The two most common species of rats are the black rat and the brown rat. Both species are found in all parts of the world. The rat is found in small, dark places and is thought to have originated in Asia before migrating across countries and being accidental passengers on human voyages. The rat is now one of the most widely spread and adaptable animals in the world. The rat is a small scavenger animal that has proved to be a pest in both urban and rural areas where there is an abundance of food. Rats have been known to kill smaller livestock on farms. The rat can also carry and spread disease to a devastating effect, although diseases carried by rats are not generally passed on to humans. However, during the Middle Ages, the Black Plague wiped out nearly two thirds of the European population. The disease was not caused by the rat itself but by infected fleas carried by the rat.
Rats are fast breeders and give birth to large litters of baby rats. Female rats are able to start having babies at around 5 to 6 weeks of age, and female rats give birth to 6 to 10 babies after a gestation period of 22 days.
Rats are omnivorous and eat a mixture of plant as well as animal matter. Rats are incontinent and leave a trail of urine wherever they travel throughout the building. This trail invites other rats and even larger animals in search of rats as a tasty meal.
Rat trapping and removal
Rats are best trapped in either snap traps or live cage traps. Poison is a no-go with us. The reason we do not use poisons is, number one, it is a very painful way to kill something; two, secondary poisoning; and lastly, if the animal dies inside the building somewhere, it will be almost impossible to find it and will stink badly for weeks.
Some manufacturers of products that claim to dehydrate animals and will drive them out of the building in search of water don’t mention that this almost never happens and the animals will die inside and smell up the place something terrible.
Anyone can set traps, but our main goal when we are done is to make sure the rats or other animals cannot find their way back inside of your building. If this is not done properly, other rats will find the openings and the process will have to be repeated, costing you more and more money. We also offer complete attic clean-out and disinfecting where rats have nested and left behind feces and urine.
