What You Should Know About Rat Behavior

Rodent control methods - Active Pest Control

Rodent control methods - Active Pest ControlRats have evolved over millions of years into some of the planet’s most adaptable creatures. Originating in Asia and Australia, they have spread to nearly every habitat worldwide. In Georgia, their ability to thrive in areas rich with food and shelter has made them a frequent presence around homes, restaurants, and storage facilities. This adaptability is impressive but comes with challenges.

When rats take up residence, they leave behind unmistakable signs such as droppings, gnaw marks, and nests. These indicators point to a growing infestation that requires attention to avoid further problems.

That’s where professional rodent control comes in. Active Pest Control offers effective, proven services to detect and eliminate infestations, helping homeowners protect their properties and maintain a rodent free living environment.

Rat Behavior and Habits Explained

As highly intelligent and social animals, rats depend on cooperation to survive. They live in structured groups known as a “mischief,” where every member has a role that supports the colony. Communication through ultrasonic sounds, body language, and pheromones keeps the group connected. Grooming is vital not only for hygiene but also for strengthening social bonds.

Rats are primarily nocturnal, avoiding humans whenever possible. If they are seen during the day, it usually signals a significant infestation. This behavior helps them stay safe and increases their chances of survival.

Their adaptability and intelligence make them important subjects for research. Studies have shown that their ability to solve problems and navigate challenges provides valuable insight into both animal behavior and human learning.

Understanding What Rats Eat

Rats are highly adaptable eaters, consuming whatever food is available. Their diet changes with location and resources. As omnivores, they eat plants, insects, and human food waste. Common food sources include:

  • Grains, Seeds, and Nuts: In the wild, these serve as a primary food source for rats, supplying energy and essential nutrients.
  • Fruits and Vegetables: Fresh produce or fallen fruits and vegetables provide rats with important vitamins and hydration.
  • Trash and Leftovers: Rats frequently search through garbage or compost for scraps, making these an easy and reliable food source.
  • Insects and Small Animals: When other food is limited, rats may prey on insects or small animals to gain protein.
  • Pet Food: Unattended or easily accessible pet food quickly becomes a convenient meal for rats.

The Secrets of Rat Survival and Adaptability

Rats are among the most adaptable animals on Earth. They can thrive in urban areas, farmland, forests, and even harsh, cold climates. Their exceptional sense of smell helps them locate food, and their ability to tread water for up to three days allows them to survive in flooded environments, sewers, and waterways.

These creatures are also master engineers. They dig complex burrow systems that extend underground or inside walls, serving as protection and food storage. Their foraging habits are impressive, as rats can travel hundreds of feet from their nests to find food, showing remarkable endurance.

Managing rat infestations is challenging because of their rapid breeding. A single pair can produce dozens of offspring in a short time. Being primarily nocturnal, rats use their intelligence and adaptability to evade traps and predators, ensuring their survival in almost any environment.

Understanding the Scientific Value of Rats

Rats hold a unique position in science because of their close genetic and biological similarities to humans. They have contributed to major advancements in genetics, disease prevention, behavior research, and the creation of new treatments. Their role in research continues to influence medicine and psychology today.

Beyond scientific research, wild rats are often seen as pests. They pose health risks by spreading disease through droppings, urine, and direct contact. This negative perception contrasts sharply with the view of pet rats.

Pet rats are admired for their intelligence, gentle temperament, and social nature. Easy to train and care for, they can even perform tricks, earning them a place as treasured companions for those who understand their unique charm.

Exploring the Intelligence of Rats

For more than a century, rats have been studied for their intelligence and problem-solving abilities. Their brain structure and decision-making processes closely resemble those of humans, making them essential for research in learning, memory, and behavior. Rats can master complex tasks, solve puzzles, and navigate mazes with remarkable skill.

Another striking ability is their consistent pattern recognition. Studies show rats are less likely than humans to second-guess themselves, demonstrating efficiency in decision-making. This aptitude not only explains their success in adapting to different environments but also makes them invaluable in scientific research.

Unfortunately, these strengths also make rats challenging pests. Their adaptability and intelligence allow infestations to spread quickly. This is why skilled rodent exterminators are vital for detecting, controlling, and preventing rat problems.

