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Rats, nothing will strike fear in a woman’s heart (and many a man’s heart) more than a rat in their home. It would seem like it would be easy to identify a rat problem but they can make themselves hard to detect. Sometimes you can not actually see the rats in your home. Even if you can not see them, there are several things that you can look for to identify a rat problem.

The first sign of a rat problem is noise. Rats will make scratching noises that can easily be heard from within walls and attics. Listen for their scratching and rustling noises after dusk when rats are most active. Next, look for rat droppings. You can usually find droppings around food sources like pet dishes. The droppings will be small, capsule shaped, black and glossy. You should also look for rat burrows and nests. You will find burrows in gardens and under places like compost piles. Look for nests around boxes, inside of drawers and near wood piles. A couple of other signs of a rat infestation are grease marks along beams and rafters (caused by a rats greasy fur) and gnawing marks on boxes and wiring. If you have any of these signs, you probably have a rat problem and should contact a professional exterminator.

If you do not have a rat problem, you should think about preventing them. Preventing them mainly involves keeping them from entering your home. To prevent an infestation, keep debris piles away from your home. Piles of debris can serve as homes for rats and mice. Also seal any entrances to your home that are larger than a quarter of an inch. Seal any holes you find with caulk or expanding foam and make sure all of your doors have good weather stripping in place. Following these simple steps should keep your home rat free.

James C operates the Pest Control Directory. Find information on all types of pests, insect and rodents including roaches, ants, termites, fleas, spiders and more.

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It’s that time of year where rats and mice are apt to enter our homes. Lets talk a bit about their abilities and senses first.

Rats and mice cannot see very good beyond 3 or 4 feet but have a very good sense of motion up to 30 to 50 feet away and for the most part they are color blind. Rodents are most active at night.

These rodents have a very good sense of taste so baits may be rejected by them if they are contaminated with insecticides or odors from other chemicals. Even touching baits after smoking a cigarette will make these rodents to shy away from the baits.

Rats and mice also have a good sense of smell. They mark pathways with urine and use their sense of smell to recognize the odors of the pathway to and from food sources.

Their hearing is much better than humans and make noises in various situations such as mating.

Rodents have a highly developed sense of touch due to their sensitive body hairs. They rely heavily on touch and smell to guide them through movements. The territories of most rats are between 50 and 150 feet from the nest. For mice the average territories within buildings are between 10 and 30 feet.

Rodent Proofing Your Home

The best way to control mice and rats is to make it impossible for them to enter your home. That can be difficult with mice because they can pass through an opening only 3/8 inch thick. In general, all openings greater than 1/4 inch thick should be sealed for mice and all openings greater than 1/2 inch should be sealed for rats.

Check all openings around utility lines that enter your home, around service conduits such as water pipes, electric wires, air-conditioning units, drain pipes and vents should all be sealed. Also check for broken windows and unscreened vents. Vents should be covered with metal grillwork backed by rust-resistant screening. Roofs should be checked to see that shingles are down tight and sheathing is complete. Check roof ventilators, screen vents and in wall vents.

Make sure you check under sinks where pipes enter the wall. This is a great area for mice and rats to enter your home or business.

Copper mesh stuffing, course steel wool, sheet metal, hardware cloth and mortar can be used to seal the spaces around these areas. Just use your imagination.

These are not all areas that mice and rats can enter your home. Its impossible for me to think of everywhere. Like I said, just use your imagination.

About The Author

The author of this article has been in the pest control business for over 10 years and has cleaned many homes of rodents and insects pests. To find out more about insects and other pests and to receive a free pest identification guide please visit his website. http://www.infobreaks.com

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