Discovering rats in your home or business can be very distressing. Luckily there are ways you can deter rats and prevent an infestation.

 Proofing your home to deny pests entry and removing easy access to food and water can really make a difference. Rats need easy and consistent access to a water source, even though they only drink between 15 – 60ml per day. They will eat almost anything available, but they do prefer to eat small amounts of a variety of different foods.

See our tips below on practical ways you can help to prevent a problem:

• Keep foodstuffs in metal or glass containers with tight fitting lids.
• Tidy inside the house and around the garden – less clutter means less places to hide.
• Place outdoor rubbish bags in metal bins with securely fitted lids to stop them feeding from contents.
• Clean up pet food and bird seed debris, and store pet food in robust containers with fitted lids – preferably above ground level.
• Keep gardens free from debris. If you have a compost heap don’t include organic food waste, as this will attract them.

Rats are nimble, versatile and make the most of any opportunity to enter your home. Black rats are good climbers. Whilst brown rats can climb, they prefer to build burrows, particularly near or beneath solid structures like sheds, garages and walls. 

They are very adept at swimming in sewers and drain systems, making the most of any damaged pipework. Both species will gnaw at gaps to enlarge them enough for easy entry.