Professional Rat Control Services by Active Pest Control

Rats can cause significant problems in the home, including spreading disease, contaminating food, damaging structures, and triggering asthma or allergies. In Georgia, such issues are a frequent concern. Their ability to chew through electrical wiring also creates fire risks. This is why Active Pest Control provides professional rat control as part of its pest management solutions.

We start with a careful inspection to identify entry points, nesting areas, and signs of infestation. This allows us to create a targeted and effective treatment plan. Consistent care from Active Pest Control helps keep your home free of rats for years to come.

Get in touch with Active Pest Control today for effective rodent removal services you can rely on.

October: Season of the Rodent

How to prevent rodents in the fall in Atlanta GA - Active Pest ControlFall is considered by most people to be one of the nicest times of the year. Cooler temperatures not only signal the start of the holiday season but also the beginning of rodent season. Every October, rodents become a serious problem in Atlanta GA as temperatures drop. Like many other types of pests, mice and rats begin to seek shelter from the weather outside, which is why they make their way indoors. Read on to learn five main ways you can keep rodents outside this fall.

How to Rodent-Proof Your Home

To prevent rats and mice from getting inside during the fall, there are a number of things you can do to protect your home. Five ways you can keep rats and mice out of your home this season include:

  1. Seal windows and doors. Rodents are known for their ability to squeeze through the tiniest of openings, which is why it’s important to seal any cracks or openings in your windows and doors.
  2. Place screens over chimneys and vents. Rats and mice may feel the warm air escaping your chimney and vents, and make their way indoors. Properly cover your vent systems and chimney.
  3. Fix or replace faulty pipes. Rodents are great swimmers and can make their way through your plumbing. Always fix any broken pipes in a timely manner to keep rats and mice from getting in.
  4. Store food properly. Rats and mice will seek out food inside of homes. Always keep food stored in airtight containers and clean up messes or spills after meals.
  5. Keep a tidy home. Rodents are a big fan of clutter and are attracted to messy basements and attics. Even worse, they’ll use the clutter to build their nests. Always clean up messes and avoid excess clutter.

Rats and Mice in the Fall

By protecting your home and eliminating their chances of getting inside in the first place, you can avoid dealing with a rodent infestation in the fall. Unfortunately, rats and mice are infamous for making their way indoors by any means, especially when temperatures drop. Once indoors, they can be difficult to get rid of without professional help from a rodent control company. There are a number of DIY solutions to controlling rats and mice, but they are not reliable or good for long-term protection. As soon as you notice a mouse or rat inside your home, it’s important to enlist the help of a rodent exterminator.

How to Get Rid of Rats

Getting rid of rats always requires exclusion efforts. If you followed the aforementioned tips for protecting your home and still find yourself with a rodent problem, it’s time to call a professional. Rodents aren’t just gross—they are carriers of filth and disease and need to be controlled in a reliable and timely manner. Active Pest Control knows not only how to get rid of rodents, but also how to keep them from ever returning.

Are Rodents Dangerous?

Have you ever had someone excitedly say to you, “Hey, guess what! A whole bunch of rodents have moved in with us!” No? Why not? Could it be that no one in history has ever enjoyed having rodents invade their space? After all, they are creepy, dirty–and they steal food while you’re sleeping. But rodents, even if they are only outside your house, are not only a nuisance, they can pose some pretty serious dangers.

Rodents bring parasites and disease:

Rodents are foraging animals, and their travels bring them to places such as garbage dumps, trash cans, sewers, dumpsters and the like. This means they pick up all sorts of filth, harmful parasites and bacteria, as well as diseases. Do you really want these nasty creatures hanging out in your yard or inside your home?

Mice and rats can carry a whole host of parasites both on and inside their bodies. Some of these parasites are fleas, fur mites, lice, ticks and worms. The worst of these are fleas because fleas have the capacity to transmit the plague which, although relatively rare today, killed 25 million people in less than 5 years during the middle ages. And, even if it doesn’t kill you in these modern days, it is still no fun to have.

