Rat populations are growing throughout the UK as urbanisation, changing weather conditions and loss of habitat leads wild rats to seek shelter inside homes and business premises.
A rat infestation can be a serious health risk and cause significant damage to property and, for businesses, your reputation. Rat bites can transmit diseases to humans or other animals, and dead rats left on your property can rot and cause significant issues.
At LPPC Environmental, our team provide expert rat control services across Aberdeen and throughout the UK, so we understand how to get rid of rats for good. Keep reading to find out more.
How Can You Tell If You Have A Rat Infestation?
Rats are nervous and often avoid humans, usually hiding in roof spaces, cavity walls or behind skirting boards, so a rat sighting isn’t always guaranteed. Some other signs of rat activity include:
- Rat Droppings: Droppings of 12-20mm in length that are dark brown with tapered edges could be rat droppings.
- Smear Marks: Rats have greasy fur and often leave smear marks on walls, skirting boards, door frames and other surfaces.
- Musty Smells: If rats are living inside your property’s structure, you may notice a strong ammonia smell.
- Burrows Or Nests: Rat burrows are usually found outside, while nests made from soft materials, such as shredded paper or loft insulation, will be found indoors and indicate that rats are living and breeding in your space.
- Noises: You may hear scratching sounds or scurrying noises, particularly at night, as rats are nocturnal.
Does It Matter If You Only See One Rat?
While one rat might not seem like an issue, especially if you notice it scurrying around your garden, it could be a sign of a future rat problem.
Rats are tenacious, and once they find reliable shelter, food and water sources, such as a garden shed or outbuilding, they will use pheromone trails to attract other rats.
As more rats arrive, they may start to look for potential entry points to get inside your property. If they find plastic air vents, broken bricks or poorly fitted soffits, they will soon be inside your space.
With rat litters consisting of 5-12 pups (baby rats), and because female rats can get pregnant almost immediately after giving birth, what starts as one garden rat sighting could soon become a major infestation.
That’s why it’s important that you’re proactive and implement effective rat control methods as soon as possible.
What’s The Most Effective Way To Get Rid Of Rats?
The best way to get rid of rats is to work with professional pest control providers. Experts like the team at LPPC Environmental are RSPH Level 2 certified, and can ensure that your rat problem is gone for good.
While DIY methods, such as over-the-counter rat poison, might seem like an easy way to save money, they can cause issues to non-target species, such as pets and local wildlife. Also, they’re often ineffective, as rats are neophobic, meaning they don’t like new objects.
The sudden appearance of traps or poorly positioned bait stations will make them hide and could cause them to look for potential nesting sites that are inaccessible to you, such as roof spaces or wall cavities.
This could result in structural damage that requires expensive repairs. By investing in professional rodent control as soon as you see signs of rats, you can ensure that your rat infestation is fully eradicated.
Professional pest control companies can also pest proof your property after carrying out rat control services, to ensure the rats can’t return.
Is It Possible To Prevent Rats?
While there are no guaranteed ways to stop rats entering your property, there are some preventive measures you can try to deter rats and reduce the chances of a rat infestation, including:
- Sealing Entry Points: Make sure any potential entry points are sealed to prevent access to your property from rats and other pests.
- Keep Your Garden Tidy: Rats are looking for food sources and shelter, so make sure you trim vegetation, remove fallen fruit from around trees and use secure bird feeders.
- Store Food Correctly: As scavenging omnivores, rats will eat almost anything, including food scraps, so make sure any plastic bins are stored correctly and keep food, including pet food, in secured jars with tight fitting lids.
- Make Sure Waste Is Protected: As mentioned above, rats will eat anything, and aren’t averse to rummaging in bins or compost heaps for a meal, so keep your waste in secure bins.
- Be Vigilant: Rats are social animals, so if you notice one, there will likely be more nearby, which is why you need to watch out for rodent activity in or around your property.
Book Professional Rodent Control Today
Working with professional pest control providers is crucial to ensuring you get rid of rats quickly and without causing issues for non-target animals.
LPPC Environmental can provide rat control services for homes and businesses across Aberdeen, Grampian, Peterhead, Inverurie and throughout the UK.
Our team combine the expertise of locals with the reach of a established business to ensure you get the best possible pest control service.
As well as rat infestations, we can also deal with other rodents, such as mice or squirrels, and insects including ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas and more.
If needed, we can use traditional techniques, such as falconry, to get rid of nuisance birds and protect large sites across the UK from vermin.
Whatever your pest problem, LPPC Environmental can help. As this guide shows, our team have extensive knowledge of pest control and understand how to get rid of rats and other vermin safely and effectively.
If you’re ready to book professional pest control services from trusted experts, contact us today on 08000116100 or email Support@lppcenvironmental.co.uk.
