What Every Property Owner In Lynchburg Needs To Know About Rats

Rats are a common pest that invades homes and businesses around Lynchburg. Along with mice, rats are the rodent you’re most likely to deal with in your home, and this is partly because they are dependent on humans to thrive. They have learned how to live around humans to get the food sources they need, so they can be universally found in rural, suburban, or urban areas. While some people like to keep rats as pets, an infestation of wild rats is a big problem because they can pose numerous health and safety risks to humans in addition to damaging property.

One of the biggest problems you might have when trying to identify rats is telling them apart from mice. Baby rats can look similar to mice, but full-grown rats are larger than full-grown mice. In general, rats have shorter, thicker tails in proportion to their bodies and blunter noses than mice do. They range in color from a gray-brown to dark brown or black. Some rat species prefer to stay near ground level, while others (like the aptly named roof rat) are good at climbing and can get into attics easily. All rats can reproduce quickly, making infestations difficult to control and remove without professional help. 

What Are The Problems With Rat Infestations?

While rats may be small, they can bring an entire host of issues with them when they invade your home or business. While they are definitely frustrating to deal with, it would be an understatement to say they were just a nuisance. 

In regard to property damage, rats have an instinct to constantly gnaw on things which means they will chew through almost any and every material, including drywall, plastic, leather, cloth, pipes, and wires. This can lead to electrical and plumbing problems and ruin many items around your property. Furthermore, the biggest problem with rats is not the concerns they present to the integrity of your home, but the concerns they present to the integrity of your health and the health of your loved ones. 

Having a rat infestation puts you and others around you at risk of:

• Contracting many harmful diseases, including hantavirus and salmonella

• Having respiratory problems if rat feces is allowed to build up over time

• Worsening allergic reactions and asthma attacks caused by their droppings, fur, and urine

• Picking up parasites that rats carry inside with them into homes they invade

Simple Steps to Prevent Rats

Because rats are so harmful to your health and home, the best way to protect your Lynchburg property is to take steps to keep them out in the first place. While this can be difficult to do given a rat’s ability to slip through holes the size of a quarter, you can still make it harder for them to get inside.

Here are five effective rat prevention steps you can use to keep them out of your Lynchburg home:

• Seal up easy access points by fixing holes in screen doors and windows.

• Make your home less appealing to rats by keeping all food stored in airtight containers.

• Keep kitchen spaces clean, wipe up all food and drink spills, and keep dirty dishes out of the sink.

• Take out the trash often.

• Make sure to fix holes and crevices in walls that rats could climb inside. 

How To Get Rid Of Rat Infestations 

Rat infestations are a difficult pest problem to have the misfortune of finding in your Lynchburg home or business. Because they cause extensive property damage, spread numerous diseases, and become progressively harder to remove as the infestation grows, it’s important to get rid of an infestation right away. The best way to do so is to get help from the pest control experts at All Pest Control. 

All Pest is a locally-owned and operated business with over 50 years of combined professional experience under our belts. Instead of trying to get rid of rats on your own to no avail, we can remove them effectively to keep you, your loved ones, or business occupants safe. Contact us to request your free inspection today!