How to Inspect a House for Rat Entry Holes
How to Inspect a House for Rat Entry Holes
Rats are one of the most common rodents globally, let alone in major American cities, being one of the most common invasive animals. These animals can be incredibly annoying to deal with, in addition to potentially causing quite a bit of harm to your home's wires, insulation, and other vital parts. So, here's how to inspect a house for rat entry holes:
Know Where Your House Can Hide Rats
One of the essential steps in finding rat entry holes is finding just where they might rest. So if you see rats nesting within your house, you know where a path has to be. After all, although rodents seem to appear out of nowhere, they still need a way to get places.
It's best to look around your home in places that are either dark, damp, or not often visited, even though rats are social creatures and like company. Places like your attic, behind baskets, under floorboards, in ventilation, or others, are great places for rats to hide. Just take a quick walk around your house, visit your attic, and look to see where a rat could hide. Afterward, you can:
Watch For Signs of Rats
Rats will have been by spots that you can tell they've been. That's pretty self-explanatory, although it's still an important thing to remember. Sometimes, the easiest way to find entry holes or rats is to look for the obvious. For example, search around your house for rat droppings (which are a little bit larger than rice), urine, or other signs like hair or blood.
It's pretty easy to find signs of rats with a pet, as you'll likely find them sniffing around spots where rats have previously been. Nonetheless, if you don't have any pets, scout around for potential hiding spots, looking for signs of rats or the outdoors. It can be a bit difficult to find signs of rats though, especially considering how many there are. If you need a bit more assistance or struggle with any of these steps or believe that your home has rats or you can't find them, then consider calling a professional like New Journey Pest Control.
Look For Entry Places
Once you've found some places where a rat can hide, the next step is to go and find actual entry places. These are pretty small spots, although not impossibly small. Think of gaps in between shutters, sensitive walls, and weak points near potential rat-hiding areas. It's essential to use the knowledge you've just gained from exploring your house for this step.
The easiest thing to do is scout out the places you can tell a rat would like but in more detail. So while the first trip may be to scout out hiding spots quickly, this walk around would be to look for lights, holes, cold breezes, and other outdoor signs. After all, for rats to get in from the outdoors, they'll have to leave behind a space where they can come and go.
These entry holes are likely a few inches in diameter, although they can get relatively small. Again, they'd likely be near weak points or commonly traveled spots in your home, so many are sure to look where you think a small rodent could make its way in. Ratsnyc.com has some great information on solving the problem if you’d like more details.
If you find any rats along this process, though, definitely call the pros, as rodents can spread disease, injure you or your property, move further, or leave an entry point for other animals.
Rats are one of the most common rodents globally, let alone in major American cities, being one of the most common invasive animals. These animals can be incredibly annoying to deal with, in addition to potentially causing quite a bit of harm to your home's wires, insulation, and other vital parts. So, here's how to inspect a house for rat entry holes:
Know Where Your House Can Hide Rats
One of the essential steps in finding rat entry holes is finding just where they might rest. So if you see rats nesting within your house, you know where a path has to be. After all, although rodents seem to appear out of nowhere, they still need a way to get places.
It's best to look around your home in places that are either dark, damp, or not often visited, even though rats are social creatures and like company. Places like your attic, behind baskets, under floorboards, in ventilation, or others, are great places for rats to hide. Just take a quick walk around your house, visit your attic, and look to see where a rat could hide. Afterward, you can:
Watch For Signs of Rats
Rats will have been by spots that you can tell they've been. That's pretty self-explanatory, although it's still an important thing to remember. Sometimes, the easiest way to find entry holes or rats is to look for the obvious. For example, search around your house for rat droppings (which are a little bit larger than rice), urine, or other signs like hair or blood.
It's pretty easy to find signs of rats with a pet, as you'll likely find them sniffing around spots where rats have previously been. Nonetheless, if you don't have any pets, scout around for potential hiding spots, looking for signs of rats or the outdoors. It can be a bit difficult to find signs of rats though, especially considering how many there are. If you need a bit more assistance or struggle with any of these steps or believe that your home has rats or you can't find them, then consider calling a professional like New Journey Pest Control.
Look For Entry Places
Once you've found some places where a rat can hide, the next step is to go and find actual entry places. These are pretty small spots, although not impossibly small. Think of gaps in between shutters, sensitive walls, and weak points near potential rat-hiding areas. It's essential to use the knowledge you've just gained from exploring your house for this step.
The easiest thing to do is scout out the places you can tell a rat would like but in more detail. So while the first trip may be to scout out hiding spots quickly, this walk around would be to look for lights, holes, cold breezes, and other outdoor signs. After all, for rats to get in from the outdoors, they'll have to leave behind a space where they can come and go.
These entry holes are likely a few inches in diameter, although they can get relatively small. Again, they'd likely be near weak points or commonly traveled spots in your home, so many are sure to look where you think a small rodent could make its way in. Ratsnyc.com has some great information on solving the problem if you’d like more details.
If you find any rats along this process, though, definitely call the pros, as rodents can spread disease, injure you or your property, move further, or leave an entry point for other animals.