Dealing With Rats

Rats are a prolific pest that can cause extensive damage to the properties they infest. They also carry a wide variety of diseases which are spread through their urine and faeces causing severe illness which could be fatal if left untreated. Once they have taken up residence in your home or garden they can be very difficult to remove due to their intelligence and wariness.

Key Facts About Rats

• Common Name: Brown Rat
• Scientific Name: Rattus Norvegicus
• Areas Affected: Rats can often be found in gardens, especially ones which are overgrown, have lots of hedges and have an easily accessible water source. They will also reside in sewers and drains and will often use these as a route into a house.
• Main signs of infestation: Key signs that you may have a problem with rats are large droppings, noticeable damage from chewing and feeding, scrabbling noises in the walls/roof and actual sightings. You may notice a strong smell if you have a large infestation.
• Most Active: Rats will happily live in your home or garden all year round due to warmth and availability of food, but they are more likely to attempt to enter the house when the temperatures drop in the autumn and they need somewhere to live and nest over the winter

Have you got a rat problem?

One thing you may notice are the droppings. These will be about the size of a raisin and will be left in specific areas called latrines which will be away from their food sources making it quite difficult to find. After prolonged infestations, the combination of urine and droppings will begin to smell. These latrines are often located in corners of cluttered cupboards, under kitchen kickboards or in your loft. Rats are nocturnal and will spend very little time out in the day or in lit, noisy areas so these are the best ways of knowing they are in your home during the day.

Rats will constantly chew on things to file down their distinctive and ever growing incisor teeth, create holes in objects to travel through and to gather materials to create nests with. They will commonly make nests out of things such as cardboard, lagging around pipes, wires, insulation, carpet, skirting boards or corners of furniture. The level of destruction they cause is much more noticeable than damage caused by mice. In some circumstances, rats will even chew through thin metal to gain access to food or shelter.

If you are hearing lots of noise in the roof then having a look in your loft space may help you diagnose whether you have a problem. It will likely be dusty enough that you are able to visibly see large footprints and tail marks from activity along with potential latrines in corners - you are most likely to find these around the edges as they will avoid crossing open spaces and prefer to have a wall one side of them for safety.

Signs that you may have rats in your garden will be damage to bins, compost bins or any containers that may contain a food source. There may also be signs of them burrowing under sheds or even attempts to burrow underneath the property to gain entry.

 How to control rats?

• Ensure that outside areas are kept tidy, making sure that any compost is properly secured in plastic/metal bins, that there are no piles of rubbish or debris that would encourage nesting and that there are no uncovered water sources or dripping taps to deny rats access to water in these areas
• Internally, ensure that food crumbs and waste is cleaned up into secure bins and that no food is left accessible using thick plastic tubs or metal tins to store foodstuffs is a good deterrent.
•  Sort and tidy cupboards and other areas that are full of items - messy areas make it hard for you to access but provides the perfect hiding place for rats allowing them to breed and thrive uninhibited
• Locate any holes in the external brickwork that lead into the property and seal these off to prevent and deter ingress. Keep an eye out for burrowing under sheds and other areas and burrow bait these spaces to keep control of them
• Avoid having easy to climb bird tables, they usually end up feeding and encouraging rats more than they do birds. If you have any chickens make sure their food is not accessible to rats as this can be a great food source for them

Rodent control products available at ProGreen and how to use them

We have a number of non-professional bait formulations that can be purchased along with professional grade products for those who hold a relevant qualification. All of these products should be placed in a secure bait box to keep the bait safe from being consumed by children or non-target animals. All boxes should be securely fixed in place to prevent them from being moved by accident and being lost. It is important to keep baiting as long as consumption continues. Rats are neophobic and display bait shyness so they may not touch the bait for a week or so until they become familiar with it. If consumption continues without a decline in population, the rodents may have resistance and a different formulation will be required.

Explore our rodenticides that are ideal for controlling rats.

We offer a Level 2 rodent management course which will allow you to purchase professional grade bait. This also provides excellent knowledge on controlling rodents. It will teach you about rodent behaviour and also different baiting strategies and how to conduct these legally and safely.