Rats in New Jersey and All About Rats

Fascinating Facts About Rats

Rats are very social creatures, so you won’t find them going solo. If you see one rat in your home, then you can be sure that there are many more that you don’t see. In nests, they love to curl up together to sleep. They can become quite depressed and lonely if they aren’t with a group. Here are some other facts about rats that you may not know.

• While rats and mice both love to chew, the rat has teeth that are 4 -5 inches long, which gives them excellent gnawing power. They love to crawl all about, and they can even fall 50 feet to the ground and not be phased by the plunge. Heights doesn’t bother these vermin as they use their tail to help them balance in dangerous situations.

• These critters can live up to three days in water and keep going, so your water prone basement is no problem for them to maneuver. You can flush them down the toilet, and they will swim their way to the nearest sewer. Scarily, some rats invade the home by coming through your septic lines and up through your commode, though this is not the most common method of entry. To prevent rats in New Jersey it’s important to identify these entry points.

• Did you know that rats will eat their own feces? It’s a disgusting thought, but rat poop has many nutrients that they find beneficial, so they enjoy munching on it. Did you know that one rat can leave up to 40 droppings per night? Now, imagine what 4-5 can leave behind in your home? Rats in New Jersey can be prevented by sealing up entry points based on the location of the droppings.

Surprising Facts About Rats

• Rats don’t like cheese, and it’s deadly for them. They do prefer a good chocolate bar, though. These vermin are quite curious and won’t mind taking their time digging through your cabinets to find the perfect snack.

• They love peanut butter, grains, and seeds, as well as fruits and vegetables. If you happen to leave Fido’s dog dish full, they won’t mind helping themselves. Did you know that one of the ways many pet owners find out they have rats is because the dog dish keeps being emptied at night?

• Rats love food, but they will also indulge in non-edible items. Before they gobble, they give a test-nibble on an item to see if it’s palatable. They will chew through leather, clothing, paper, and plastic goods.

• Rats are neophobic, so they are afraid of anything new in their territory. Since they have this fear, rat traps are often avoided by them, even if they do have a nice hunk of peanut butter on them. Often times it requires a professional to eliminate rats in New Jersey because they are neophobic.

• Rats multiply quickly. A female rat can birth 1,000 babies in one year. Sexual maturity is around three to four months, and then she can begin mating. Her receptivity period is the specific time when she can get pregnant, which happens about 15 times a year. Once she’s pregnant, the gestation period is around 19 to 22 days. It’s easy to see why a couple of female rats can spell big trouble for homeowners.

• Though most humans cringe at the sight of their tail, it serves many purposes. The tail is thermoregulatory, which means it helps them regulate their body temperature. They also use the tail to balance out their small body.

Do You Have a Rat Infestation? Do You Need Help with Rats In New Jersey?

Noticing feces is a sure sign of a rat problem, but you might also hear scratching noises from the ceilings or even under the floorboards. Since rats are nocturnal, you will mostly hear them working at night. Their gnawing makes a distinct sound as their grinding teeth are hard to ignore.

The only way a rat will leave their nest during the daytime is if it’s become too crowded. By the time you come face-to-face with a critter, you already have a severe issue. Spotting little footprints is also common and can be seen by shining a flashlight in certain areas.

Since rats don’t see well, they try to stay along walls and use the surface as a guide. They leave an oily residue behind on the walls they commonly use. A professional exterminator in New Jersey knows this sign and can quickly identify it.

Though they may come inside, the rat prefers the great outdoors. They will have paths worn from the inside to the out, and you might detect these runs if you’re observant.

Since these destructive little critters carry disease and can contaminate your foods, it’s essential that you get professional help once you identify the signs of an infestation. You and your family are in danger of contracting diseases from their urine and feces left behind.

Remember, the bubonic plague all started from rats infested with fleas and disease crawling around in close probity to humans.

Why is a Rat Infestation So Dangerous?

Did you know that rats carry more than 25 different types of diseases? The most feared one is rabies, but it’s highly unlikely that a human can contract rabies from a rat. Those who have breathing issues may have asthmatic symptoms when there is a rat nearby. The most transferred diseases from rat to humans are:

• Hantavirus Syndrome
• Rat Bite Fever
• Salmonellosis
• Bordetellosis
• Pseudorabies
• Rabies

Rats can climb in bed with you and even claw at your chest. These rats are not trying to attack you; rather, they are lost and have poor vision. They just need to be redirected back to the outdoors. Most people feel that traps and poisons are enough to destroy rodent infestations, but sadly they only put a small dent in the problem.

Another common method of DIY pest control is to use baits that look like food pellets. These pellets swell inside their stomach and causes it to burst. While they work great, the rats often die inside your walls or other part of the home.

The stench they leave behind will linger for days. The aroma is so putrid that this area may be uninhabitable till the scent clears. While heading to the hardware store to battle these pests may seem like the easy and less expensive route to go, these critters breed so fast that without professional help, it’s exceptionally hard to eradicate them.

Taking Control of Your Home

Since rats can be so dangerous to have in your home, it’s best if you leave them to the professionals who handle rat control in New Jersey. A few glue or snap traps are going to catch a small percentage of your problem.

Since rats come from the outside in, it’s essential to identify their point of entry. A full-sized adult rat can squeeze their body through something the size of a quarter. They love to come in around drain lines and other areas where mold and mildew rot away at the flooring and drywall.

Since they can almost flatten their bodies to maneuver inside, you need to know what you’re looking for as entry points. Open the cabinets under your sinks and look for any small holes that can allow them to gain entry. They can also come in through dryer vents that are not equipped with a metal screen to keep them out.

Seal Up Entry Points

Before you can even begin to tackle the critters that have moved into your home, you need to seal off their spaces. Once all access points have been closed, then it’s time to move in and eradicate the pests. Using monitoring equipment is the best way to find the nest. Killing one or two isn’t going to bring you the relief you need as you need to find out where they live.

To remove nests, you must clean the environment. If you have lumber piles, leaves, or other rubbish in your yard, it makes the perfect nesting grounds. Once you remove these attractions, then they will be forced to move elsewhere.

As professionals, we will use rodenticides and tools that are not available to the general public. Using our integrated pest management approach, we will find the best course of action for your specific situation. Remember, if you’ve already seen 1-2 rats, then you have a much bigger issue that you can’t see. It’s time to call for help.

For more info:

Mice and rats: What’s the difference?