Rodents also carry some pretty scary diseases, some being fatal in extreme cases. A few of the diseases rodents can carry include hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, plague (as mentioned), rat-bite fever, salmonellosis, and tularemia. Some can be contracted simply by breathing in dust that is contaminated by rodent urine or droppings. Others are contracted by eating food that is contaminated. And some require direct contact with a dead, infected, rodent carcass, or an actual bite from the infected animal.

Dangers rodents pose to your home:

When rodents such as mice, rats, or squirrels, make their way into your house, not only do they chew holes in the walls, they can cause all sorts of other problems. They leave their urine and droppings which can build up and cause a terrible odor, and they chew on everything in sight. Since they have teeth that never stop growing, they have to chew. They chew on insulation, walls, treasured keepsakes in your attic and wires. The worst of these is wires because there is a distinct possibility of fire risk if these rodents chew on live wires.

Dangers rodents pose to your car:

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of vehicles are damaged by rodents each and every year? It’s true. Mice will make nests under the hood and happily chew away at wires, creating all sorts of problems. One article in 2011 reported a vehicle that required over $3,000 in repairs because rodents chewed up the body harness. That’s some pretty serious cash to be shelling out!

If you are seeing rodents, or rodent signs, in or around your property, it is time to call in the professionals. It is possible to avoid the costly damages that rodents can cause by getting year-round pest control from Active Pest Control. With this convenient plan, not only will we take care of rodents on your property, but a whole host of other household pests as well.

Mouse-Free Thanksgiving

Before you know it, your doorbell will be ringing, and your house will be filling with family and friends gathering to share in the joy of the holidays with you. Can’t you just smell the turkey as it slowly roasts in the oven? Your nose fills with the tantalizing scent of the sausage, onion, bread, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and sage as they join together in harmony slowly perfecting that holiday stuffing. Then there is the abundance of vegetables that are all adorned with a hefty heap of butter as they slowly steam filling the air with the smell of yum! And who can forget that sweet, delectable scent of the warm apple pie, blueberry pie, or pumpkin pie that tries to entice you to have a dessert first? There is absolutely nothing in the world as wonderful to the senses as Thanksgiving!

All of this, however, only serves to remind you of all the work and preparation that is still left to do; and all of it must be completed in just a few short days. There is shopping to do and baking to bake, and, Oh that dreaded housework that must be done to perfection. Let’s see, vacuuming, washing windows, scrubbing floors and bathrooms, making up the guest rooms……so much work, so little time! Now to the kitchen! The refrigerator must be cleaned and polished to a shine and so does the stove. The china must be taken from the hutch, washed, and stacked for display. Then off to the pantry to organize so the relatives don’t see the disorganized mess that usually lives there.

You think you are on the last bit of housekeeping, when all of a sudden you see it! The side of the tapioca box has a little chew mark on it. At first, you wonder if you accidentally tore it when you opened it, but then you realize something used teeth on that tear. You frantically begin to sweep boxes and cans side to side searching, and then you find it! Those little blackish, oval pieces of yuck – that mice deposited after eating your dry goods – are right there in plain sight. Why hadn’t you noticed them before you wonder as you go to work disinfecting the pantry cupboards?

Once you disinfect, deodorize, and eliminate all the germs you possibly can, you pick up your cell phone and call Active Pest Control. You realize that if there are signs of mice, then there are mice; and mice are too social for there to be just a few. There is no way that you can serve those you love knowing that those germy little disease carrying rodents have invited themselves for dinner and have been crawling all over your dishes, food, and silverware! You also know that the professionals here at Active Pest Control have made our company one of the top 25 pest control companies in the country and that Active Pest Control is known for fast, effective, safe, Eco-friendly pest control services.

That doorbell rings – for real this time -, and your house is soon full of guests for Thanksgiving dinner. As you pull that turkey, steaming hot, from the oven, you think back to that phone call to Active Pest Control. You remember how Active Pest Control showed up the very next day and completely took care of those mice, and now that you have the Active Pest Control Complete plan working for you, you never have to worry about pests ruining your day again! A smile breaks over your face as you realize that a huge crisis was quickly and safely averted by the trusted hands of the Active Pest Control family.