Rats
What are Rats?
Norway rats, the most common of rat invaders in homes and businesses, are blunt nosed, small eared rodents that can exceed 13 inches from head to tail and are the largest commensal rodents found in the Northwest. Usually grey with white underbellies but colors can vary. They can squeeze through a hole or crack the size of a quarter (3/4 inch).
Clues that you might have them:
Large (up to 3/4 inch) fecal droppings or urine spots where they have been (floors, cabinets, countertops, etc.), gnaw marks in/under exterior siding, burrow holes under foundations, sidewalks and patios. They can climb up sewer and drain lines and gain entry into a home through a bathroom toilet. Other evidence includes live sightings inside or outside of structures, frequently around dumpsters, garbage cans and rubbish piles.
If you leave them alone…
One fertile female can multiply to an excess of 640 rats in a year over multiple generations. Each individual rat can leave behind 50-75 droppings a day, contaminating food and property and creating an acute health hazard. Fleas carried by rats can also harbor disease. Rats in structures can gnaw on electrical wiring resulting in structure fires or other life-threatening hazards.
When do I call Leupitz Pest Control?
Call Leupitz Pest Control immediately at (503) 362-8100 to establish a comprehensive eradication and exclusion program to rid the home or commercial building of rats.
What can I do?
Prevention & Control
- Sanitation: Keeping homes and business properties clean by not allowing anything to attract them. This includes eliminating birdseed and other seeds that they can eat, sealing dry pet food containers, keeping food sealed in plastic or other rodent-resistant containers, etc. Backyard bird feeders and chicken coops will attract rats and are strongly discouraged in neighborhoods prone to rat infestation.
- Eliminating places to nest: To the extent possible, keep the environment in and around a structure free from areas where mice may hide and nest.
- Rodent proofing: Installing screening, flashing, and other mechanical guards to keep rodents out.
More Details
It is important to determine whether the invader is a Norway rat, or another invader such as a roof rat (Rattus rattus), which are smaller and much less common than Norway rats, with tails longer than their bodies, or mice such as house mice or deer mice. Rats are wary of their surroundings and are sensitive to changes in their environment, which can affect the method of eradication. Leupitz Pest Control will assist in identifying the pest and determine the best methods to eradicate the problem.