Rats can enter through just about any part of your home — even the toilet. In fact, residential sewer pipes lead these rodents right into your property’s internal plumbing. Their sharp claws and hinged ribs allow rats to climb and maneuver even the tightest parts of your toilet pipes with ease.
These rodents are also excellent swimmers; they paddle with their back legs and steer with their front feet and tail. They can even hold their breath for up to three minutes. Would you know what to do after lifting the lid to find one of these rodents underneath? If not, check out our guide to getting rid of toilet rats.
Secure First
If you find a rat in your toilet, don’t try to flush the animal. Flushing the toilet could cause the rat to panic and jump out of the bowl, putting you at greater risk of direct contact. To keep the rat from running around, close the lid and place something heavy over the top. We recommend immediately calling for professional animal removal; however, some homeowners insist on taking a DIY approach.
Stay Safe
Rats carry an array of contractable diseases, some of which can be fatal to humans. You will want to keep this in mind when approaching a situation with one of these rodents. If you do decide to DIY your way out of an indoor rat issue, wear thick gloves and long sleeves when going near the animal. Try to avoid any direct contact with the rat or its feces, because contamination can easily become an issue.
Set Traps
After you have the rat secured in the toilet, find a box or container that you can use to better trap it. If you don’t have professional equipment, you might be stuck using household items, like your dustpan, to scoot the rat into a trap. However, the rat can easily escape at any point during the transfer process, which means you’ll need to close the bathroom door to stop it from running throughout your home.
Sanitize Everything
Once you have removed the rodent from the toilet, sanitize the entire bathroom along with yourself and your clothes. Although you may not be sure if the rat came in contact with any other parts of your bathroom, you still run the risk that it left behind trace contaminants. Therefore, sanitizing the area is a crucial step in safely cleaning up after a rat.
The Expert Approach
This scary situation can be made a bit easier by calling in the rat and rodent removal experts at Critter Control® of Orlando. Our experienced and professional technicians are here to help you close the lid on sewer rats with safe, humane, and fast rat removal. Contact us any time you have a wildlife problem and are in need of an expert approach.
