Rats are more than just a nuisance; they can cause significant damage to your home. Rats chew on almost anything, including wood, insulation, plumbing pipes, and electrical wires. This chewing can create openings that allow other pests into your home, or it can cause fires if the rats chew through electrical wires. In addition to the physical damage they cause, rats also contaminate food and surfaces with their urine and droppings, which can transmit disease to humans. This damage can be quite expensive!
How much does it cost to repair rat damage?
According to a recent study, the average cost of repairing rat damage can be as much as thousands of dollars. In addition, the study found that the vast majority of damage was caused by rats chewing through electrical wiring, which can lead to fires. Other common types of damage include chewed-through pipes, which can cause flooding, and gnawed insulation, which can lead to higher energy bills.
Steps to preventing rats
Preventing rats from taking over your home is a multi-step process that starts with exclusion and ends with regular cleaning. By following these steps, you can keep your home free of these pesky rodents.
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It's important to regularly inspect your home for signs of rats. Look for rat droppings, which are small and dark, near food sources and in drawers or cupboards. You may also see smudge marks along walls where rats have rubbed their fur. If you hear scratching noises in your walls or ceiling, it's likely a rat.
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One of the most common ways that rats enter homes is through small holes or cracks in the foundation. To prevent rats from entering your home, seal up any holes or cracks that you see in the foundation, both inside and outside of your home.
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In addition to sealing up holes in the foundation, you can also take measures to keep rats out of your yard. Keep your grass trimmed and remove any debris or clutter where rats could hide. If you have a compost bin, make sure it is covered and secured so that rats cannot access it.
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Also, you need to clean up any areas inside where rats have been. Clean up droppings, clutter, and droppings. This will make it harder for rodents to establish themselves in your home.
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Sealing food containers to prevent rats is an easy and effective way to keep your food safe from these pesky pests. Rats are attracted to food left out in the open, so sealing up your food in containers will help keep them away. Plus, it will also help to keep your food fresh for longer.
How do exterminators eliminate rats?
Exterminators have a few different methods for eliminating rats. One common method is using bait stations. Bait stations are usually made of plastic and have a lid that locks. The exterminator will put poison inside the bait station and then place it in an area where rats are known to travel. The rats will enter the bait station to eat the poison and die.
Another method that exterminators use is snap traps. Snap traps are metal or plastic traps that have a spring-loaded bar that snaps shut when triggered. The exterminator will bait the trap with food and place it in an area where rats are known to travel. When the rat steps on the trigger, the bar will snap shut, killing the rat instantly.
The last method is using a glue board trap. These traps are made of sturdy cardboard and coated with a sticky adhesive substance.
In conclusion, rats can cause extensive damage to your home, so it is vital to contact San Joaquin Pest Control in order to prevent this. Our experienced professionals can help you get rid of rats and keep them from returning.
