Three Rat Control Tips For Homeowners
Rats are one of the more damaging rodents that can target a home. Unfortunately, there are homeowners that will fail to take steps to protect their homes against this threat due to being uninformed about effective rat mitigation strategies. By taking a few steps, you can greatly reduce the risk of encountering this issue with your home.
Properly Store Pet Food
It is usually more economical for pet owners to buy their animal's food in bulk. While this can reduce the costs of keeping your pet fed, it can increase the risk of rats targeting your home if you are incorrectly storing the food. In order to take advantage of the lower cost without exposing your home to a risk of rats, you should invest in a durable storage container for the pet food. Ideally, this container should be airtight and made of thick plastic that rodents will be unable to chew through. While a high-quality container may be an expensive one-time purchase, preventing rodents from targeting your home can be well worth this expense.
Prevent Pools Of Standing Water
Puddles of standing water can be another thing that attracts rodents to your property. Ensuring that these puddles drain away as rapidly as possible can be an important strategy in reducing the prevalence of rodents on your property. After each time it rains, you should inspect your property to look for puddles of water that are having difficulty draining away. For those with streams, lakes, or other permanent bodies of water on their property, this may not be possible. In these instances, it will be particularly important for them to ensure there is no food in the vicinity.
Use Rodent Repellents
There are many chemicals that can be used to help drive away rodents from your property. While you may be worried about placing toxic chemicals around your home and property, it is possible to opt for non-toxic solutions. For example, the scent of predator urine can help to stop rodents from nesting or spending much time in an area. You may assume that this will require you to get a cat, but there are many synthetic products that can mimic this scent. Another concern may be that the scent of these substances will be noticeable. However, it is unlikely that you will notice any scent from these products, but the sense of smell for most rodents will be sensitive enough to notice this scent even if you are unable to smell it.
Contact a local pest control company for more help with rat control.