Virginia is home to two species of rats, the Norway rat and the Roof rat. Norway rats are also known as Brown rats, while Roof rats are also known as Black rats.

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A. Roof and Norway rats both have different ways of getting into houses and both are equally destructive. Roof rats prefer to find shelter in attics, rooftops, and crawl spaces above ground. Norway rats live at ground level and tend to burrow into homes and yards.

If you get rid of your rat problem but never seal their entry point you will continue to have rodent problems. Look for damage for the specific species of rat you have invading your home or business. Roof rats will chew through walls, insulation, pipes, and wires. Start near the top of your house and trace the damage back to their entry point so you can seal the entry point to keep other rats from getting in.

Norway rats leave behind damage to foundations, sidewalks, other structures, and patios. Begin your search for their entry point by looking in your basement or ground floor along walls to find where they may have burrowed into your home.

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

1. Remove Food Sources — Seal your food in airtight containers and make sure there are no open or flimsy boxes that rats could chew through.
2. Seal Your Home — Find any cracks or crevices that rats or other pests could squeeze through and seal them.
3. Clean Regularly — Nothing attracts pests more than leftover food. Clean all areas that will frequently have food. Keep your prep, eating, and storage space crumb-free
4. Repellents – Some people have found repellents as an effective method to keep rats away before they make themselves at home.

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

Many people confuse rats and mice, assuming that they’re two names for the same creature. However, rats and mice are different pests and sometimes require different approaches to solve the problem.

The easiest way to tell mice and rats apart is by their size. Mice are generally quite small, measuring just 3 to 4 inches long with an accompanying 3-to-4-inch tail. Meanwhile, rats can be much larger. Some rats have bodies that measure up to 11 inches long in addition to a 9-inch tail. Rats can also weigh ten times as much as mice (or even more, in some cases). You can also tell whether you’re dealing with a rat or mouse invasion based on the droppings that you find. Mice droppings are like tiny grains of rice (sometimes even smaller), while rat droppings are much bigger. Rat feces are also rounded on the edges, as opposed to mouse droppings (which generally have pointy ends).

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

Any rodent activity within your home can be expensive if left untreated. If you suspect current rodent activity, contact us right away for a tailored solution to your rodent problem. You can take preventive measures by inspecting your home’s interior and exterior for any cracks or openings that rodents may be able to use as entry points. Rats can fit through 1/2-inch openings, while mice only need 1/4-inch to gain access to your home from outside.

If this area of our Frequently Asked Rodent Questions did not help please give us a call at (804) 256-8272.

Rodents are secretive and spend the daylight hours in nests and harborages that decrease the likelihood of being seen. Roof rats prefer to nest or hide among dense vegetation and heavy ground cover, in cavities, around trash and wood piles, and indoors in attics, ceilings, and structural voids.

Rat populations can be found in rural, suburban, and urban areas such as Henrico, Glen Allen, Richmond, Midlothian, and Charlottesville Virginia, especially if there’s a water source nearby. Rats need a water source in order to survive. They are excellent swimmers and can tread water for up to three days, holding their breath for a long time. This is how rats can survive being flushed down toilets or come back up through them to access your home.

Rats are outstanding climbers and will climb trees and get into your home via the roof. They have great memories, so once they map out a room they will remember all of the routes for a long time. However, rats do have poor eyesight, so they have to use their whiskers to get around. They use their tails for balancing purposes and to regulate their body temperatures. They can also communicate with other rats via their tails.

City rats, wild rats, and non-urban rats all tend to eat different things. In the wild, rats will eat things like fruit, plants, and seeds, and are more likely to be vegetarians. However, city rats like to eat garbage and meat. They will consume pet food and any human food that they come across. That’s why it is important to make sure food sources and trash bins are secured. If you have outdoor pets, their pet food needs to be stored securely and indoors if possible.

