Rat infestations happen because a rat finds your home attractive and decides to settle there. But what are the things that are attracting rats into your home?
If you know the things that are attracting these pests into your home, you are one step closer to preventing or controlling rat infestations.
1. Easy access
Rats don’t knock on your door and ask for your permission if they can come in. They are sneaky pests that find their own ways to get into your home. This is much worse if your home is easily accessible.
Here are some of the most common things that make your home too accessible for rats.
- Open doors. Doors that are left open are good entry points for rats. Make sure to always close your doors, even if you are only making a small errand outside, such as throwing the trash.
- Cracks and holes. Any kind of infrastructure damage can be a passageway for rats, even ones that are only a few inches wide. Inspect your home and fix and seal these passageways.
- Trees leading to your windows. Rats can climb trees. If there is a tree branch that comes very close to one of your windows, consider cutting the branch or closing the window to prevent rats from getting into your home.
2. Gaps
As said earlier, cracks and holes make your home easily accessible to rats. But this doesn’t mean you should focus on infrastructure damage only. Unsuspecting parts of your home can also have gaps in them that are big enough for rats to get through.
Here are some of the most common gaps where rats get through.
- Door gaps. Do you see those crevices at the edges of your doors? They can be wide enough for small rats to get through. Consider using door sweeps or weather strips.
- Pipe gaps. Structures that are going through your home may not be perfectly installed and have gaps. Pipes are some of these structures. Use the appropriate sealants to cover these gaps.
- Wire gaps. Like pipes, wires are structures that are going through your home. They may have gaps in them that leave your home vulnerable to small invaders like rats.
3. Food
It is not surprising that food is one of the things that are attracting rats into your home. After all, both humans and rats need sustenance.
It can even be argued that all homes are vulnerable to rat infestations just because of this. But don’t fret. There is one simple solution to make your home unattractive to rats – make food inaccessible.
Here are some accessible foods in your home that you can start making inaccessible.
- Foods that are not stored. Foods that are left in the open and are not stored in refrigerators and lids are easy targets for rats. Make sure to store all types of food properly, including pet food.
- Leftovers. Examples of leftovers are crumbs left on and under the table and scraps on the sink. Always clean your home, especially your kitchen and dining area. Don’t leave dishes on the sink. Wash them immediately to prevent attracting rats.
- Thrown foods in the garbage. Also be mindful of the foods you throw in the garbage. Make sure that all garbage bins are properly sealed. This is true for all garbage bins, whether they are inside or outside of your home.
4. Water
Of course, if food is attracting rats into your home, so does water. Make water inaccessible to prevent rats from even thinking of settling in your home.
Here are some accessible water sources that you can start making inaccessible.
- Open water inside your home. Buckets of water in the bathroom and pails of water in the sink are the most common kinds of open waters inside homes. Make sure that your bathrooms are properly sealed to prevent entry. Avoid leaving water in the sink.
- Pipe leaks. Do you have pipes leaking in your home somewhere? If you do, you should get them fixed immediately, because they are very attractive to rats, especially if rats can’t find reliable water sources outside.
- Water sources outside your home. Do you have craters in your yard that fills up with water every time it rains? Close them up fast. You don’t want to attract rats even just outside of your home. You don’t want them in close proximity to you whatsoever.
5. Unkempt garden, lawn, and yard
You shouldn’t just prevent rats from getting into your home. You should also prevent them from getting even near your home.
An unkempt garden, lawn, or yard can attract rats into your general vicinity.
Here are some of the things you can find in an unkempt garden, lawn, or yard that are attracting these pests.
- High grasses and bushes. Rats are really sneaky. They can hide somewhere near your home until they find an opportunity to get inside your home. One of their favorite hiding places is the high grass in your lawn. Always keep your grass short, so you don’t give these pests a place to hide. Also be mindful of your bushes.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables. Do you have greens that produce fruits and vegetables in your garden, lawn, or yard? Make sure to pick up all the fruits and vegetables that have ripened or fallen off. They are a good food source for pests such as rats.
- Pet food and waste. The garden, lawn, and yard are usual spots where owners put pet food and allow their pets to pee or poop. Always clean up uneaten pet food and wash away pee or poop. Pet food can be eaten by rats and pee and poop make your place unsanitary.
These are the things that are attracting rats into your home
Rats are warm-blooded animals. They seek shelter where they can be warm and near to resources.
Your home can be the ideal shelter for them, especially if it is easily accessible, has food and water lying around, and has a generally unkempt surrounding.
Prevent rats from even thinking about settling into your home by making it inaccessible, storing your food and water, and keeping your surroundings clean.