Rats are one of the most troublesome and damaging rodents in Nigeria. They eat and contaminate food, damage structures and property, and transmit parasites and diseases to other animals and humans. They also damage containers and packaging materials in which foods and feeds are stored. Rats cause problems by gnawing on electrical wires and wooden structures such as doors, ledges, corners, and wall materials, and they tear up insulation in walls and ceilings for nesting.
Rats live and thrive in a wide variety of climates and conditions and are often found in and around homes and other buildings, on farms,in gardens and open fields.
The answers to the following will let you know if you have rats in your home or not:
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Do you hear suspicious scrabbling in your roof or furniture?
The first thing you will notice if you have rats in your house is their noise when they think everyone is asleep; this is because they are nocturnal animals. Rats are excellent climbers and are very capable of fitting into spaces much smaller than their bodies, so they will use this movement ability to get away from you if you try to catch them.
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Are you finding questionable black pellets around the house?
Rat droppings tend to be found concentrated in specific locations as rats produce up to 40 droppings per night. They can be found in almost anything as long as the rats have access to it.
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Are your food disappearing or have bite marks in them?
One adult rat can consume as much as an adult human can, and the truth is they love the same kinds of food that we do. So from your jollof rice to your eba, once you have a rat in the house nothing is safe. The rats will make up to 20 trips in one day to the identified food source, be it a cupboard, store or on your dining table. If you think you have been sharing food with rats, just throw it away. Food that has been contaminated by rats can cause serious illnesses to humans.
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Do you have Holes or tears in clothes, books etc
If you start finding unexpected holes or tears in your clothes, books or any other materials, my bet is that there are rats in that house. What rats do is that they shred materials to build nests in dark corners, so check your drawers, cabinets and wardrobes to see if you have rat nests there.
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Can you see one?
Finding a dead mouse in the house or even seeing a live one is the surest sign that there is a problem. Especially if you see one out and about during the day, this means you have an infestation and you definitely require the services of a pest-control professional.
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Does your pantry have a sharp, musky odor?
Rats have a distinctive smell, and this is very noticeable in an enclosed area, like your pantry or your wardrobe. This odor is to help them mark their territory, so if you can perceive that rat smell just know your house has been marked!
If you answer Yes to any of these, then you do have RATS in the house. And we say rats because a single rat never stays single; they travel in pairs so you might have just two rats in your home, if you are lucky! Or there might be as many as 10!! One female mouse can produce as many as 10 litters in a short space of time.
Nobody likes a rat infested house, so if you have rat problems we suggest that you give us a call, we know just how to get rid of these night or day time crawlers.