Real Rats Have No Place Near Your Home This Season

Fake rats are a well-loved staple in Halloween decorations. With their beady little eyes, their ability to scurry around quickly, and their propensity to only be seen after dark, rats make the perfect creepy animal for this scary season. While fake rats are needed for haunted houses and spooky décor, real rats have no place near your home this season. Here are three actions you can take to keep rats away.

1. First, understanding a few common rat habits will help you to keep them away. There are two types of rats that can be found in our area, the Norway rat and the roof rat. As you may have surmised from their name, roof rats prefer to be up high and are very adept climbers. Norway rats are known for their burrowing skills and prefer to be closer to the ground. The first action you should take is to look outside of your home for cracks or holes where a rat could enter. Look both high up (for roof rats) and down by your foundation (for Norway rats). Remember, a rat can fit inside a hole the size of a quarter so you should not overlook relatively small holes. If you find holes, fill them.
2. Both varieties of rats take advantage of trees and shrubs that are close to your home. They can use this foliage to hide. If they are hiding close to your home, it is likely they will venture into it soon. Rats also use tree limbs as highways. If branches touch your roof you have created easy access for rats. It is extremely important to trim back your trees and bushes a few feet away from your home. It is also a good idea to remove leaf litter and other yard waste that would prove to be a useful hiding place.
3. Rats hide near homes because they are looking for food and shelter. Human garbage is a well sought after source of food for rats. Because of this, the way you deal with that garbage can go a long way in keeping rats away. Make sure to keep your garbage in a bin with a lid. The best bins are made of metal as rats can chew through plastic relatively easily. Leaving plastic bags out is a clear invitations for rats to feast on your garbage. The smell of mint has been determined to repel rats, so placing your garbage in a mint scented garbage bag before you place it in a metal bin will give you an added layer of protection.

These are three tried and true methods to keep rats away. Some people will try to convince you that ultrasonic devices, lights, sounds, and predator models (like owl and snake statues) will rid your house of rats, but they have been proven to be ineffective. If you have taken the actions listed above and still see signs of rats, it's important to call Cowleys quickly. Rats are not only creepy, they have the ability to transmit a number of diseases to humans and are a fire hazard due to their propensity to chew on wires.