Category: rats

Rats are often unwelcome ravagers of residential gardens. The critters not only feast on outdoor produce but can also contaminate plants and surfaces with a number of diseases. Therefore, protect yourself and your property by acting fast to get rid of rat in garden as soon as its presence is discovered.

Ways to Get Rid of Rat in Garden

• Rearrange Your Yard Furniture

Rats do not like their nests being disturbed in any way. Thus, one way to get rats to leave your backyard is to disrupt their shelter by rearranging your yard furniture. By making their setting unfamiliar to them, the pests will likely leave on their own.

• Remove Potential Water Sources

Like all creatures, rats need water to survive. Therefore, scan your backyard and garden for potential water sources that rats can access. Look out for things like leaky hoses, clogged gutters full of standing water, or dripping taps and drain pipes. If there are rats in your garden, then they are likely using these areas as watering holes. As you find these water sources, cut them off either by removing them or by blocking access to them.

The thirsty rats will eventually be forced to leave and find a new place to live that provides them with a reliable water source. 

• Maintain a Clean and Tidy Yard and Garden 

Hungry rats will scurry towards gardens that are exposed or frequently have rotten fruits or vegetables on the ground. Do yourself a favor by installing a mesh wire fence around your garden to keep rats out of your produce.

Rats are also preferential to areas with overgrown plants, lush vegetation, and uncut grass because they provide excellent cover. Therefore, trimming back your bushes, removing debris, and frequently mowing your lawn will make your yard a lot less desirable to rats.

Get Rid of Rat in Garden by Calling Rat Removal Experts

At the end of the day, the best way to get rid of rats in the garden is to call the professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our team of experienced rat removal technicians will quickly and thoroughly resolve your rat infestation issue using safe, non-toxic, and eco-friendly methods.  We will also clean and contaminated areas, and implement preventative measures to ensure rats don’t return.

For more information on our rat removal services or to schedule an inspection and receive a free estimate, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Not only is a rat infestation an incredible inconvenience, but a rat in the house can also cause significant harm to your health and home. Rats are known to leave nests, holes, and feces throughout infested properties. They also spread dangerous diseases and infections to humans and pets.

Therefore, addressing a rat infestation with effective rat removal tactics should be your chief concern once signs of a rat infestation are noticed.

Common Signs of a Rat Infestation

Recognizing the warning signs of rats is the most important step in stopping an infestation before it gets out of hand. Signs of a rat infestation include:

• Scattered droppings
• Ammonia-like urine smell
• Scratching noises and squeaks coming from walls and attic
• Foot prints and grease marks along floorboards and openings
• Chewed electrical wires, drywall, and molding
• Shredded attic insulation

Rat Removal and Prevention Tips

There are many steps you can take to help prevent and get rid of rats in your house.

1. Keep attic storage bins and boxes sealed. Rats are attracted to any sort of decomposition, which is why it’s important to clean out your attic of old musky boxes and transfer your storge into tightly sealed plastic bins that rats cannot penetrate.
   
2. Eliminate accessible food and water sources. Refrain from allowing food to fall on the ground and fix any leaky faucets where rats can get a drink.
   
3. Seal exterior gaps. Look for and seal off any possible entry points in your home’s exterior. Specifically check for any cracks or small holes that rats can squeeze through.
     
4. Declutter and clean your property. Rats love to hide in small, dark spaces and are drawn to any food they can find. By cleaning your house regularly of crumbs and debris, you can limit any potential areas where rats could feast or build nests.

5. Keep your yard and garden tidy.  Overgrown vegetation and fallen fruit and produce can attract rats to your home. Also seal up outdoor trash cans and remove pet food bowls that can lure in hungry rats.

While the above tips can help prevent a rat from getting in your home, once a rat problem has begun, it can quickly grow into a full blown infestation. At which point, you will likely need professional rat removal assistance.

Get Rid of a Rat in the House with Professional Rat Removal Services

The experienced rat removal technicians at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will quickly and safely remove nuisance rats and other invasive wildlife from your Pennsylvania property and keep them from returning.

