Are the rats in my house roof rats or Norway rats?
A technician tells them apart by droppings, nest location and sign. Roof rats nest high, in attics and trees, and have pointed droppings. Norway rats burrow low, along foundations and under sheds, and leave blunt droppings. The difference changes where traps and sealing go.
This sorting is not academic. A rat in the attic needs the roofline checked, tree limbs trimmed back and the soffit sealed. A rat in a burrow beside the foundation needs a different treatment and often a look at what is feeding it.
If you cannot tell, do not worry. Photographs of droppings, a note of where you hear noise and the time of day are enough to get a technician started.
What draws rats to a Brentwood property?
Open trash, pet food, bird feeders, fallen fruit and unsealed feed bins draw rats, and they use fences, tree limbs and utility lines to reach the house. Properties with outbuildings, stables or woodlots give them extra cover.
Larger lots mean more outbuildings, brush and compost. A rat does not need much: a loose lid, a feeder that spills seed or a dog bowl left out at night. Take the food away and the burrow loses its reason to be there.
Rats also use the same routes every night. That is why a good plan looks at the full property, not just the room where you heard them.
- Store feed, pet food and seed in sealed metal or hard plastic containers
- Keep trash in lidded cans and remove fallen fruit
- Move firewood and lumber off the ground and away from walls
- Trim limbs that touch the roof or reach utility lines
Can rats come in through the crawl space?
Yes. Rats can gnaw through weak vent screens, squeeze through gaps at the access door, and tunnel along the foundation to reach a crawl space. From there they travel through plumbing and duct penetrations into the floor and walls.
A crawl space gives rats shelter, warmth and a place to move unseen. Insulation, ductwork and vapor barrier can all be shredded for nests. If you hear scratching under the floor, tell the technician so the crawl space can be inspected.
Some rat jobs need crawl space repairs as well as trapping. See crawl space and foundation sealing for how that works.
Should I use poison for rats?
Poison is not a do-it-yourself tool. Loose bait can poison pets and wildlife, and a rat that dies in a wall causes smell and flies. A technician uses locked stations or traps, and chooses by the situation.
The safest approach for a household is trapping combined with sealing. Where bait is part of the plan, it goes in a tamper-resistant station, and the technician tells you where those stations are so you can keep away from them.
