“Pied Piper:[speaking of the plague of rats] Leaders of virtue; character builders, / To rid your town of this verminous pox, / My fee is fifty thousand guilders.”
Remember the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?
A man who took away all the rats by playing the piper?
We all wished that if a lifesaver like that man would come and saved us from the disgusting rats isn’t it?
Well, sure, in reality, it is not possible to get rid of them just by a tune no matter how hypnotic or melodious it is.
Rats are very stubborn in nature, especially the roof rats.
So here is this article to drag away the roof rats from your house. Don’t worry, I am not going to charge fifty thousand guilders from you.
This article is here to help you to know about the best solutions to get rid of roof rats.
Commonly the black cats are called roof rats.
Also, they are identified as a house rat or ship rat.
In Biology, they are mentioned as Rattus.
Biologically, it is known as Rattus, which is a Latin word.
It is distinguished because of its comparatively elongated tail.
Originally they evolved in the regions of tropical Asia.
Day by day they started to increase and spread all of the worlds, especially near east.
How To Identify Roof Rats?
I always say that it’s more important to recognize something at first before getting rid of them. Identification of a roof rat from other species is not that hard because they have some unique features. Here are some major characteristics of them.
APPEARANCE
- Their length is about 7-10 inches and they weigh approximately 5-9 ounces. Remember, they are smaller compared to brown rats.
- They are black furry and they have a prominent Grayish-black color
BEHAVIOR AND DIET
You may say they are a bit of unsocial. They prefer to stay alone. But once they start to live in a particular place, they choose to stay there for long. Their eyesight is a bit weak, so they kind of follows the smells or odor to find food.
Their food preferences are long. They like various types of foods like fruits, fungi or sometimes animals. They interfere in the foods of cattle and domestic animals.
As their name is roof rats you can understand them like the high places to live like trees. Also, they might be found in rice fields, poultry farms, in the citrus growth also in the attacks of the houses.
REPRODUCTION
Their breeding season is variable from region to region which also includes the temperature, weather condition, etc. After conceiving the female rats delivers the baby rats after 21 to 23 days. The developing time for the babies are about 8 to 14 days,
Marks To Follow Them
Now you’ve understood how to differentiate roof rats from other rats it is necessary to know how to know whether they are nearby you or not.
- Gnawing holes – The roof rats Gnaw holes which have a diameter about 2 inches or more. Gnawing holes from Roof rats are about 2 inches or more. They gnaw not only on soil but also of wood and they like to damage things like electrical wires, food packaging and so on.
- Urine Stains & Odors – Their urine appears as a line of drips or streaks. If you put to light from an ultraviolet flashlight, they will be visible.
- Droppings – They have shiny black droppings which are about 1/ 2 or 1/ 4 inch long and shaped like capsules. Their droppings are three times larger than the mouse droppings.
- Tracks -They are always leaving a track which is approximately ¾ to 1 inch. In their runways, they leave a grease mark.
- Sightings & Sounds – As long as rodents are very introvert and secretive in nature, however sometimes they gnaw, scratch or dig from which you can follow them.
- Sanitation is the single most important measure of prevention and control in combating any pest or rodent problem. Roof Rats must have access to a ready supply of food and water to thrive. To reduce rat populations, try the following sanitation measures:
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- Store any bulk food items in large metal containers with tight-fitting lids, rather than bags or boxes that can easily be gnawed through.
- Remove clutter such as paper and cardboard that rats might use to build their nests.
- Remove undesirable vegetation around your homes such as grass clippings and weeds.
- Keep dog food or other pet food stored in a sealed food storage container overnight.
Why Do We Have To Get Rid of Them?
No matter how secretive they are, they have health hazard issues. Roof rats are responsible for spreading various hideous diseases. They can transport those diseases by touching your foods or by their saliva, urine, droppings, etc. Here are some diseases that are caused by them;
- Plague
- Murine typhus
- Leptospirosis
- Trichinosis
- Ratbite fever
- Salmonellosis (food poisoning)
Steps to Kill Roof Rats in Attic
Now that you’ve known how harmful the roof rats can be for you, your family and your house you are searching the ways to escape them isn’t it. Yes, the main purpose of this article is to give you the solutions.
1. Clean, Clean and Clean!
Always keep in mind that the roof rats are not a clean creature. Dirt attracts them. So if you don’t clean properly, your house sooner it will be their house. Always clean your house, especially the dark corners. Follow their paths as I’ve mentioned before. Use insecticides and be a clean freak for your own good. This OCD won’t harm you rather benefit you.
2. OWL’S FEATHER
I know this may sound bizarre, but don’t underestimate the Roof Rats. They are really smart. And they always keep aware of what can harm you. Apparently, rats are afraid of owls because owls eat them. So if they see a sign of the owl they will run away for sure. So keep some owl feather in their pathway or in the corners to drive them out.
3. EXCLUSION
Definitely, you have to keep them away after you’ve killed them. Always track the possible entries for the rats. Block the passages so they cannot enter into. This is a great prevention from them for a better rat-free future.
4. ESSENTIAL OILS
This might interest you because it is an easy and non-toxic way. We, the humans are really fond of essential oils, but rats are the opposite of that. They can’t take the essential oils like peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, citronella oil.
Surprisingly, these refreshing oils repel them. So if you keep dropping of essential oils in their pathway it will be effective. Moreover, it will give a relaxing and refreshing smell to your house too.
5. PEPPERS
Peppers contain Capsaicin, which provides them excessive heat. It is intolerable for them so as soon as they get a touch in peppers they ran away.
There is a research associated by The New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University on it and they found CApasaicin repels rats. So, sprinkle pepper where the rats live and give them heat that they won’t be able to tolerate.
6. Baiting and Trapping
This is an old way, but you can’t ignore its effectiveness. Old is wise. There are different kinds of traps in shops. The most convenient traps are the wooden ones. If you are against killing there are some kind of traps in the market that just captures them without a kill. You can capture and then spare them too far from your house.
But if you chose to kill they don’t forget to dispose of the body because there is a chance of spreading diseases and germs from the dead body too. Now there are some modern types of traps are available which are treated chemically.
7. ONIONS:
Onions make us cry and also they are intolerable for rats. Although the nutrition of onions is provocative for the rats the odor repels them. Just put a slice of onion in the places that are infested by rats and BINGO! Watch how they drive away from the disgusting rats.
So now that you’ve known about how to identify and what steps should you follow to get rid of these stalkers fear no more.
Be your own pest controller and find a roof rat-free house.
Remember, your house your rules, no roof rats can interfere with that. ADIOS.
