In Ireland we deal with two different types of rats, brown and black. The brown rat is the most common rat we would deal with in Ireland. It has a heavy body and a tail shorter than its head and body. They eat more than the Black rat and will also prey on other animals. You can see a brown rat anywhere from a supermarket to a warehouse, public areas, and your home or working environment. The Black rat, also known as the ship rat, has a tail longer than its head and body with a slenderer body than the brown rat. Rats have strong senses of hearing, taste, and sense of smell but have very poor eyesight so they will establish a route. They will climb in search of or shelter and can sneak into your building from a hole less than half of an inch wide.

A rat infestation in your home poses a range of health problems. Rats need to continuously gnaw on things to stop their incisor teeth from overgrowing. They are known to gnaw through cables, insulation, and water pipes with their sharp teeth, which could lead to flooding and through food packaging in your home. Rats are also disease spreaders putting you and your family’s health at risk if they have invaded your home or business.

Common Diseases spread by Rats

• Salmonella – this can be picked up by someone in your home or by your pet via rat droppings or from food being contaminated, causing gastric issues.

• Rat-bite fever – rats can bite. If you have been bitten by a rat you could contract this disease, causing fever and chills. You do not have to be bitten by a rat to catch this disease, it can also be contracted through contact with rat urine or secretion.

• Weil’s Disease – this disease is also contracted through the urine of a rat, causing flu like symptoms initially but can become more severe. Weil’s Disease can be fatal, seeking medical advice is highly recommended if you are experiencing these symptoms and have been in an area a rat has been.

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Signs of a Rat Infestation

• Droppings – this is the most common tell tale sign you have a rodent infestation. Rat droppings are typically bullet shaped. It is common to see many droppings as a rat can leave behind them up to 40 droppings a day.

• Smear Marks – as rats have poor sight, they will establish a common route in your home or work. This route is usually along walls and skirting boards. The marks left by rats are dark smears from the dirt and grease from their coat. Smear marks are an indicator of a heavy rat infestation.

• Noises – as rats are great climbers and can gain entry easily, they may enter your home and take shelter in a roof void or loft. You may hear rats scratching from above, particularly at night when your home is quiet. You may also be able to hear the noise of rats gnawing at cables, wires, insulation etc in your home.

• Odour – if you are experiencing a musky, unwelcome smell in your home or workplace it may mean there are rats present. A rat infestation will give off this odour both when the rats are alive and dead.

If you have a rodent in your home, it is strongly recommended to avoid using DIY methods of removal and to call a professional pest control expert to help you with your problem, as many over the counter shop bought solutions such as rat poison can easily contaminate food and food preparation surfaces if deployed incorrectly.

Treatment

• One of our fully trained and licensed technicians will call out to your premises and inspect the area for rodent activity.
• If rodent activity is present, we will then put down tamperproof bait stations with poison locked inside

Prevention Proofing

What we want to do is to prevent rats from having the access to gain entry into our homes or buildings. Here are Central Pest Control’s top tips to rat proof your environment.

• Seal

We recommend you seal any possible entry points for a rodent as they will gnaw these gaps and make them larger. These will be in areas such as in walls, ESB/ cable boxes, and gaps under your doors.

• Roof Areas

Any roof damage should be repaired as rats can climb along gutters and pipes and can gain access to your home or workplace through gaps in the eaves.

• Clear

Keeping garden areas and surroundings tidy is a must as leaves and vegetation provide ideal nesting spots for rats.