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Rodent Removal 

In South Florida the threat of rat infestation has been increasing through the years, thanks to the warming climate that has been forcing rats to take refuge in cool, food-rich urban homes. Rats can bring a number of serious diseases into your household, such as, typhus and rat-bite fever. Because rats nibble on almost anything they come into, such as electrical wire and wood, they can also cause accidental fire and compromise structural integrity of a house.

You can, however, avoid problems brought by rats and effectively deal with them in your Fort Lauderdale home by contacting Hugh Turner Pest Control to see if you have an infestation and if so what type. A certified technician will conduct a thorough inspection to identify the following:

Look for signs of infestation

Rats are hard to spot because they are nocturnal and are sensitive to noise and unusual movement. You can nevertheless know if rats are present in your house through the following signs:

 

  • Unusual trail of waste

  • Droppings

  • Urine stains

  • Chewing

  • Holes

  • Scattering

 

Identify the pest

There are many species of rats in America and knowing which is infesting your Fort Lauderdale home is crucial so that you can apply the right control method. The two most common rat species are:

  • Brown rat—this species has a brown fur and is stocky; it usually leaves in the lower levels of a house

  • Black rat—also called roof rats because of their preference in living on higher areas, such as crawl spaces and roofs.

 

Locate the nest

The next step in dealing with rats is to locate the nest. This can be difficult, especially if you are not very much familiar with rat biology and behavior. You can, however, try looking at the usual nesting sites of rats, such as:

Outside

  • Wood piles (especially those that have been left behind for a long time)

  • Untrimmed brushes and grasses

  • Large porous rocks in your yard or garden

  • Garbage areas

Inside

  • Walls/Ceilings

  • Crawl spaces/Attics

  • Cupboards/Counters

  • Bathrooms

 

Discuss Treatment Options

Once your technician knows what species of rat has penetrated your house and where they are concentrated, you can then come up with a treatment plan.

Traps

The most commonly applied rat control treatments among South Florida households are traps. Among the most common rat traps are snap traps, electric traps, and glue traps.

The main benefit of this type of control method is its low cost. Compared to pesticides, traps can be bought at a reasonable rate. Also, traps are ideal because it allows homeowners to easily locate a dead rat. However, this method of control may not be effective if you will be dealing with potentially large population of rats.

Chemicals

While expensive, rat pesticides or rodenticides are favored because of their efficacy. The most common of these are anti-coagulants that cause excessive bleeding that result to death among rats. Other rodenticides kill rats by:

  • Targeting the nervous system (bromethalin and strychnine)

  • Causing calcium overdose (cholecalciferol)

  • Damaging the heart, kidney and liver (zinc phosphide)

The downside of rodenticides is their potentially toxic content. If not handled properly, they can be accidentally ingested by pets, small children or even unwary adults who may face the risk of poisoning.

Non-chemicals

There are also rat control treatments that do not use chemicals. Among these are:

  • Natural/organic rodenticides

  • Ultrasonic sound devices that drive off rats indoors

  • Flooding burrows (applies to brown rats only)

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