Roof Rats

Having roof rats in your home is more than a nuisance, it can be dangerous. Rats can cause damage to your home and can be a health hazard to your family. Here’s how to identify and remove roof rats …

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Pest

Roof Rats

Pest Category

Rodent

Do They Carry Disease?

Yes

Do They Cause Structural Damage?

Yes

Cost of Damage

Damage Roof Rats Can Do to Your Home

Gnawing through wood, electrical wiring, and/or plumbing

Tearing up insulation for nests

Stains to ceilings and walls

Smells due to urine or fecal contamination

Additional note: A rodent’s teeth never stop growing, so they constantly have the need to gnaw and chew on objects. Their chewing compulsion combined with the strength of their teeth gives rats the ability to cause significant damage to electrical wiring, plumbing fixtures, wood, stucco, plaster, and other surfaces as well as items in your home. Therefore, it is crucial to remove them from a building as soon as possible.

Signs of a Roof Rat Infestation

Fecal droppings or urine stains or odors.

Smudges or dirty areas near openings in walls or floors. This is caused by the oil in their fur that rubs off when they go in and out of the opening consistently.

Noise - such as scratching, clawing, or scurrying sounds - in the walls, ceiling, or ducting. Most often heard at night.

Household pets scratching, staring, or even just sitting my floor registers. This can indicate that they hear rodent activity in the ducting or insulation near the registers.

Gnaw marks on wood, food packaging, and/or wires.

Footprints and/or tail marks in dusty areas.

Smells and odor from urine, droppings, and/or deceased rats.

Nests or scattered nesting material (often shredded paper, fabric, or cardboard).

Where are Roof Rats Found in a Home?

While roof rats are most often noticed in attics and upper parts of structures, they also can be found in walls and crawlspaces.

If Untreated…

If a roof rat infestation is left untreated, the cost to repair and/or replace damaged items and structural damage could range anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. There are potential health risks and concerns related to living conditions for humans as well.

Risks and Dangers of Roof Rats in Your Home

Rats cause damage to a variety of places in your home. They chew through whatever is in their way in order to get to both a warm and dry place. By chewing through insulation and ducting, rats cause your heating bills to rise drastically. They chew through electrical wiring, which can cause electrical fires. Additionally, they chew through plumbing fixtures, which can cause flooding. Another way they can cause damage is from both their droppings and urine stains on wood and insulation.

Rats also pose health risks to you and your family. They can carry diseases such as salmonella and hantavirus. And their droppings, urine, and fur can contaminate surfaces and food in your home. Additionally, rodent allergens can trigger allergies and worsen asthma symptoms in sensitive individuals.

Tips to Keep Your Home Rodent-Free

If you have roof rats in your home, you need a comprehensive approach to get rid of them and keep others from coming back. This includes the following:

Get a professional inspection to determine the type of rodent that needs to be removed.

Identify and seal any cracks, gaps, or holes that rodents are using as entry points to get inside your home.

Use traps, bait, exclusion, or other applicable rodent control measures.

Monitor the rodent control measures installed, as a deceased rodent is still a possible food source and source of unpleasant odor.

Enlist professional help to safely remove deceased rodents and properly sanitize areas of infestation.

Practice preventative maintenance and be diligent about eliminating potential food sources that will attract rats.

Get regular inspections to ensure that your exclusion measures are still effective and to fix any new problems that may arise.