Ways Rats Can Get Inside Your Home

Agile and cunning, rats are very good at finding their way into residential properties. In fact, the greasy rodents can squeeze through openings smaller than the size of their body to get inside your home. The nuisance pests are also quite skilled climbers, so keeping them out can be a difficult task. However, there are several rat removal tips and strategies that you can follow to help keep your home rat-free.

How Rats Get Inside Your Home

Rats can cause serious damage if they manage to get inside your house. The critters will chew up and shred your household materials to create nests where they will breed rapidly and spread their infestation. If you notice signs of a rat infestation in your home, you need to know exactly where it started so you can tackle it from the source Here are some of the most common ways that rats get into homes:

• Cracks in the walls and foundation

  Rats can squeeze through cracks, holes, and openings in your foundation, walls, and floors that are as small as a quarter inch in diameter.

• Under garage doors or windows

  If left open, a garage door or a window can leave your property vulnerable to rats. However, even if they are closed, rats can sometimes squeeze underneath them if they are not properly sealed.

• Ventilation ducts and pipes

  Rats can climb up pipes to enter your home. They also often use ventilation ducts and underground plumbing pipes to gain entry and travel throughout homes, spreading contamination.

• Over fences and walls

  Again, rats are very good climbers that can easily scale walls and climb over fences to get inside your home.

• The roof

  Gutters and overhanging limbs from nearby trees provide easy access to your roof. If damaged or deteriorated, your roof corners, shingles, and plywood provide a path for rats to chew, scratch, and squeeze through to your attic.

• Uncapped chimneys

  Once on your roof, rats will use any means available to access your home, including uncapped or poorly protected chimneys.

If you have rats in your home, it is important to take steps to get rid of them. While there are a number of different ways to get rid of rats, it can be dangerous to handle the rodents if you lack the proper training and safety equipment. Therefore, it is best to call a professional rat removal company to help resolve your growing rat problem.

Get Rid of Rats in Your Home with Critter Control® of Orlando

Regardless of how rats entered your home, the expert technicians at Critter Control® of Orlando will locate your infestation, remove all unwanted rats, and permanently seal points of entry to ensure they do not return.

If you are struggling with a rat problem, trust our team of dedicated and experienced professionals to handle your infestation with eco-friendly, non-toxic, and humane rat removal methods. To schedule an inspection and get a free estimate for our rat removal services, call us today at 407-295-7194.