Here s how homeowners can help prevent roof rat infestations.
How roof rats get in.
They have 4 6 litters per year.
Roof rats can also get into your home in other ways including.
Climbing rough surfaces such as brick and concrete blocks.
There are several ways to eradicate roof rats and some methods will be discussed below.
The roof rat get to know the enemy if the scurrying sound comes from above and keeps you up at night then your unwelcome guests have probably invaded your house s roof and ceiling.
In late fall roof rats seek out warm nesting sites like the upper levels of your home or garage.
Though transmission is rare today there are still a handful of cases in the u s.
You can use rat poison to get rid of roof rats.
Roof rats can also carry fleas and spread diseases such as typhus via fleas infectious jaundice via urine in water or food rat bite fever via bites trichinosis via undercooked pork and salmonellosis via droppings.
The roof rats become sexually mature in just a couple months.
To prevent a roof rats from nesting in your home make sure that all windows and vents are screened.
Becoming sexually mature in a matter of months roof rats typically have five to eight pups per litter and four to six litters per year.
Contact maricopa county vector control at 602 506 0700 with questions about setting your own traps trap rats with large spring loaded bait stations that you can purchase at hardware or feed stores eliminate other sources of food before trapping.
Chances are you re dealing with roof rats also known as black rats.
Most species of rat look similar and it can be difficult to tell between a roof rat and the common norway rat but there are some telltale ways to distinguish between the two.
Roof rats have smooth fur pointy noses and large dark eyes.
Control roof rats consult a professional exterminator.
It is essential to take immediate action once you notice any sign that rats are in your home.
The roof rat is smaller than a norway rat growing to be between 6 and 8 inches in body length with an additional 6 to 8 inches in the tail.
This is because these rodents are carriers of a lot of killer diseases.
What you ll want to look for are any signs that the rats are present including droppings tracks gnaw marks burrows runways and rodent sounds.
Because the roof rats climb well common nesting sites are above the ground.
Trim all tree branches to further prevent.
They use tree limbs for travelling and easily get into your attic if there are open areas to squeeze through.
These rodents can get to the roof from the branches of trees.
Step 1 in order to assess the severity of the rat problem and to get a better idea of where to bait and trap you will first need to perform a thorough inspection of the premises.
Get rid of roof rats in four basic steps.
Traveling along power lines.
