Rodents will always be an issue in Charleston because of the proximity to water and the unique architectural style in Charleston. Rodents like rats and mice can damage your house, spread diseases, and contaminate your food. But there’s another surprising reason for rodent removal.
Rats in Charleston
Norway rats and roof rats prefer to live near the water with abundant shelter. In homes, Norway rats tend to seek lower levels like basements, cellars, or garages. Roof rats tend to climb into attics. Regular lawn maintenance will remove shelter for rats. Keeping tree branches clear from your house will hamper climbing roof rats. But if your home has ivy on the façade, that’s an easy way for an animal to gain access to your roof.
Rats in the Attic
A homeowner had roof rats in their attic. The most common signs of rats in the attic are sounds, sights, and smells. In this instance, the homeowner heard scratching and scurrying sounds at night. During the inspection, we found rat droppings and rat tracks and noticed the musky smell of rats.
We set rat traps to control the population near clear signs of rat activity. During that process, we found a surprise guest.
It was a rat snake! Snakes “eat where they live” meaning they don’t travel far. This rat snake climbed onto the house following the rats. Unlike rats, snakes cannot create an entry hole into your house. This rat snake found an existing gap in the roof return.
Did You Know Snakes Can Climb?
Black rat snakes are proficient climbers. They typically climb trees hunting for birds, eggs, frogs, rats, and mice. They’re climbing ability means they can scale walls and homes to follow their prey.
As you can see, the snake had a similar strategy to catch rats. The technician used a catch pole to remove the snake from the attic and released it in a safe location. Once the snake was gone, we finished setting the rat traps.
Trutech Pest Control for Rats and Snakes
The rat-trapping process usually takes five to fourteen days. Once the rats are gone, we need to keep them out. Exclusion is the best way to prevent rats from entering your home. Rats can gnaw through wood, plastic, mortar, cinder blocks, and even metals like aluminum and can squeeze through a gap the size of a quarter. An added benefit, whatever keeps rats out will also keep snakes away.
Rats are tenacious and intelligent. They can gnaw through a variety of materials and squeeze through a hole smaller than a quarter. Once a rat has found a suitable nest location, it leaves a pheromone trail for other rats to follow. Trutech Wildlife Service offers recurring rat control to protect your home from rat problems.
Call Trutch in to Get Rats Out
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