Once you see a rat scurrying outside or anywhere near your home, there’s a great deal of chance the rats will soon be invading your kitchen and other parts of your home. In fact if those rats are already in your neighborhood, it’s high time for you to make your home less attractive to rats by eliminating, securing or covering everything that rats find attractive in a house, particularly in the kitchen.
What Lures Rats Inside Kitchens?
As is common with most wildlife nuisances, rats enter houses to search for food, water and in some cases shelter, and the kitchen often comes complete with these elements.
Food on the table, on countertops and even food scraps in the kitchen sink and the kitchen garbage can, are the first things that attract rats to the area. At some point they will also explore your pantry and as soon as they discover that there’s an abundance of edibles inside, the rat that made the discovery will likely stay there for quite some time, until its misdeeds are discovered.
Rats are also attracted to leaky pipes and other sources of water, since they also need to satisfy their thirst after partaking of the food they get to discover in your home.
If you have pets, and there are morsels of dog or cat food left in bowls, rats still consider them food and will keep in mind that those bowls can be a source of food.
The Need to Prevent Rat Infestation
Rats are perilous creatures and any sign of rats invading your home should not be taken lightly. They are nuisance animals known to carry various disease-causing viruses that can be transmitted to people via food contamination and by way of the droppings and urine they leave behind.
Rat infestation problems can escalate because rodents have this nasty habit of chewing on anything that they can use to keep their teeth sharp and maintained in the right length. They’ll chew on wood, plastics, cardboard and even electrical wires. Oftentimes, if they discover a small opening, they will work their teeth on that as well and for another purpose, to make the opening large enough for them to use as entry into a house.
The worst part however is when rats find entries inside walls, into pipes, into ventilation and drainage systems, because they are likely to cause damage that will require costly repairs.
That is why, once rats get to discover the good things they’ll find in your kitchen, an infestation issue should be cut short by calling on a rat control professional to immediately prevent the problem from getting worse.
How San Antonio Rat Control Professionals Take Care of Rat Infestations
San Antonio rat control experts do not immediately carry out extermination and removal actions. Using their skills and knowledge, they first locate the areas where rats are known to enter and then seal all identified entry points. They also cover other openings that need to stay open by securing the open areas with steel wire mesh, to make it impossible for any wild animals to squeeze through.
After all pathways have been blocked, they will then proceed with exterminating rats by setting snap traps that can accomplish the job quickly. In San Antonio, Texas rat control companies like the AAAC Wildlife Removal of San Antonio exterminate rodents in accordance with the manner prescribed by Texas state laws.
The use of rat poison for one is deemed dangerous, especially if for use inside houses particularly the kitchen. Rats could scatter the poisonous substance and endanger family members, especially curious toddlers and family pets. Rats could also carry the toxin inside the water system. Poisoned rats tend to dehydrate and their first survival instinct is to look for any source of water.