Rodents such as rats and mice can be a huge problem, especially if you live in a large metropolis. They are well-known to carry certain diseases and pathogens such as Hantavirus. Living in a house infested with rats can make you fall ill quite frequently. Moreover, rats tend to thrive in places occupied by humans. Therefore, they are less likely to go away once they fix their nesting area inside your home. Thankfully, there are a number of steps you can take on your own to prevent rats from entering your household.
Here are 10 things you can do to prevent rat infestation in your property:
1. Regularly mow your lawn
Many sub-urban houses tend to have a lawn. If you have a home with a lawn, make sure you maintain it as frequently as possible. Do not let shrubs and other plantations in the lawn become too dense. Rats and many other types of rodents tend to use dense plantations close to the house for cover. This makes it easier for them to sneak into the house. They best way to avoid such a problem would be to make sure bushes and tall grasses are grown a few feet away from the foundation of the house, and you should trim your lawn every week to prevent the plantations from becoming too dense.
2. Seal possible entry points to the house
Rats can enter your home in a number of ways. However, their preferred choice of entrance are cracks, holes and gaps between walls. Because of their small stature, they can easily squeeze into the narrowest of holes. Therefore, you must regularly inspect your house to locate cracks and holes in the walls and seal them before it’s too late! There are plenty of materials you can find in your nearest hardware store to seal these possible rodent entry points.
3. Avoid leaving scraps of food around the house
This is one important reason why rats keep on entering different properties. Just like any other rodent or pest, rats are always searching for food. Without food, chances are they won’t survive within your household. So, they would have little no reason to sneak inside. If you regularly clean your home and vacuum any remain food scarps lying on the floor, your probability of encountering a rat inside your home would diminish exponentially.
4. Get rid of rodent nesting places
Rats will inevitably form their own habitats inside your home if they were given the opportunity. They can form habitats inside unused home appliances, old cars, piles of lumber, and so on. To prevent rats from forming habitats remove old and broken appliances from your home. You can keep piles of logs at least 18 inches above ground, so that rats are unable to reach them.
5. Do not leave pet foods out in the open
Rats are blessed with a keen sense of smell and can sniff out food from great distances. If you have pets at home, then avoid leaving pet food lying around in the open. Rats will scour for pet food placed on cute little pet-bowls the first chance they get. Always store pet food in air tight containers, so that they always remain out of their reach.
6. Avoid feeding birds
Since rats are quite good when it comes to searching for food, you must make sure your actions don’t let their job a whole lot easier. Therefore, you must always keep the lid closed on trash cans, and also avoid feeding birds. Rodents love consuming seeds and ground grains which are often fed to birds. You will often notice rodents such as squirrels gathering around leftover bird food after they are thrown. If you absolutely have to feed birds, than move far away from your home to do it. This could help prevent luring rats to your home.
7. Use rodent traps
There are many rodent traps available in the store for you to instantly purchase and use. They come in all shapes and sizes, and the quality of these traps are only becoming better with time. If you hate the idea of eliminating rats using rat traps, then you can also find traps that help you only catch the mouse. These live traps are just as effective and can be used on a regular basis without any problem. However, it’s best to avoid poison traps as they can kill any nearby pets as well.
8. Use peppermint oil to keep rats away
Many pests and rodents detest the smell of peppermints. It can undoubtedly be used as an effective repellent against rats. If you have cracks and holes in your home, you can just smudge some peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them there. Rats are likely to stay far away from these possible entry points this way. Moreover, your house will also have a pleasant fragrance.
9. Instant potato powder can kill rats
You can sprinkle instant potato powder in areas of your home where rats have formed their own habitat. The instant potato powder will enlarges in the intestines of rats once consumed. If you have no qualms when it comes to killing rats, then this is a good solution for you.
10. Start owning a pet
Some people believe owning pets is not an effective measure to prevent rats from entering your home. The primary reason behind this is due to the availability of pet food for rats to munch on. However, dogs and cats are known to aggressive when it comes to hunting out small animals and rodents. In fact, they can catch rodents before they form habitats inside the household.
If you resort to implementing only a few of the above steps, you may be able to get rid of your rat problem for good. However, if none of these work out for you, then you can always take the help of an exterminator to take care of your rodent issue for a price.
