What Every El Centro Property Owner Ought To Know About Roof Rats

If you know anything about rats, you know that they can spread awful diseases and damage your home, but what happens when these rats start climbing up your roof and walls? Not only is that any garden variety nightmare situation; it’s probably a roof rat problem. Roof rats are common invaders in El Centro, California, and they can cause serious damage if you aren’t vigilant against pests. Here’s everything you need to know about roof rats in El Centro.

Roof Rat Identification Guide 

Like other rodents, roof rats have long, furry bodies, four legs, a small pink nose, and pinkish hands. Although they vary in size and color, they are certainly bigger than mice. Roof Rats grow to about 5-7 inches, and they are much darker and sleeker compared to other rats in Texas. 

On top of their dark, sharp features, you can identify roof rats based on their tendency to climb. These pests will climb on your roof, walls, chimney, and supporting masonry, making them hard to detect and even harder to catch. As a result, they are free to cause problems in your household. 

Problems Associated With Roof Rats In El Centro

Roof rats primarily cause two types of problems: home damage and disease. If they infest, these pests are your property’s worst enemy, chewing through wood, wires, plastic, and insulation to cause thousands of dollars in property damage.

Roof rats also spread awful contagions. By moving around, eating your food, and leaving their droppings everywhere, roof rats transmit disease through their saliva, fur, feet, and feces. A roof rat problem could cause the following harmful infections, to name a few: 

• Hantavirus 

• E. coli 

• Streptococcus 

• Leptospira 

Rats can even spread tick-borne diseases, making them a triple threat to your property, so obviously, these pests have no place in El Centro homes. 

Roof Rat Prevention Tips

Your best bet is to make your house as unattractive to roof rats as possible. Roof rats are attracted to two things in your El Centro home: safety and food. Therefore, if your house has a lot of junk or mess, such as piles of clothes or trash, rats will build a nest there because it seems like a safe hiding spot.

Furthermore, if your home has a lot of food sitting out and open access to trash cans, roof rats will be persistent in getting inside. Always be sure to store your food in containers and keep your trash bins locked.

Finally, roof rats often get inside from the chimney, as they love to scale properties. You can prevent this by placing a roof cap, which allows smoke to move out but keeps rats from moving in.

If a roof rat has made its nest in your home, you need your local pest professionals to find and weed out their nests. Instead of trying to trap them yourself, contact El Centro’s local pest control experts instead. Imperial County Pest Control will make sure these furry pests never harm the health of your family and property ever again! Get started with effective residential or commercial pest control services today!