The most common rodents in Atlanta, GA are Norway rats, roof rats, and the house mouse. All three are commendal rodents which means they rely on human activity to survivie. Atlanta has consistently been in the top 20 of rattiest cities in the United States. Atlanta continues to grow in total population, and it is becoming a denser city. The mild winters have not thinned the rodent population. When restaurants and businesses shut down during the Pandemic, rats and mice flocked to people’s homes.
Signs of a Rat Infestation
Rats are a common pest. Although they may be numerous, that doesn’t mean you’ll easily spot them. Rats are wary creatures and avoid human contact.
But even if you can’t spot a rat, there are other signs you can look for to confirm your hunch. The first thing you’ll likely notice is unfamiliar sounds in your home. Rats communicate through squeaking, hissing, and chattering sounds. But you might also hear gnawing and rustling within your home.
After you hear them, you might start noticing other bits of physical evidence of a rat infestation such as:
- Droppings
- Gnaw marks
- Rracks
- Nests
- Smudge marks on beams or walls
If you aren’t sure what kind of critter you have on your hands, it’s best to call in professional help. Rats can be relatively elusive to spot. But professionals can quickly spot the signs that can confirm the presence of a rat.
Rodent Removal in Atlanta
Critter Control specializes in rodent removal and control. Rodent removal begins with a thorough inspection to determine how severe the problem is. The more established rodents are, the more involved the removal process will be. After inspecting, our wildlife specialist will build a custom solution to trap, remove, and seal all entry points.
Rodent Control
When you confirm that a rat or mouse is in your home, it’s critical to act quickly.
The unfortunate reality is that rats and mice breed at an astounding rate. In fact, rats can produce up to 14 times per year with around seven offspring per litter. That means that a single female rat could produce nearly 100 babies within a single year.
Based on the inspection, our wildlife specialist creates a strategic trapping plan to remove the rodents found in your home. Types of traps, placement of traps, and bait used in traps determine the effectiveness of rodent trapping.
Our wildlife specialist will ensure to use of the most efficient and safe removal process for your home. Though the standard trapping/removal duration is normally between 5 to 14 days, the trapping process may be longer if the rodents are well-established.
Rodent Exclusion
Some standard pest control services only provide rodent extermination. To protect your home, it is essential to seal all potential entry holes from rodents. A few common entry points include foundation cracks, loose-fitting screens, holes for pipes, chimneys, and loose soffits. If there isn’t a readily available hole, Norway rats and roof rats are likely to gnaw through materials like plastic sheeting, wood, and caulking to break into your home.
Clean Up and Decontamination
Rats make a mess in your home. They destroy insulation by using it for nesting materials, creating rat runs through it, and soiling it with urine and feces. Rats and mice can bring many diseases into your home.
Rodents contaminate any food they get into. A few diseases commonly transmitted through indirect contact with rats include leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, plague, and rat-bite fever. Finally, ectoparasites like mites and fleas can infest your home after hitching a ride on a rat.
Of course, no one wants to pick up a rat-related disease. The first step to avoiding any potential health hazards is to call in professional help to eliminate the rat infestation.
Once the rodents are removed, it’s time to apply sanitization agents to the contaminated area. The Wildlife Service Technician will thoroughly disinfect where necessary. Additionally, all dead rats will be removed. With that, you can breathe easier in your own home.
Although improved sanitation is the first order of business, it’s not the only part of the cleanup process. Beyond sanitation, our specialists will put everything back in order. For example, let’s say that the rat colony tore up the insulation in your attic. In that case, our team would replace that installation to help you get everything back to normal.
Recurring Rodent Control Solutions
The rodent removal steps above will give your home a much-needed reset. However, the pheromone trails left behind can lead a new infestation of rats directly to your door.
Since rats can chew through most home materials, they can make new entry points into your home. Rat repellants and improved sanitation can go a long way to preventing the return of rodents.
The uncanny ability of rodents to find a happy home is a challenge for homeowners. But that doesn’t mean you’ll need to repeat the entire process again. Instead, regularly scheduled appointments can ensure that your home never sees another large-scale rat infestation.
A professional service that regularly monitors your home for rat problems can spot any future problems before things get out of hand. Although rats are incredibly resourceful critters, they are no match for a careful rodent control plan.