Having a rat problem in your home can be easily identified if you know what to look for. There are a lot of signs of rats in loft spaces, and it’s important to know what they are because of the dangers of rats. Rats in the attic cause a whole host of problems, including the threat of fire.
Unless you spend a lot of time in your loft, you may only find out that you have a rat infestation up there once the rodents make their way down into your home. There are several different signs of rats in loft spaces you can see. Even if you only have rats in your loft, it’s still important to invest in professional rat control immediately.
You may think that a rat infestation can’t be that dangerous. But if a rat finds its way into other areas of your home, it can contaminate your food and make you and your family ill. Rats also love to chew everything, and if they chew live wiring in your loft, it can spark and cause a fire.
Here are our top 5 ways of how you can find out if rats have taken up residence in your attic…
Those Signs Of Rats In Loft Noises
Rats are generally the most active at night. But there are certain things that will trigger them to become active at any time of the day or night. If the weather has a drastic change, if the nest is disturbed, hunger, thirst, or if too many rats are living in the area, rats can be disturbed. Pay close attention to any noises that you might hear coming from up in your loft. This is especially important at night, because this is when rats will be looking for their food and finding supplies to build their nests.
If you are suspicious of a rat problem in your home, why not try and record them at night? Pop a recorder in the loft and listen back to it in the morning. You’ll be able to hear the scratching and scurrying of rats if they are there. Sure signs of rats in loft or attic environments!
Look For Chew Marks And Footprints
You may begin to notice gnaw markings on pieces of furniture or wooden beams around your home. If rats are present in your loft, you will most definitely find their droppings up there too. Gnaw marks can be found on pretty much every hard surface. This could be your flooring, the beams in the ceiling, the house siding, on electrical wires and around pipes entering your walls.
If you haven’t been able to define a sure sign of gnaw marks, it’s time to play detective. Pop a bit of talcum powder on the attic floor and look out for footprints over the following few days. Some signs of rats in loft can be detected with an observant eye.
Look For Signs Of Tunnelling
If your home has insulation in the loft, you may notice small tunnels from rats. The insulation may also have chunks missing where rats have used it to build their nests. Rats will tunnel into material like this because it will keep them warm while they’re nesting. Rats also hate to be found, so hiding behind insulation will be a great place to conceal their whereabouts.
Find The Entry Points
The rats got into your loft somehow. So your next step should be to find the entry point and seal it off immediately so no more rats can get into your home. Rats can squeeze themselves through small openings. You need to check your entire attic to find any potential spots where a rat may have come in.
Rat prevention is a great way of stopping rodents getting into your home and saves you time, money and a lot of stress in the future. Taking a few proactive steps will stop infestations. If you find holes that are bigger than a 50p coin, it’s more than likely you’re going to have some company of the pest variety.
And The Obvious Sign – The Droppings
Rats will leave a trail of droppings wherever they go around your house. The rat droppings are small and oval shaped and one of the clear signs of rats in loft cavities. You will most likely find these droppings close to where the rats are finding their food from. In your loft, you will find droppings close to their nesting spots too. As well as droppings, you have to remember that rats urinate everywhere as well. This urine may well be all over your home, including where you prepare food. Having this happen means you and your family are potentially at risk of becoming seriously ill.
What To Do Next
There’s a few ways you can eliminate a rat problem as well as calling in a professional pest control.
1. Identify and seal up all possible entry points around the loft where the rats could have entered. Common weak spots are around the roofline. You can fill these gaps in with mesh or filler foam.
2. Once you’ve made sure the entry points are sealed, dispose of the rats left inside.
3. Prevention is always better than the cure. Prevent all future rat infestations with professional rat control.
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