point of entry. Rats will usually head to the attic after gaining access, as it has the ideal conditions for them to thrive.
2. We then set up traps and remove the rats using traps in all of the rat runways in the attic or near the entry points.
3. Remove the trapped rats. Continue to repeat the process until you hear no more sounds or signs of rats.
4. Once the rats are gone, we then make sure all of the entry holes are sealed using rodent proof steel – this will prevent the rats from chewing through. It is a good idea also to use a sealant to restrict air flow – rats can smell air through a gap, and this can encourage them to try and enter.
5. Clean the space thoroughly.
6. Take steps to try and prevent rats from returning. This can include trimming trees which hang close to the property – these areas can be an ideal entryway for the rodents.

Once you have identified a rat infestation in your Texas home, it is important to take action as soon as possible. Spring traps are the best solution – while alternatives such as poison or other repellents are often heralded as miracle cures, they have their own sets of issues which may do more harm than good.

The best solution is of course prevention. By reducing food waste, blocking access routes and trimming trees, you can reduce the likelihood of an infestation from occurring in the first place. Make your house rat unfriendly, and save yourself a headache down the line, but if they got in, call us today for Richwood rat removal services.