With the weather turning colder and food getting harder to find, rats are starting to see your warm and well-stocked house as a safe haven. In the Westchester County area, you're likely to run into either Norway rats or roof rats on your property.
Norway rats are the larger of the two, growing up to 9 1/2 inches long, not counting the tail. They're usually brown with a few black hairs and grey or white undersides. Norway rats are great burrowers and are likely to be found in the basements and lower levels of the house.
Roof rats, as the name suggests, excel at climbing. You're likely to spot them in the attic or around the roof. Roof rats are a bit smaller than Norway rats, averaging 6 to 8 inches long with a long, thin body. They're usually brown with white, grey, or black undersides.
Let's look at how to spot signs of rat infestations, what damage they may cause in your home, how to prevent rats from getting in, and if that fails, how to find reliable pest control in the Westchester County area.
How To Tell If It's Rats Hanging Around Your Home
Rats are nocturnal and very good at staying out of sight, so often, the infestation goes unnoticed for a long time. Watch for these signs of rats in your house:
- Gnaw marks on the lower walls and furniture legs.
- Capsule-shaped dropping.
- Greasy footprints and rub marks.
- Chewed up and damaged food products.
- Noises in the walls or the attic at night.
The earlier you spot signs of rat infestations in your Westchester County home, the easier and more painless getting them out of your house will be.
Rats Cause Property Damage And Spread Diseases
Rats in Westchester County have an extremely well-developed sense of smell, and once they're in your house, they'll be able to smell stored food, even through plastic packaging. In their efforts to get to it, they will contaminate every surface they contact. Rats carry a number of contagious diseases, such as:
- Leptospirosis
- Rat-bite fever
- Tularemia
- Salmonellosis
- Cowpox virus
Rats do not usually bite humans but will if cornered, and those bites are very likely to get infected. Ticks and fleas that hitchhike into your home in rats' fur bring a whole other set of problems and diseases with them.
How To Remove Factors That Attract Rats To Your Home
The best way to combat rat infestation is to discourage them from coming in in the first place. Follow these simple guidelines to make your house unappealing to rodents:
- Seal your outside walls; rats can squeeze through an opening the size of a quarter.
- Store food in securely sealed containers.
- Get rid of trash and debris to remove potential hiding and nesting spaces.
- Keep your firewood stored away from the house walls.
Rats, like all other pests, are interested in your house for two simple reasons-easy access to food and shelter. If you remove those temptations, there is a good chance rats will move on to an easier target.
The Safe And Effective Way To Remove Rats From Your Home
If regardless of your preventative measures, you start to suspect that rats are infesting your home, your best bet is to contact Parkway Pest Services and have a professional confirm your suspicions as soon as possible. Rats multiply fast, and a single rat can become a serious infestation in no time.
Our Parkway Pest Services technicians are properly trained to figure out where the rats settled in your house, kick them out, and help you prevent future infestations.
Reach out to us today at Parkway Pest Services today for a free quotes and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Westchester County.