Learn How To Identify Brown Rats
Brown rats, also known as Norway rats, are known worldwide as the most common species of home-invading rats. You can identify one of these pests by its brown fur intermixed with black hairs, seven to nine and a half-inch long body, six to eight-inch long scaly tail, blunt nose, round ears, and black eyes. When around homes, this pest leaves behind a number of signs that homeowners may use to clue in on their presence. Here are a few ways to know if your Chicago home has an active brown rat infestation.
- Fecal droppings: You'll find rat excrement in the backs of drawers, around kitchen pantries, and near areas rats are nesting throughout your home.
- Torn up insulation, fabrics, and/or paper: Rats use these materials to build nests within the wall and ceiling voids of your home.
- Grease smears along baseboards and on floorboards: As a rule, rats prefer sticking to walls as they travel around homes; the grease marks come from these pests' filthy living habits.
- Holes chewed through walls: If rats need a quick way in and out of your walls, they will make one, two, or seven holes.
- Gnaw marks: Rats chew on things constantly to keep their teeth filed down. Inside homes, these pests will chew on anything from table legs, to couches, to electrical wires within your walls.
Understand The Threat Brown Rats Pose
Having brown rats crawling around inside your home is not just annoying; it also poses a direct risk to your health and the health of everyone living with you. By their nature, brown rats are filthy pests. They eat filthy things, they live in filthy environments, and they spread filth wherever they go. In case you didn't know, filth usually contains bacteria, pathogens, and on occasion, parasites. These disease-causing organisms are spread throughout homes by brown rats in areas you interact with or onto left out food you plan on eating.
Put In Place Prevention
Once you have thoroughly inspected your home for brown rats and are confident they have not yet invaded, your next step should be to put some preventative measures in place. Here are a few things our experts recommend:
- Seal up gaps, cracks, and holes in your home's exterior foundation using some steel wool and a caulking gun.
- Repair damage to your home's shingles and siding.
- Get rid of any trash, debris, and clutter around your yard.
- Keep your home as clean as possible.
- Make sure your interior and exterior trash cans have tight-fitting lids.
- Place leftovers and food stored in plastic bags or cardboard in tough plastic, metal, or glass containers.
Know When It's Time To Call A Professional
Brown rats are one of the hardest pests to control. If you suspect these invasive and dangerous rodents are causing trouble inside your Chicago home, do not hesitate to get our team involved. Using advanced pest control techniques and products, Aerex Pest Control handles rodent infestations so that homeowners in our community can live safely.
Call us today for more information about our rodent control plans or to schedule your Chicago home for a thorough pest inspection. Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control services.