The lifespan of a rat depends largely on whether it lives in the wild or in captivity. Rats that are kept healthy as a family pet can live up to 4 years. Rats in the wild only live 1-2 years – sometimes less.

When looking for a nesting site, rats are looking for several key things:

• Warmth – Rats are looking for someplace cozy that will keep them and their babies warm. They also want to stay dry during rainy and cold seasons, which is why they tend to come indoors during the fall and winter months.
• Easy access to food – Rats are always looking for food and they want it to be close to the nest. Rats have terrible eyesight and don’t want to wander too far (although they will if the pickings are sparse).
• Nest-building materials – Rats will use newspapers, garbage, paper towels, old sheets, insulation, grass, vegetation, leaves, and just about anything else they can use to create a soft, warm, dry place to sleep, give birth and raise their young.

As for where rats like to nest in particular, it depends on the species.

• Norway rats (Brown rats) will create tunnels in lawns and fields. The actual nest is usually at the center and will consist of soft materials, vegetation, sticks, leaves, and other materials the rats scavenge. There will be a main entrance and exit, but there might be some dirt-covered “bolt-holes” that allow the rat to quickly escape if threatened.
• Roof rats (Black rats) are usually found in elevated places and in the wild will live on cliffs and among rocks. Near urban areas, they can end up in your attic. Roof rats will climb trees and get onto the roof of structures, using any damaged tiles, as well as their sharp teeth, to get inside wall spaces and attics. They will use soft materials to make the actual nest for themselves and their young which can include chewed paper, insulation, and other materials found around the home.

Rats become active at night, particularly around dusk and near dawn. Norway rats that have created burrows in your yard can use plastic drainpipes to get into the basements and look for food. Black rats that have nested in the walls or attics will run between the walls, using their remarkable climbing abilities to get around and look for food.

It turns out there are a few risks that come with a rat infestation. It’s these that make the need for contacting a professional rat control expert so critical when rats are found around the home. Here are some of the risks of allowing rats to stay on your property or within your home.

Health Risks

You may have heard that rats were to blame for the Black Plague that devastated Europe in the Dark Ages. It was actually the fleas and parasites on the rats that caused the disease, but the fact that rats are prone to parasites like fleas and ticks means that they can bring those and underlying diseases closer to you and your family. Rats are also associated with hantaviruses and Leptospirosis.

Fire Hazards

Yes, rats can create fires. Their tendency to chew, combined with their ability to get into walls and other spaces means that they can become a danger when they come in contact with electrical wires. The insulation around electrical wires is often a very tempting treat for rats.

Once the insulation has been stripped from the wires, they pose a serious electrical hazard. This can end up causing something as relatively simple as the malfunction of an electrical device or something more serious. The exposed wires can create an electrical short that can set drywall and wood on fire. There have been cases where fires, and even explosions, have been traced back to shorts in wires that were chewed on by rats.

So, as for how to get rid of rats once they are inside? It is usually best to contact a rat control professional. It can also be tough to find and reach rat nests within walls and crevices in attics or basements. Getting rid of rats once they have established a nest inside is difficult, but there are things you can do to prevent rats from invading at all.

Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC know how to eliminate rats, mice, and other rodents. We have been the leading expert in rat, mouse, and rodent control in Henrico, Glen Allen, Richmond, Midlothian, and Charlottesville, Virginia, for over 13-years. If you think that you have a rodent problem, contact us to discuss your rat control and prevention options.

We’ll work with you to find the right solution to remove and keep rats, mice, squirrels, and other rodents away from your property for good.

Other control methods include snap traps and glue boards. Snap traps should only be used inside the home unless they can be secured such that only your target pest is likely to get to the trap.

Secondly, ensure that all garbage, food products (EXTERIOR-gardens, grass or birdseed, dog food; INTERIOR-general drygoods), etc., are properly disposed of or stored and that all areas, inside and out, are kept clean. As stated above, if there are no food sources, rats and mice will likely seek other areas.