After hearing strange noises for several months, you may have finally realized the source of the noise – rats infesting your home! Having one rat in the home is bad enough, but having several rats is a major problem that must be handled immediately. It's dangerous to live in a home where rats are lingering around and hiding out because they do bite, they do carry diseases, and they can get into nearly everything. They're much larger than mice, and they're known for being much smarter, so the goal is to outsmart them.
Check the Ceiling Tiles
If some of the noises you were hearing were coming directly above you from the ceiling and you happen to have a down ceiling, you should stand on a ladder, carefully remove some of the tiles, and shine a flashlight in that area to check for any evidence of rats, such as live rats or droppings. It's not uncommon for rats to live in ceilings, between walls, and in all other parts of the home, especially the basement and the attic. It's good to know if the rats are in the ceiling because then you'll need to have some traps set there.
Start Sealing All Food Items
Unfortunately, because rats are even smarter than mice, they know how to get into all different types of food packages and products. If you've been finding holes in some of your food packages or the bag of dog or cat food you have for your pets, those holes were likely caused by rats that were looking for scraps and found an ideal food source. You'll need to invest in good containers with tight metal lids because they can chew through plastic. Place dog food, cat food, cereal, chips, and all other food items that are placed in your refrigerator into these sealed containers.
Bring in the Experts
Although sealing food items eliminates the food source for the rats, it doesn't make them go away immediately, so you'll still need to contact a rat removal expert who regularly provides rat removal services. Experts from companies like Blackburn Pest Control may set traps with bait throughout the home, especially in areas where these rats are hanging out, such as the ceilings. Some poison may be used to kill the rats if they come in contact with it. You'll need to talk to the expert about the use of poison and any safety concerns you might have if you're a pet owner or if small children live in your home.
Don't let rats get away with trying to live comfortably in your home. Rats carry diseases and are often quite destructive. They're even capable of biting humans. Work on getting them out of your home by eliminating their food source and hiring professional help.
I have never been one of those people who is alright with bugs running through their house, which is probably why I started focusing on pest control in the first place. I wanted to make sure that nothing would get in the way of me enjoying time with my family, so I began snapping pictures of the bugs in my house and then talking with professionals about how to resolve the problem. Within a few weeks I had an expert spraying for pests, and I was really impressed with just how effective they were. Check out this site for great tips on killing bugs.