A small rat problem often begins quietly. A sound in the wall. A few droppings in the garage. A single rat was seen darting across the yard. If you’ve seen signs of one rat, it’s safe to assume you have several rats living in your house.
Our technicians use their local knowledge and their training from over 40 years of pest control experience. Our process is developed with our understanding of rat biology to remove rats from your home effectively.
How to Find a Rat
You rarely see a rat, but you will find evidence of a rat. They are highly intelligent animals capable of problem-solving, memory formation, and social learning.
Our inspection looks for these signs of rats, like droppings, tracks, nests, and runways.
Rats choose nesting spots close to reliable food sources. Short, familiar travel routes reduce the risk of exposure. Once a nest is established, it becomes the colony’s center of activity. As the environment stays stable, rats may build secondary nests nearby, increasing their footprint and making removal more complex.
How to Find a Rat Nests in the House
Rat droppings, urine trails, runways, and entry points indicate the location of the nest. Rats build nests in places that stay warm, dry, and undisturbed. When inside your home, they often use insulation, cardboard, paper, and similar materials available throughout the space to form nests.
We’ve done thousands of rat inspections around your town and are familiar with where rats most likely nest in the houses in your town. With the information we gather, we determine the size of the infestation and create a custom plan for trapping, removal, and rat control.
Rat Cautiousness and Traps
Many people discover rat trapping can be tricky. Rats are naturally cautious around unfamiliar objects, known as neophobia, is well-documented in research on food neophobia in wild rats. Neophobia helps rats avoid traps, bait stations, and any sudden changes in their environment. They wait until objects feel safe.
You need to have the right trap, amount, bait, and placement to get rid of rats.
Why Rat Traps Don’t Work
Most DIYers do not set enough traps. Rats reproduce at a pace that surprises many households. Data shows that rats can produce several litters per year, and young rats mature in just a few weeks, allowing new breeding pairs to form quickly. The rat colony can continue to grow with too few traps.
Why aren't my rat traps working?
Not enough traps and improper placement
How to Stop the Next Rat from Getting In
After getting rid of rats, you need to keep them out. Rats communicate through scent, leaving pheromone trails that guide others to safe pathways, food, and water. Those chemical signals reinforce foraging routes and help rats navigate complex environments with ease and efficiency.
Finding Rat Entrances
Rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a golf ball, which can be hard to identify without proper experience and training. Since rats can chew through wood, plastic, and thin metal, they can get into any part of your house.
Our permanent exclusion methods block all the nooks and crannies rats use to get into your house. Your technician will provide expert tips on how to help prevent rats, like how to reduce food and water sources around your house, and eliminate hidden rat shelters in the yard.
How to Fix the Damage
Rats can cause significant damage to your home. Our techs know which damage to look for and repair before it becomes hazardous to your family. Rats can gnaw through electrical wires, insulation, internet cables, pipes, gutters, and many other structural and non-structural elements of your home. Finding and repairing those is crucial and should be done by a professional.
Rats carry many diseases, like hantavirus, leptospirosis, and salmonella, and can contaminate areas in your home, such as your attic and pantry. You should avoid trying to remove nests or clean the areas yourself.
We specialize in remediations that safely disinfect and eliminate the bacteria and spores often found in rat droppings and urine. Technicians understand that without proper sanitization, you risk attracting other rodents to your home. Even a slight smell of urine and droppings can lead other rats to the area.
Why Early Intervention Matters
A small rat problem rarely stays small. Rats’ intelligence helps them avoid early detection. Their reproductive pace accelerates quickly. Their nesting habits anchor them in hard-to-reach places, and their pheromone trails create a highly efficient system for accessing food.
Early signs such as gnawing sounds, droppings, gnaw marks, and unusual pet behavior often indicate more activity than homeowners realize. Addressing issues quickly helps prevent property damage, protects your family’s health, and stops the colony from expanding.
We take this seriously because your peace of mind matters. Understanding rat behavior allows us to approach every situation with effective, humane, long-term solutions.