Rats are the ultimate survivors. Just a few of their incredible abilities include the ability to tread water for days, land from a 50-foot fall without injury, “breed like rabbits” so to say, and somehow fit their bodies into the tiniest of cracks and crevices. Just these abilities alone give them a massive advantage when it comes to survival. So, what other almost supernatural abilities do these rodents possess, and how do professionals get past them in order to control their numbers and deal with infestations?
The body of a rat is one of their main advantages. Their unique bodily characteristics help them do things that seem impossible and help them escape from dangerous situations that seem inescapable. Their first advantage is their flexible skeletons, which help them squeeze through cracks the size of a quarter. They can also swim over a mile in the open water, meaning flushing these guys down the toilet is unlikely to end their lives. Don’t count on the cold weather to get them either, as their thick coats of fur keeps them plenty warm during even the coldest of winters, with their tails working to regulate their temperature by either expanding or contracting their blood vessels. And don’t forget about those chompers. Their teeth are stronger than iron and steel, and can chew through just about anything. This includes, lead pipes, bricks, and cinder blocks, among other materials.
Rats can eat just about anything, but tend to set up shop around us humans, since we have become their primary provider of food. However, they don’t try new food too often, preferring to stick with a source they have already confirmed is safe. When they do try new foods, they only try them in small amounts, avoiding that food afterwards if it makes them sick. This extreme caution makes it very difficult to trap them with rodenticides. This caution spreads to include their behavior in general, with them being very timid and secretive naturally. They stick to operating at night when we can’t see our own hands in front of our faces, but they can see very well in the dark, and are always on the alert for danger. They are not easily surprised to say the least, which is why your walls could be home to an entire family and you probably wouldn’t even know they were infesting your home yet. Their ability to reproduce very at an impressive level also means that even if you manage to catch one or two, you will have barely scratched the surface and those two will be replaced by another dozen in no time flat.
So, how do we humans possibly handle the removal of this super-rodent from our homes? To be honest, their really is no effective way for people to deal with rat infestations on their own. Professional pest control operators are the only ones that can rid your home of these unwanted guests, and should be contacted immediately when a rat infestation is discovered. Their best solution to handling rat infestations is implementing instantaneous, effective, and humane traps that they can scale to deal with widespread issues. Rat traps on their own won’t solve infestations, as their caution with these traps and ones that use rodenticide makes them ineffective at controlling a large nest of rats, and can also come with secondary poisoning concerns in certain households with small children or pets. Pest control professionals have to approach rat infestations with solutions that get past all of the advantages rats have when it comes to survival. This is certainly no simple task that a few traps can handle.
Have you ever had to deal with a rat infestation in your home?