Rats have garnered a bad reputation over the many years they have infiltrated man-made structures in search of food, water, and shelter, and not without reason. From carrying nasty diseases to simply creeping people out, rats are a definite pest that you do not want in your home.
Unfortunately, rats aren’t just a hazard to your physical and mental health. Though they are relatively small, rats can seriously damage your home, leading to expensive repairs and even secondary health hazards. How do they cause so much damage? And how can you stop rats? At Advanced IPM, we’ve dealt with our share of rat infestations, and we’ve got some answers.
How Do Rats Cause Property Damage?
Generally speaking, rats cause property damage in one of three ways: through their teeth, their claws, and bodily fluids (such as urine and feces). The true reason rats can cause so much damage lies in just how widespread and severe their impact can be. How much damage can rats cause? You’d be surprised—and here’s how.
Nest Building
Rats are mammals, and as many mammals do, rats build nests for shelter and as a place to raise their babies. And since rats are resourceful creatures, they’ll use whatever material they can find in your home to make them. This means that rats can and will destroy paper, wood, insulation, and more in the name of good parenting, dragging those materials to a secluded, dark space.
Food Damage
Rats need to eat, too. Unfortunately for you, though, rats do not ask permission before foraging around in your pantry and wherever else you may store food. Their gnawing and clawing can therefore destroy not only your food itself, but the surrounding furniture such as tables and cabinets.
Fluids and Waste
It is uncommon to say the least for rats to use your toilet in the way it is intended. So, all that food and water that they consume has to go somewhere. Rat feces and urine can quickly make your home stink, and over time the chemicals in varying rat excrement can irreparably damage walls, floors, and other structures in your home.
Rodent Electrical Fires
The teeth of rats and mice are constantly growing, and so they chew on things in order to file their teeth. One such thing that rodents often chew on is the wiring in your home. While a rat chewing on your HDMI cord is only liable to ruin your HDMI cord, there are serious repercussions if rodents chew directly on electrical wires. All it takes is for the exposed metal carrying hot current in one electric wire to start a small flame for a large problem to happen.
How To Stop Rats from Damaging Your Home
There are many ways to help prevent rat damage in your home. And though DIY methods are quick, they might not be enough in the case of a full-blown rat infestation—after all, where one rat is, other rats are likely to follow. Following typical rodent birth rates, if you have one female rat in your home or business, they can birth up to 72 rat pups per year! Advanced IPM can offer the rat control services you need, helping prevent rats through exclusion and get rid of the rats you already have. Contact us for affordable and effective pest control today.
