As you can tell from their name, roof rats are known for finding shelter in the uppermost parts of buildings. Here’s everything you need to know about roof rats and how rodent removal services can help you permanently remove them from your home.

What Are Roof Rats?

Roof rats are long and thin, with large eyes and ears, a pointed nose and a scaly tail. Their fur is typically brown with small black spots, and their undersides are either white, black or gray. If they’ve infested your home, they’re most likely to inhabit attics, walls or cabinets. Their agility allows them to travel on utility lines, fence tops or other precarious surfaces to reach their destination. Roof rats are nocturnal, which means that they’re mostly active at night. However, they often leave behind evidence that they’re present in your home.

Where Do They Hide?

Due to their flexibility, roof rats can enter homes through cracks, holes and gaps under garage doors. They can squeeze themselves through extremely small entrances, some as small as a quarter. Once they’ve entered your home, roof rats will typically build a nest out of soft materials such as cotton, insulation or cardboard boxes. Because they want to be near food and airflow, they usually build their nests in:

• Basements
• Air ducts
• Closets
• Crawl spaces
• Attics
• Cabinets

Roof rats take advantage of the nighttime to wreak havoc on your home. From gnawing on wooden structures like doors and ledges to tearing up insulation in the walls, they can damage your home’s structural integrity and threaten its safety.

How Do You Know You Have an Infestation?

While you probably won’t be awake at night to catch roof rats at work, there are several signs of an infestation that you can look for during the day. One of the most common indications of an infestation are droppings. Fresh roof rat droppings are typically soft and moist, while older ones are hard and dry. They’re about half an inch in length and have pointed ends. Be sure to look for droppings in cupboards, kitchen pantries, attic spaces and underneath kitchen appliances.

If you find roof rat droppings in your home, be sure to keep your distance. Because these droppings can carry various diseases that can spread to humans through touch, it’s best to contact pest control in Guelph to safely eliminate them.

In addition, if you hear scratching, scurrying or chewing sounds coming from walls or ceilings, this is another strong indication that you have a roof rat infestation. To confirm that these sounds are coming from rats, tap on the wall or ceiling where the noise is coming from. If the sound stops but resumes shortly after, you can be confident that rats are living in your home. 

What Should You Do if You Suspect an Infestation?

Roof rats may not have the best eyesight, but they make up for it by having strong senses of smell, touch, taste and hearing. This allows them to memorize the ins and outs of your home and learn to avoid traps. This is why it’s so important to contact a skilled professional rather than trying to eliminate roof rats on your own. Not only are rats extremely resourceful in finding new ways to make themselves at home on your property, but they also reproduce quickly. While you may believe that you’ve gotten rid of the rats in your home, it could just be that the remaining ones have learned to avoid your traps.

Our team of experienced professionals at Truly Nolen can safely and humanely eliminate roof rats from your home without jeopardizing you or your family’s health. Call Truly Nolen today to learn more about our rodent removal services.