Have you ever come across small dark brown droppings or heard scratching noises in the house? If so, then you could have a rat or mice infestation, and it is time to call an eco-friendly pest control service to avoid the harmful effects of chemicals.

Identify the warning signs to protect your home from rat infestation. 

Below we have mentioned the significant early indicators of a rat infestation. If you spot these signs, you need a pest control company.

Droppings

 

Rats and mice usually produce somewhere between 40-70 small spindle-shaped dark brown droppings (like a grain of rice) in a single night. 

Rodent droppings are an active safety hazard warning sign, as rodent faecal matter spread various harmful diseases such as bubonic plague, rat-bite fever, salmonella, hantavirus, etc. 

You will usually find these in specific locations such as under the kitchen sink, in the pantry and cupboards, and along walls. Also, check for urine stains, these yellow marks are also an indicator of rodent activity.

Tampered Food Packaging

Tampered food packaging is one of the most prominent warning signs of rodents. Rat chews the packaging to find food.

Pests like rats and mice are usually drawn to houses for a warm shelter where they can also find the potential food, especially in the winter season, when there is a shortage of food in the wilderness.  

Rodents are quite notorious for using their gnawing teeth to shred open the food containers to get the stuff. And once they have found a way to enter the house, plastic and cardboard wrappers won’t be enough to prevent them from eating.

Always look for the holes or signs of chewing, and if you find torn or ripped food wrapping, call a professional rat control service in Sydney to see if rodents might be the cause.

Rubbing Marks

Rat or mice carry dirt and grease in their fur that leaves smudges or rubbing marks on any surface they come into contact with.

Due to their poor eyesight, rats usually use fixed routes along walls and skirting boards making the grease buildup in unsightly problem areas.

Check the walls and sidings for the rubbing marks, and any discoloured areas are the possible sign of the presence of rodents in the house.

Scratching Noises

Rats and mice come out from their nest to search for food in the night as they are nocturnal creatures. This is when you hear unusual scratching noise in the roof space, under the floorboards or in the walls. 

Rats are agile climbers, especially black rats, and they often found in lofts, making scratching sound while climbing the roof.

Any grinding and scratching noise are also a possible sign of rats.

Odour

A musky and pungent smell is the very first sign that indicates that there may be rats in the house. Rodents make a considerable mess, they urine all over the nest site leaving droppings all over the house. 

Things get worse when a rat is about to die; it often moves to the farthest corner to die alone, leaving a bad odour of its corpse, which is worse than their natural body odour.

Homes that are suffering from rodent infestation have a heavy sour musky odour. If you notice an unexplained bad smell, a nearby rat or mice nest could be the source.

Conclusion

If you notice these warning signs, your house might be infested with rodents. It’s time to get an authorised and certified pest control company to control the level of infestation.