To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient rat removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Having rodent issues in your Greater Pittsburgh commercial or residential property can cause you a lot of stress. Unfortunately, the problem won’t disappear by constantly trying different DIY rat removal techniques. The best way to get rid of rats from your home is by hiring a rat exterminator to remove the rodent permanently through safe and effective methods. Here is how to prepare for and what to expect from a visit by a rat exterminator.

Preparing for a Rat Exterminator

Before a rat exterminator visits your property, you should prepare by:

• Clearing areas near rat activity – Make sure to remove items on top of the fridge and inside the cabinets beneath your sink. Clearing the path for the technician by removing any trash or clutter and sweeping the floors helps them do their job quickly and efficiently.
  
• Storing food away properly – Keep all food in an air-tight container. Foods like snacks, candy, pet food and cereals should also be kept in a plastic container that rats can’t chew through.

What to Expect from a Professional Rat Exterminator

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our certified and trained rat exterminators use a proven, four-step method to remove all nuisance rats from your property. Our process does not rely on toxic chemicals, so it is safe to use around your family and pets.

The steps that our rat exterminator will take when visiting your home or business include:

1. Inspection – Our rat exterminator will thoroughly inspect your home to determine the severity of the rat infestation and identify areas of exposure before creating a personalized plan to remove the rats.
2. Removal – Our technician will remove all rats using efficient and humane trapping methods.
3. Prevention – Rats are small enough to fit through a crack as big as a quarter inch. Therefore, we will seal all entry points in your property with caulking or copper wire mesh to prevent re-entry.
4. Restoration – We will clean and repair any damage caused by the rats on your property.

The Best Rat Exterminators in Pittsburgh

Critter Control® of Pittsburgh has served Pennsylvania residents for over 20 years, removing nuisance rodents and other invasive wildlife from Greater Pittsburgh properties. Our expert rat exterminators use safe and effective methods to deal with any unwanted pest issue and will install safeguards to keep them from returning.

 To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our humane and efficient rat removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Rats are an especially irritating critter to have in your home or business and their nuisance may become increasingly harmful and uncontrollable without proper help. There are many damages and health risks that rats can inflict on your property and personal well-being, but there are just as many tactics to get rid of them. While attempting to get rid of rats without the help of licensed professionals can be ineffective and costly, here are a few ways to permanently get rid of rats that you can try on your own.

How to Get Rid of Rats in 5 Steps

While it’s important to know the risks and damages of rat infestation, the most important part of the process is eliminating the nuisance. There are several steps you can take to minimize the threat of rats and get rid of the critters for good, including:

1. Sealing gaps and access points – Securing any pre existing gaps and holes in your home’s exterior eliminates access points for rats to enter through.
2. Maintaining a clean yard and home – Closing trash bins, keeping your yard free of  debris, moving objects away from walls, and cleaning interior pipes removes nesting spots for rats and reduces their attraction to your property.
3. Eliminating food sources – Cleaning up food in the kitchen and taking pet food bowls inside at night guarantees that there are fewer food sources for rats to be attracted to.
4. Using household ingredients– Putting peppermint oil on cotton wool balls in the corners of your home or sprinkling crushed red pepper near openings will ward off rats as they aren’t fond of the smell.
5. Relying on professionals –  If the above precautionary methods fail to permanently resolve the infestation, then contacting licensed and trained rat removal professionals is always the best option. Experts can efficiently resolve the nuisance with efficient services, ensuring that the problem is solved for good.

The Dangers and Inefficiency of DIY Rat Removal

At the end of the day, using DIY methods to get rid of rats is only a temporary solution and can result in various threats to your health if you come in contact with the pest. Furthermore, rats are generally cautious eaters, so snap traps and rat poisons can be proven as costly and ineffective methods that only serve as threats to young children and pets. To avoid putting yourself and your loved ones at risk, it is best to hire certified wildlife removal specialists who employ top-grade methods of removal.

Get Rid of Rats with Professional Rat Removal Services

The team at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will ensure a safe and effective rat removal process that includes eco-friendly and humane removal methods as well as exclusionary steps to secure your property from future infestations.

Our experienced pest removal technicians will safely remove rats and any other nuisance pest from your Pennsylvania property. To schedule your inspection and receive a free wildlife removal estimate for our humane and efficient rat removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.