Norway rats are some of the hardest rats to eliminate. They’re tough, they’re streetwise, they’re destructive, and they breed with lightning speed. Worst of all, they can threaten your health and your property. That’s why Norway rat control in Comstock is indispensable. Gold Star Exterminators - Del Rio can protect your Comstock property from these destructive invaders.
Signs Of Norway Rats In Your Home
The reason rat control is so difficult is partly because identifying rats in your home is no easy task. Norway rats can hear you coming from a mile away and scurry away before you arrive, thus avoiding your eyes when you are awake. These animals are also nocturnal, meaning they're most active when you're asleep, which is convenient for rodents that like to go unnoticed.
Since you are unlikely to see Norway rats, even if you have an infestation of them, you will need to look for other signs of their presence, such as:
- Scurrying sounds inside walls or ceilings
- Unusual pet behavior
- Signs of nesting activity
- Chewing damage to materials around your home
- Damage to food packaging or stored food
If you have a Norway rat infestation, you may also see the occasional live rat. If this happens, it is likely a sign that you have a serious and ongoing problem that needs to be addressed right away.
Health Risks Of Norway Rats: Protecting Your Family And Property
All rats are hazardous to your health and your property, and Norway rats are no exception. These rats can and do wreak havoc around your home, and they are also extremely dangerous for your health.
The fact that rats spread diseases is well-known, but what's not as well-known is the fact that they spread so many different diseases. Rats carry all kinds of illnesses that can make you incredibly sick, and they contaminate just about everything they touch. They have no problem leaving feces and urine all over your house, including in your food, and they shed filthy hairs everywhere they go.
Rat infestations also pose a massive threat to your property. Rats, like all rodents, have to constantly grind down their teeth, which never stop growing. This can lead them to chew on all kinds of dangerous items, including PVC plumbing pipes and electrical wiring. Rats have even been known to cause house fires and water leaks with this behavior. They also love to rip up furniture and fiberglass insulation to build their nests.
Norway Rat Prevention: Strategies To Keep These Pests Out
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to keep rats away from your property. All you have to do is reduce the number of attractants around your home and make it harder for these pests to enter. Make sure you're storing your pantry foods in airtight, hard-shell containers. Never leave pet foods or bowls sitting out, and always keep your trash in tightly covered receptacles.
Also, seal construction gaps in your home’s exterior with rodent-proof wire mesh. Gaps like crawl space entries, chimneys, attic vents, and condensation outlets must all be tightly covered. Taking these measures can help prevent you from winding up with a rat infestation.
Unfortunately, it can feel like an uphill battle to get rid of rats. Once you have an active infestation, there is little you can do on your own to eliminate it.
Experienced Professional Norway Rat Control: Call For Expert Help
Part of the problem with rat elimination is the speed with which rats breed. Rats can have multiple litters a year, each containing several pups. They also sexually mature quite fast, which leads to an explosive reproduction rate that most store-bought products like snap traps and glue boards cannot keep up with.
Another major issue is that store-bought products like rat bait can kill rats after allowing them to get back into your home. They can die and decompose in your walls or even your ventilation system, which creates its own set of problems, especially since decomposition can lead to air contamination.
Clever rats are also often intelligent enough to figure out ways around traps. They can sometimes get the bait off of snap traps without setting them off, and they may learn to avoid glue boards if they see other dead animals on them. Their intelligence can eventually render over-the-counter products virtually useless.
That's why we're here. At Gold Star Exterminators - Del Rio, we have access to products and techniques that Norway rats cannot outfox or outbreed. So don't waste your money by trying to eliminate these dangerous pests on your own.