Rats can be a dangerous problem for Lubbock homes and businesses, thanks to the destruction and disease these pests bring with them. Professional rodent control is the best way to get rid of rats around your property.
Types Of Rats In Lubbock
There are a couple of different types of rats that you may encounter in Lubbock, including the Norway rat and the roof rat. While the Norway rat is large and has a grey to brownish coat, the roof rat is smaller and has a blacker coat of fur. Norway rats prefer to live in damp, underground areas such as a basement or crawl space, while roof rats are skilled climbers and prefer living higher up, such as in an attic.
Both of these types of rats have evolved alongside humans and have developed a dependent relationship with human structures; this is also what makes them so skilled at living alongside us.
The Problems With Rats
What attracts rats into your home is generally an abundance of easily accessible food, water, and shelter. However, once these pests manage to make it inside your house, they can leave behind some serious problems.
Rats will cause destruction anywhere they end up. They are constantly gnawing and can chew through all different types of materials, such as wood, electrical wiring, plumbing, and cinder block. They may also soil areas around your house with their urine and feces.
Additionally, the diseases rats carry can be quite serious if contracted. You can pick up the diseases that rats carry, such as hantavirus, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, and salmonella, through contact with the rat itself and contaminated food items or the urine and feces that the rats leave behind.
Rats may also leave behind parasites when they invade your home. These parasites include pests like fleas, ticks, and mites that can start their own infestation and bring other health risks.
What Deters Rats?
A big part of understanding what deters rats is understanding what attracts rats to your home in the first place. If you can eliminate these factors, you can put prevention tactics in place that work to deter rats from your property.
- Sealing up potential rat entry points is the best way to prevent these pests from entering your house. You should carefully inspect windows, doors, and your foundation and seal up any gaps with a chew-proof material, such as hard cement or steel wool. Be thorough, as rats can squeeze through a hole a quarter-width in size.
- Address moisture issues around your home, as rats are often attracted to pools of water; this means fixing leaks both inside and outside your home and ensuring that your house has proper ventilation.
- Keep your yard clear of debris and ensure that the grass stays trimmed low to reduce the number of outdoor hiding places for rats.
- Ensure that all food waste and trash is disposed of promptly in tightly sealed bags to prevent the aroma from attracting rats to your home. You should also store leftover food properly and quickly clean up food or drink spills.
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Rats In The House
If you want to get rid of rats, the most effective & safest way to handle a rat infestation is to contact the professionals at EnviroGuard. Our experts will provide you with customized treatments that will get rid of every rodent from your house.