How can you tell how many rats are in your house?

Yes, if you see one rat, there are probably many more living in your house, in the attic or walls. Finding a rat in your home can be very off-putting, but in order to deal with the problem, you have to be realistic about the situation. Rats are social creatures by nature, and they breed very quickly, so if you spot a single rat, there is a reasonable chance that you have more than one. Look at photos of a nest of baby rats in the attic. That being said, you may be lucky and just have a single rat on your property or in your house. To understand why you are likely to have more than one rat, take a closer look at this rodent’s behavior, as discussed below. If you want to solve a rat problem, you can do it permanently. First, identify the extent of your problem by inspecting the house and attic for signs of damage from rats. To solve the problem, read the how to get rid of rats in the attic page.

Rats Are Social Creatures
As a general rule, rats will live in groups that are known as packs. The pack is started by a male and female rat and then will grow over time. Some packs may just have a single male with multiple females while others may have multiple dominant males in a single group. It is possible that you have a single rat or just two that are beginning their own pack. It is much more likely, however, that you have a full pack and will need to make plans to deal with a larger group.

How To Handle Packs Of Rats
The method of dealing with a single rat is the same as a larger group of them, just on a different scale. Since rats breed so easily, most experts agree that the best method of dealing with them is snap traps. These will kill the rat instantly, making them a humane option that is also effective. Unless you are absolutely positive you only have a single rat, however, you shouldn’t set just one trap. Experts will always suggest you set at least a dozen or traps as this ensures you catch the most possible rats in the first attempt. You will want to set the traps again after the initial catch.

Can You Tell If There’s Just One?
Realistically, the only way to truly tell if there is just one rat is to catch it. If the noise stops and you don’t see any more, then you can confirm there was only one. Read more about rat trapping. You can also hire a wildlife expert to solve the problem for you, but unless they see multiple rats or hear noise from multiple locations at once, they can’t tell how many rats there are until you catch them. Even so, hiring a professional is the best way to ensure you catch all of the rats in your first attempt. Remember that missing even one or two can lead to a repeat problem as these rodents breed very quickly.

HOW MUCH DOES RAT REMOVAL COST? Prices vary depending on the situation. Some jobs are simple, require only one service visit, and might be as low as $100. Some jobs are complex, require multiple service visits, home repairs, attic cleanup, and so on. Prices can also vary by city. To get the best price estimate, call our technician in your area: Click here for a free price quote over the phone in your town.

If you’ve ever had mice, rats or rodents in your home you know how horrible it feels to wake up in the morning and find droppings all over your benches and floor, bite marks and nibbles out of food or fruit placed on benches and gnaw marks on containers and boxes in your cupboards and shelves.

Not only are rodents an inconvenience (cleaning up and putting food away safely if you have them in your home) they can cause serious damage to wires, roof insulation, books, furniture, electrical appliances and everything in between. Rats and mice aren’t bothered about what they will chew – they will gnaw away at pretty much anything they can get their teeth into.

What do mice and rats eat?

Rats and mice certainly aren’t picky eaters. They will chow down on anything from people food, pet food and everything in between. Often if a food item is inside a box or cardboard container, this is a dual bonus for them as they can use the cardboard for nesting material along with getting a free lunch.

Even though mice and rats are small and will only eat a very small amount of food in total grams, they like to think they’re at a buffet, so they will nibble a little bit of this, chew on a little bit of that and contaminate up to 10 times the food they actually consume. That combined with the fact they leave feces and urine around the areas they explore means a big clean up for you.

Where do rats and mice live?

Typically rats and mice like to live in safe, dry, out-of-the-way places. This is why we find so many rats and mice living in ceilings and walls as it’s protected from the elements and predators and has lots of potential for nesting materials. If you have rats or mice living outside your home they tend to gravitate towards storage areas like sheds, wood piles, compost piles or anywhere there is space for them to nest and sleep undisturbed.

Mice and rats aren’t overly picky about where they live – as long as it’s safe, dry and close to a food and water supply.

What are some signs you have rodents in your home?

There are a few things you should try to figure out about the type of rodent you have in your home before you call in the professionals. Is it just one rat or an infestation for example? What’s the cause of them entering your home (poor sanitation, available food etc)?

Often if it’s just a single rat or mouse, this can easily be dealt with by using traps or baits, but if you’ve tried this and keep finding any of the following signs, it would be worth giving us a call on 1300 057 067.

Droppings

Finding droppings in your home is a sure-fire sign you’ve got rodents. How many droppings you find will be determined by how many rodents have made it into your home. Mice droppings are brown/black in colour, about 1-2 cm long and pointed at both ends. Rat droppings look similar but are larger in size.

If you find different sized droppings, it’s possible you may have an infestation as this could indicate different sized mice or rats in your home (congratulations, you have a rodent family!).

Odour

The urine of rodents has a very distinct, musty, acrid smell that hits you at the back of the throat when you smell it. If you have a distinct odour in your home, this is usually a sign you have more than one rodent living somewhere in your house.

Gnawed holes

If there are nibble marks on food, boxes, containers, boxes, papers and other items around your home, this may be a sign you have rodents. Mice tend to leave a hole in containers around the size of a 5 cent piece and they are typically fairly clean cut, whereas rats will leave a bigger hole and tend to have rougher edges.

Pet behaviour

If you own a dog and you find they’re barking at the ceiling or at walls, pawing at areas like the fridge or behind dressers, cupboards or bookcases, etc – this might be a sign they’ve seen, heard or smelt a rodent in your home. If you have a cat and it’s not catching mice, you need to have a stern chat to your kitty!

Noises

If you hear a scampering/scratching noise coming from your ceiling, it will usually indicate some type of animal in your roof. Possums are common, but they sound like a herd of elephants are living in your roof – mice and rats are more subtle but still can be heard, particularly at night when lying in bed.

If you see or hear any of these signs and feel you might need the help of a professional to get rid of your rodent problem, please feel free to call us on 1300 057 067 and we can conduct a pest inspection and give you a range of options.

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