In the United States, 37% of homeowners have seen a rodent in their house in the past year. Does this number surprise you? Did you think that it was much lower and that your house possibly couldn’t have any pests?
Well, think again. Your home is a warm place with both shelter even food, so it can be highly attractive for rats, especially during the wintertime when it’s cold and food is scarce.
Are you now wondering if you have rats in your house? Then you’ll want to keep reading.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 signs of rats you should be on the lookout for.
1. Strange Sounds
Rodents tend to be shy creatures, which means they’ll only be active if they feel comfortable. This means they’ll either be running around in your walls or coming out at night, after you’ve turned off the lights and gone to bed.
If you think you have rats, then take some time to listen closely to sounds during both the day and the night. Rats will be running around or even squeaking within your walls if they’re present.
And if you have furniture like drawers and cabinets that you no longer use, they might take up residence in there as well. You might hear activity in those places too.
At night, when you’ve gone to bed, listen closely before sleeping. If you hear faint sounds of something scurrying around, you’re probably not imagining things. That’s most likely either mice or rats coming out to forage for food.
On that note, these strange sounds are also one of the signs of mice to watch out for. So if you hear them, it could be either mice or rats.
2. Grease Marks Along Your Walls
When rodents come out, they like to keep along the walls. Again, they’re shy creatures, which means they’ll hug the walls for security.
Rats will generate grease, and as a result of running along the walls, they’ll leave grease marks. So take a closer look at your walls and baseboards.
If you feel like you keep scrubbing your walls clean, only to have them dirty up again, it might not be your furniture or anything else in the house leaving these marks. It very well may be rats!
3. Droppings on Your Floor
One of the most obvious signs of a rat infestation is if you see droppings on your floor. At first, you might miss the droppings since they’re so hesitant to be out in the open. So you’ll have to look closely, especially around the edges of rooms since that’s where rats typically travel.
If you see lots of droppings in a certain area, this might indicate that you’re near a nesting area. Or it could be a feeding area. Either way, it’s where rodents congregate.
You’ll want to inspect the droppings to determine if you have an active infestation or not. If the droppings are fresh, they’ll be dark, as well as moist. The older the droppings are, the dryer and grayer they’ll be.
Do you think that you’ve found fresh droppings? Then that warrants a call to a professional pest control company, such as AltusPest.com. They’ll be able to inspect your property and determine the scope of your situation.
4. Chewed up Things
When it comes to signs of rats in the home, this one is hard to miss. This is especially true if you’re used to keeping your food items out and have noticed that they’re all chewed up lately.
Obviously, rats will want to get at any sources of food, so if you have easy to access items out (such as cereal boxes), they’ll chew right through the food packages to get to the goodies.
In addition, rats’ teeth are constantly growing, which means they’ll have to whittle them down somehow. You might notice that things like your wooden spoons, or your wooden or plastic pieces of furniture.
They’ll also want to get around easily, so rats may chew through holes in your wall. And lastly, they’ll want to line their nests with warm materials, so rats might also chew through paper and soft fabrics so they can use them as nesting material.
5. Visual Sighting
We’re sad to say this, but if you’ve actually seen a rat in your house, then it’s very likely that it’s not a one-off thing. Chances are, they’ve already made a home inside your house.
And worse yet, it’s likely not just one rat. Rodents are social creatures, so if you see one, there’s probably a bunch more hidden away!
Rats also don’t like to be spotted by people since they’re prey animals. So if you’ve been spotting them often on your property, then that can be a red flag. That’s a good indication that you have a large rat population and that it needs to be taken care of pronto.
Look Out for These Signs of Rats in Your Home
Now you know the common signs of rats, which can make it all that easier to spot these pests in your home. The key to a simple (and cheaper) solution is early action, so it’s vital that you keep an eye out for these critters.
If you notice any of these signs and suspect that you have a rodent infestation, don’t hesitate to call the professionals. They’ll be able to come assess the situation and determine if you have an infestation, and if so, the extent of it. They’ll also give you a tailored solution so you can be rid of rats for good.
If you’re interested in learning more about signs of pests on your property, then please take a look at the rest of our blog site now.
