Keeping Rats Away: Prevention Tips

Houses that are infested by rats are difficult to live in. Rats invade houses to look for food, water, and shelter and when these things are eliminated from the house, the rats don't stay because they know they will not survive. The best way to deter the presence of rats is to ensure that you eliminate what they need and what attracts them to stay in the house. Unlike mice, rats are known to drink around 15mls of water every day for them to survive. You can use both natural and artificial methods to get rid of the rats from your house.

Rats smell food, they know where it is normally kept, and they know the appropriate time to come for it. Make sure that you keep the food in containers that have tight fitting lids and ensure that you keep food in places where they can't reach it. Once they realize there is no food to eat, they will all depart your home and look for somewhere else to stay.

Rats like hiding in the congested places where they cannot be seen and accessed easily. You should even clean your garden and ensure that it remains with no hiding places for them. Open and clear surfaces are not a priority to rats, so they will find your place inhabitable and disappear. In the house, repair your ceiling and make sure your walls have no rough surfaces that they can use to climb.

Cats are known to be great predators of rats. Once a cat spots a rat, it will do anything to feast it no matter what. Rats also avoid places where cats are present, and even the sound of the cat itself can make them stay away. You don't have to raise a lot of cats, just one or two are enough to take care of your garden and the house interior.

Debris is not only hiding places for cats, but they are also a source of food and moisture for them because they eat even the debris. When you clear debris, it will be easy for you to keep cats away from your house or garden. Rats also like food left overs so you should dump your food remains in a dustbin and close it properly.

To ensure that rat's infestation does not become severe, you have to identify their presence early enough for you to take the most appropriate intervention. You can spot the presence of rats in your house if you see their feces, their fur, they also bite food that has been left on open places and sometimes they even eat clothes. Once you spot them, start implementing the ways described above so that you counterattack their spread so quickly. Rats do not stay for long in places where they are not tolerated, they will disappear within the first week of applying your interventions.