As nocturnal creatures, rats are generally most active when you’re fast asleep. However, there are still several ways to tell if you have a rat infestation. Here’s how:

Droppings

Black, elongated in shape, and resembling rice grains, rat droppings are typically 12-18mm long.

Noises in your roof

If you’re hearing squeaking, scurrying or even gnawing sounds above your ceiling, or in your roof and walls between dusk and dawn, it could be coming from pesky rats.

Rat nests

Though these are usually well hidden to protect their young, rat nests typically resemble a messy pile of foraged scraps such as twigs, leaves, cardboard, wood and fabric offcuts.

Unpleasant odour

If left to accumulate and decompose, particularly during an outbreak, rat droppings and urine leave behind a sour, musty smell.

Gnaw marks

With constantly growing teeth, rats keep them filed down by finding things to chew. Carefully inspect your electrical cables, conduits, timber, plaster and pipes for tell-tale bite indentations.

Greasy fur marks

If your skirtings and walls seem to need cleaning and scrubbing more often because they look scruffier, greasier, and worse for wear, this could be due to rats travelling alongside to and from their nest.

Burrow holes

Look for disturbed soil with a burrow entrance around the perimeter of your home.

Food debris

If you’re noticing more food crumbs and partially eaten food scattered around your home and yard, it could be due to hungry rats.

You can easily prevent a rat outbreak this winter by following these recommendations from our resident rat control experts:

1. Regularly inspect your roof for potential entry points

Carefully check your roof, gutters and eaves for small access points and damage. This includes vents, holes, gaps, cracks and crevices, which rats can easily flex and squeeze through.

Once you locate them, you can install chimney grates and caps, and fit weather strips around doors and windows. You can cover larger openings with a tough wire mesh, and fill others with silicone, caulk, putty and other waterproof sealants, which are easily available through hardware stores.

2. Keep your roof and gutters clean

Reduce the amount of available nesting material that accumulates on your roof by regular gutter cleaning and yard maintenance. This includes removing fallen leaves, branches and twigs, and trimming trees and vegetation so they are away from your home. Consider installing gutter guards as an added layer of protection.

3. Rat deterrent devices

Consider installing humane and weatherproof electronic and ultrasonic rat deterrent devices. Operated by motion sensors, these emit silent ultrasonic frequency waves, which confuse rats and discourage them from entering your roof.

4. Remove all sources of food and water

Keep rats away from your yard by removing fruit, vegetables and nuts in your garden, as well as pet food, bird feed and chicken feed. Ensure that all cooked food in your kitchen is covered and tightly stored away.

An Allstate pest technician will start by conducting a comprehensive rodent inspection of your home or business; locating entry points and rat nests, and identifying the source of the outbreak.

Then, a rat control plan will be actioned to remove nests and seal over entry points. Finally, to reduce the population of rats, we’ll use the following methods, replenishing the treatments when needed:

Chemical baits

Safely stored within tamper-proof stations, our chemical baits contain a targeted rodenticide. We’ll position these at strategic locations to discourage pesky rats from entering inside.

Physical traps

Effective in heavier infestations, rat-sized traps are positioned in highly trafficked areas to stop scurrying rats in their tracks.