What To Do About Rats On Your Roseville Property
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What To Do About Rats On Your Roseville Property

If you see a line of ants in the house, you are concerned because they can contaminate items, but you don't run out of the kitchen in fear. However, if you move a cabinet and a rat darts out running across the floor, you will jump back, shout, and jump onto a nearby chair. Something about these long-tailed rodents sends shivers down the spines of many people — especially when they get into your house.

If you have had the unsettling experience of encountering a rat in your home, you need pest control in Roseville from Neighborly Pest Management. Our family-owned and operated company opened on April Fools Day in 1978, but we are serious about removing rats from your house. Although we are a local company and not part of a nationwide chain, our tools, experience, and knowledge enable us to handle any pest control situation. Because we treat our team members like family, most of our employees have worked with us for ten years. Due to our high retention rate, the technician that comes to your house has years of pest control experience.

You likely found this article because you believe you have a rat problem and want to get them out of the house. Please keep reading to learn how to end the rat infestation in your home.

How To Identify A Rat

gray rat on a white background

Different types of rats invade houses, but the two species common to Roseville are:

  • Norway rats
  • Roof rats

Before we get into the specifics of each species, we need to make sure you understand the difference between rats and mice.

Rats and mice are rodents. Rodents are warm-blooded furry mammals that have a pair of upper and lower constantly growing incisor teeth. The front portion has a hard enamel, and soft dentine makes up the backside; a razor-shape edge forms where these two substances meet. In the wild, rodents use their incisor teeth to chew through roots, small trees, nuts, and wood.

Although most Roseville rodents are wildlife that prefers to stay away from humans, rats and mice are commensal rodents that do not mind sharing space with us. Because rats and mice will live around humans, they use their incisor teeth to enter homes by chewing through aluminum or vinyl siding, wood, and even concrete. Inside a house, rats chew two to three-inch diameter holes in floors and walls to make pathways between food and water sources and their nests.

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The Safe And Effective Way To Get Rid Of Rats

When homeowners experience a rat infestation, they often purchase traps from the local hardware store. However, capturing a few rodents will not stop the ones maturing inside wall voids, in the attic, or other locations in the house. Also, if you are not careful, you may encounter a live rodent in one of the traps and put yourself at risk for scratches or bites, which can lead to an infection or disease.

The safest way to end a rat problem is to partner with Neighborly Pest Management. One of our highly-trained technicians will inspect your Roseville home for signs of rats, entry points, attractants, and hot spots. Once we determine the extent of the infestation, we will provide you with a free and accurate quote. Upon your approval, we will schedule a service and strategically install traps; we will check weekly on the devices or sooner if necessary. We will continue to do follow-up visits until the infestation ends.

In addition to capturing the rodents, we provide exclusion services to seal ground-level entry points. We also offer sanitation services to remove contaminated insulation which we replace with pest-controlling TAP insulation.

  • Same-Day & Emergency Services Available
    When possible, we can provide prompt assistance to help with your pest solution needs.
  • Local, Family Owned & Operated
    Rooted in our local communities, we know the best solutions for the pests in our unique areas.
  • We Offer Organic Treatment Options
    Embrace a eco-friendly approach with our range of sustainable solutions for your needs.
  • 45+ Years of Industry Experience
    Trust in our seasoned knowledge and proven track record spanning over four decades.

How Rats Spread Diseases And Damage Property

Rats are omnivores that forage for food in sewers, trash bins, compost piles, and drains. As these furry animals travel in these polluted areas, bacteria and viruses stick to their oily fur. Rats are active at night, but they do not have good vision. As a result, they bump into items as they travel throughout a house and leave grease marks full of disease-causing pathogens.

Another way they spread bacteria and viruses is through urine, feces, and saliva. Norway rats deposit olive pit-sized droppings with blunt ends as they walk, while roof rats leave the rod-shaped fecal matter with pointed ends along the pathways they create between their food sources and shelters. Because rats must constantly gnaw to trim their incisor teeth, they chew on plastic and glass food containers leaving pathogen-filled saliva on them. Also, rats urinate on utensils, towels, and other items in the kitchen and bathroom.

Leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, tularemia, salmonellosis, jaundice, cowpox virus, and trichinosis are diseases rats carry and spread in Roseville homes. Furthermore, their hitchhiking buddies also transmit infections to humans and pets. Ticks, mites, fleas, and lice also live in the same areas rats forage for food. When the furry rodents eat in these locations, these insects and arachnids crawl onto the rats and catch a ride into your house. These pests spread some of the same bacterial and viral diseases as well as a host of other ones like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tapeworms.

In addition to health concerns, rats cause physical damage to homes. Rats chew on wood furniture, plastic and glass containers, aluminum siding, and concrete. As previously stated, rats chew holes in floors and walls to create passageways.

Rats often build homes inside wall voids, underneath insulation in the attic, inside appliances, and in other places where electrical and internet wiring exist. Due to their need to gnaw, they chew on the protective coating of the wires and eventually expose the wire. When the exposed wires touch, they create a short circuit that can destroy the electronics inside appliances resulting in expensive motherboard repairs. In worst-case scenarios, bare electrical wires contact each other and create sparks that can ignite the insulation and cause a house fire.

The best way to protect the health of your family members and house is to partner with the best rat pest control company near you, Neighborly Pest Management. Our technicians know the signs of a rat infestation and where to begin treatments.

Five Easy Tips To Prevent Future Rat Problems

Once the rat control services from Neighborly Pest Management eliminate the current infestation from your house, you will want to do all you can to avoid a repeat.

These five tips will deter rats from entering your home in the future: 

  1. Seal exterior gaps
  2. Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the house
  3. Install door sweeps underneath exterior doors
  4. Keep outdoor and indoor garbage containers closed
  5. Repair holes in window and door screens

These tips will prevent rats from entering your Roseville home. You can make your property uninviting to a wondering rat by removing standing water, fallen fruit, animal feces, and debris in the yard. You will keep rats away by depriving them of shelter, food, and water sources inside and outside your Roseville home. When a Neighborly Pest Management technician inspects and treats your home, we can provide additional tips for your location.

Contact us today to schedule a no-obligation inspection and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Roseville. When you partner with us, you will see why we are your best defense against unwanted pests.

Hear From Our Happy Customers

At Neighborly Pest Management, your satisfaction is our priority! See for yourself what our customers have to say about working with us.

    “Their customer service is one in a million!”
    “My technician Doug Stone is amazing!! To say he goes above and beyond to maintain my property is an understatement! He took care of the issue and took the initiative to repair the garage door where my unwanted friends were getting in. Problem solved!!”
    - Jill M.
    “I highly recommend Doug and the rest of the Neighborly team!”
    “I have been working with Doug from Neighborly for over two years now, and it has been a pleasure. He is always friendly and knowledgeable and has taken care of every pest situation we have encountered.”
    - Holly K.
    “We've used them for years and we'll never leave!”
    “We can't share enough positive feedback about Doug and Neighborly Pest. Doug has always gone above and beyond to make sure our house stays bug-free!! He's considerate and always follows up to see how things are going after his visit.”
    - Sabrina C.
    “I feel confident they're taking excellent care of my home!”
    “Adam was fantastic! Super friendly and professional. I felt at ease and knew I could ask any question, no matter how dumb it sounded, and he was able to answer and provide more information based on my concerns.”
    - Erin D.
    “Professional, every time!”
    “We’ve used Neighborly for a couple of years and have had outstanding service consistently throughout. Doug is mindful of our pets and kid's safety as well, making sure that our home is a safe environment for everyone except the pests!”
    - Greg
    “I cannot appreciate his level of service more!”
    “We have been using Neighborly Pest for many years. While we have had many competitors come to our door, we have no interest in changing. Doug has been our technician during our entire service, and he is absolutely the best, always friendly!”
    - Brittany A.