The Greater Pittsburgh area is home to several types of urban and suburban wildlife, including rats. These tiny rodents can easily sneak into your home or business, making themselves at home while creating property damage and causing serious health risks. It’s important to make sure your property has the proper rat prevention safeguards in place to combat these invasive critters. Here are some steps you can take to rat-proof your home.
Rat Prevention Techniques to Safeguard Your Property
Proper rat-proofing requires several prevention methods to guarantee rats don’t make a home in your home. Here are some of the most critical steps you can take to protect your property against rats.
- Keep Your Property Clean: Rats are attracted to messes, especially if they is spilled food or crumbs within reach. One of the easiest ways to deter rats from your property is by keeping a clean environment. Instead of storing perishable food in thin plastic bags, use airtight, chew-proof containers. Glass, metal or thick plastic can prevent rats from chewing their way through. Clean up any messes as soon as they happen, and properly dispose of trash inside thick garbage bags within tightly sealed containers.
- Check Outdoor Storage: Outdoor storage areas, such as sheds and garages, are ideal locations for rats to nest. Seal off their entry points and keep things organized with as little on the floor as possible. Don’t store perishable goods, such as pet food or birdseed, in these areas as it will attract hungry rats.
- Trim Your Yard: Rats will use overgrown lawns, fallen limbs and stacked firewood as hiding spots as they race to your home. Regular lawn maintenance, such as mowing and pruning, give them less of a chance. Create a gap of a few feet between anything around your property’s exterior.
- De-Clutter Your Attic and Basement: Indoor storage areas can be just as vulnerable as outdoor ones. Attics and basements are dark and less-utilized areas of the home, so they are ideal places for rats to build a nest. Keep them free of clutter, organized, and well-lit to discourage rat activity.
- Secure Your Exterior: Rats are able to squeeze through tiny openings, especially where utility and plumbing lines enter the home. They can also fit under doors and through chimneys. Secure these entry points by sealing cracks with copper mesh and a strong adhesive. Door sweeps also prevent the agile critters from sneaking under entryways. A sturdy mesh screen over any vents, eave soffits or chimneys will prevent rodents from falling inside your property.
- Call a Professional: While at-home rat prevention techniques may help avoid a rat problem before it starts, it will take professional intervention to resolve an existing rat infestation. That’s why you should trust the licensed, trained and experienced rat removal experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh to safely and humanely get rid of the nuisance rats on your property.
Professional Rat Removal with Critter Control® of Pittsburgh
The professional rat removal technicians of Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will quickly and safely remove nuisance rats and other invasive wildlife and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate, call us today at 412-767-4067.
