Mice in the house are bad enough, but discovering that you might have a rat infestation problem is quite a bit worse. Do you know the signs of a rodent problem, and would you be able to tell the difference between having rats and having mice? It can make a difference in knowing what your dealing with so you can take the right steps to clear out the problem.

Rat Droppings

Likely, this is where your first evidence will come from. Finding rat droppings in various parts of the house, like in the basement, attic or in the back corners of kitchen cabinets. They are long in shape, like a big brown piece of rice, between half and one inch in length.

Rat Damage

Finding a nest of shredded debris, like paper, fabric or even wood shavings is a pretty good sign you have rodents in residence. A nest on it's own may be another pest and not specifically rats, so take a look around for some droppings to confirm what you're dealing with.

Seeing Rats

You will almost certainly see the other signs of a rat problem before you see actual rats. But if you do get to see one of these pests in person, it can be the best way to establish that you do have rats (rather than mice or voles). They are quite large, ranging from 15 to 30 cm in length, have greyish brown fur and a longer body compared to a mouse. They can be seen any time but they are more active during the night.

Now that you are pretty sure you have rats, what do you do? Prevention is actually your first step, to avoid the problem in the first place. Give your house a thorough inspection and look for any openings that a rat might use to gain access. Check around the edges of the foundations, under siding, and around the soffets. Seal up any gaps or at least cover with a sturdy mesh screen. Add a few scented repellent packsin the basement and attic to help repel any rodent intruders.

But once they are there, you'll have to take more steps. Again, use all natural Rat Repellentto drive them out, especially if you have access to place them near their nesting spots. Otherwise, you will have to resort to either traps or poison baits. If you have established that you have rats and not mice, make sure to get the right products. Snap traps meant for mice will not be sufficient to kill a rat, and you'll need rat-sized bait pellets as well if you are going that route.