It is easy to underestimate the dangers of having rats in your attic beyond the nightly disturbance of scurrying noises in the ceiling and your skin crawling at the thought of sharing your home with rodents.

Rats are dangerous and spread numerous diseases by contaminating food and water and by god-forbid, scratching or biting humans. They also carry fleas and mites which equally carry diseases. Lastly, rats gnaw and chew incessantly so you can expect exposed electrical wires, torn insulation and damaged water pipes which are a good combination for an electrical fire.

How to Keep Rats Out Of Your Attic

If you have heard about recent break-ins to the neighbour’s attic or have had previous experience with rats in the attic in Toronto, the good news is there are a few preemptive measures you can take to make sure that you are not the next victim. The trick is to make your property as inhospitable as possible for the critters.

Deny Rodents Food and Water

Like other animals, rats cannot live without food and water. These critters will definitely be attracted to your home if sustenance is abundant. More food and water also means that the rats mate more often and produce larger litters. Keeping food and water scarce entails;

• Clean your home thoroughly and often including crumbs on the floor
• Sealing food in airtight containers overnight including pet food
• Keep trash cans tightly sealed with bungee cords or zip ties
• Put out only enough bird food for the day and clean up spilled food before nightfall
• Pick up fruits from the ground. Rats will also eat unripe fruit if available
• Repair leaky pipes and taps
• Take care of pools of water in the yard
• Keep pet water indoors at night

Deny Rodents Access

Scarce food and water may not be enough to deter rats from camping in your attic. Provided there is easy access, they will set up a home and go to forage for food and water elsewhere. Discourage or prevent rats from accessing your attic by using most common rat control methods;

• Sealing all holes more than quarter-inch inside or outside your home
• Caulking gaps, cracks
• Reinforcing air conditioning lines and other piping going into your home with wire mesh or hardware cloth
• Trim tree limbs close to the house to prevent rats from gaining access to the roof
• Store firewood piles well clear of the house so rats can’t hide in them

Hire Professional to Get Rid of Rats in Your Attic

Most professionals will agree that rats are difficult to get rid of which explains why DIY has such a high failure rate. Using traps and poisons inappropriately or dangerously could attract fines and other penalties. In fact, most rodent control experts prefer using humane methods such as exclusion and only trap or poison as a last resort.

Getting rid of nursing mothers causes the litter to die from starvation and dehydration. Tracing rotting corpses in your attic and other crawlspaces is a difficult task that may involve cutting holes in your drywall. You shouldn’t evict or exterminate rats until you are sure that there is no litter left behind.

A professional attic cleaning service in Toronto is typically responsible for;

• Evicting or exterminating the rats permanently
• Rodent proofing the home to prevent future invasions
• Cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing the attic to get rid of dangerous bacteria and pheromones that may attract other rodents and wildlife
• Repairing damage caused by the rats including replacing or repairing damaged/toxic insulation
• Handling toxic insulation safely and disposing of responsibly
• Offering advice to prevent future rat invasions
• Providing ongoing maintenance and inspections if necessary

All this is difficult if not impossible to do on your own. Hire a professional attic insulation removal service or rodent control service in Toronto if you suspect you have rats in your attic. Ensure you get a warranty for the service before beginning work.