Due to the region's generally warm climate, Santa Clarita is home to a wide variety of pesky insects, rodents, and other pests that can cause problems for homeowners. Throughout the area, rodents explore the landscape in search of fresh food and shelter sources. One of the most common types of rats found in local homes is the Norway rat, which also frequently brings in other dangerous parasites such as fleas and ticks.
Excel Pest Management provides quality Santa Clarita pest control to protect you and your family from the dangers that Norway rats can bring. Call us to find out more about our rat control services.
Signs Of Norway Rats In Your Home
Since they are typically more active at night, Norway rats can be difficult to catch. However, there are a few indicators that indicate the presence of rodent pests in your home:
- Gnaw traces: Norway rats nibble on personal items, wiring, and furniture. Norway rats eat even building structures, leaving two-inch gnaw marks with rough edges.
- Droppings: You can find 3/4 inch-long droppings along residential and building paths. Norway rat droppings can carry sickness and pathogens to humans.
- Tracks: Norway rat trails are easy to notice on muddy or dusty surfaces. If you suspect an infestation, try dusting a few areas with flour or baby powder.
- Burrows: Norway rats burrow next to walls, buildings, and under trash to create nests. Pests need food and water and reside near humans.
- Traces of grease: Norway rats leave grease and grime on walls and floors.
Norway rats have three to six litters a year, meaning that a rat infestation can quickly grow out of control. This makes professional Norway rat control even more critical to prevent an infestation.
Where Do Norway Rats Like To Hide?
These rodents thrive in urban areas, where they can easily hide in dark places like basements, crawlspaces, attics, and sewers, as well as in the soil around buildings, embankments, and tree roots.
You can find Norway rats in open areas such as fields and farmlands, and in more enclosed spaces such as structures made of wood. Because of their nimble bodies, these rodents can squeeze through openings as small as a quarter.
Rats are voracious omnivores that thrive on various foods, but will also devour other rodents, tiny fish, and dead animals if they have to. Rats' nests are typically established near water sources, and in protected areas where humans are unlikely to disturb them.
The Safest Way To Get Rid Of Norway Rats
Avoiding a Norway rat infestation starts with prevention. Not sure how to prevent rats? Make sure there's no accessible food in your home that may lure them in, and that all areas of high moisture are dealt with. It's also important to close up access points that rats might use to enter your home.
Once an infestation has taken root, professional rat pest control is the safest and most effective way to get rid of Norway rats. The team at Excel Pest Management has the knowledge, experience, and resources to eliminate a rat infestation without endangering your family or property. Call us to find out more.
Total Rodent Prevention For Santa Clarita Residents
A comprehensive rodent control program will include measures for both eradication and prevention. After we have completed the initial evaluation and treatment, our staff will set up as many follow-up appointments as are deemed necessary to ensure our service was a success.
The Excel Pest Management crew is always delighted to educate clients about the lifestyles of common rodents like rats and mice in the Santa Clarita area. We can help you learn about rat activity in the area so that you can prevent future infestations and the costly repairs and health risks that accompany them.