Finding a wild rat in your kitchen, or any other part of your home, is a distressing experience. Enough to write a song about.
No doubt we’ve all heard the classic reggae song “Rat in Mi Kitchen”, which was unsurprisingly inspired by one of the singers of UB40 after moving into a new home and discovering a rodent infestation.
The story goes that whilst on the phone to his bandmate, who was asking if he had any ideas for new songs, singer Ali Campbell allegedly replied “Oh God, I don’t care about the album for a minute, I’ve got a rat in the kitchen!”.
The band mate went on to write and sing the popular song in response. With the song becoming open to interpretation, giving everyone their own meaning to put to it, even political.
The term rat can mean other things after all, such as someone who snitches on or double crosses people, you’ve probably heard the term used in films about mafia, crime, and more.
Anyway, enough about the song. In average life situations, you need to know how to deal with these rodent intruders. You can write a song about it later if you want.
In this article, we’ll offer some tips for prevention, identify some causes of uninvited rat appearances such as what attracts them, signs of a rat’s presence and other general advice. Once you know how to deal with the problem, you can act swiftly, even if that means calling for professional rat pest removal, if needed.
Oh Rats!
Whether it’s snuck into your kitchen, your living room or (gasp) even your bedroom, discovering a rat in your house is not a pleasant time. It can be awkward, panic inducing, and time consuming to deal with.
The worry is that these uninvited guests can carry diseases, nibble, claw, or defecate on your property and genuinely contribute to an unhygienic living environment. They might bite, scratch, and can even climb, so their unpredictability is cause for concern.
It’s not always your fault. Maybe you live near a field or park, it’s summer and you left the backdoor or patio doors open (usually located near your kitchen!).
Or maybe your cat or dog brought it in from the garden. Rather than killing the small animals themselves, cat’s usually do this as a present for their owners, cute until they leave you to scurry around after it.
Rat or Mouse?
One of the first steps in the rat identification process, if you’ve actually seen it, is checking whether it’s a rat or a mouse. They are similar but the differences are simple enough.
Rats are generally larger than mice. They can grow to 11 inches, and that excludes their tail, whilst mice will only be 4 inches at most.
Rats have thick fleshy tails that sort of resemble a worm, whilst mice have thin hairy tails. Rats have larger feet and heads, whilst a mouse, being smaller, has more delicate features.
Behaviour wise, it’s rats that while larger, are actually more cautious and will have a tendency to avoid new objects. This behaviour is known as Neophobia, the fear of new things… is anyone else starting to relate to rats a little bit? It’s a survival instinct for them.
Mice, however, are the opposite and are more curious. Probably why they are more likely to be prey than rats, and more likely that the rodent your cat has brought in, is a mouse.
Identifying a Rat Infestation
If you haven’t seen the rat but suspect there is one, you may have noticed one of these signs:
- Small dark pellet like droppings
- Gnaw marks, found on wires, wood, and even food packaging
- There might even be hidden nests, created from soft materials like shredded paper or fabric
- Noises such as scratching or general movement, especially at night
- Rats also leave tracks, look for grease marks along walls or footprints in dust
So What am I Gonna do About My Rat Problem?
Once you’ve confirmed that it is a rat problem, there are several things you can try…
Set Traps
There are traditional snap traps that kill rats, or there are live traps that capture them so you can release them depending on what you prefer. Place traps along walls, use bait such as peanut butter or cheese, and check traps regularly.
Rat Poison
Use these with caution and explore other methods, if possible, especially if you’re an amateur to this sort of situation. The problem is that, while effective, the poisons are also hazardous to pets and children.
The poisoned rats could also die in unreachable areas, leading to nasty smells which then attract bugs.
Home and Habit Improvements
To prevent a rat problem, or future rat problems, there are a few things you can do around your home, including…
- Sealing entry points such as holes, cracks, and gaps in walls, floors, doors, and windows.
- Keep everything clean regularly and declutter if you need to. Seal and store food away, clean spills, seal rubbish in proper bins.
Rat Problem Solved
If you’ve tried all of the above and are still experiencing problems, don’t hesitate to call a professional, they can fix things for you quickly and effectively, meaning you can relax in your rat free abode.
