Our Rat Removal Services
Rat Control
Rats live virtually everywhere in Indiana - and the rest of the country for that matter. As much as we don't want to think about it, experts tell us that there are as many rats as people in the United States. In fact, they are so universal in human habitats that they often referred to as domestic rodents. But don't let their familiarity fool you. Rats are disease-ridden, destructive, and hazardous to your home and property. Rats are active year-round but are more so during spring breeding (April through June) and again in October and November.
The rat is a worthy adversary - aggressive, adaptable, and powerful for its size. Rats are generally 12-18 inches in length and can weigh in at a solid pound. Their famous appearance includes small beady eyes and a long, scaly tail. Their teeth grow up to 4 inches per year, requiring them to continually gnaw everything in sight - including wood, aluminum siding, wallboard, plaster, paneling, frozen ground, and even concrete.
Do You Smell a Rat?
The first evidence of a rat presence in your home is likely to be their droppings. Because food attracts rats, droppings are typically found in kitchen drawers, cabinets, and pantries. They also love outdoor garbage containers. Rats will leave a distinctive musk odor and an oily trail. Rats are nocturnal and not generally spotted during daylight hours. They can maneuver through small spaces, and it is challenging to keep them out of any area they want to explore. Before you see them, you may hear them moving around at night, and your pet may whine and paw at a wall or cabinet. Unfortunately, even your cat will not scare away the rats.
The gestation period of a rat is as short as three weeks, and an average litter consists of 7 pups. Females are capable of producing 8 or more litters per year, and young reach sexual maturity at only three months of age. Because of this rapid reproduction, rat populations can grow exponentially.
Our Process
It is difficult to get rid of rats. Trapping or poisoning several rats in your home will have little effect in decreasing the population. The best way for you individually to eliminate your rat problem is to keep them out of your home. We can help.
Phase 1: At Armadillo Wildlife, our first step is always to conduct an in-depth inspection of your home and property. This inspection will not only confirm the presence of rats but help us to identify the scope of the problem. We will locate entry and access points based on the physical evidence left behind.
Phase 2: We will present our initial findings, along with a detailed plan of action. This customized report will explain the current situation, as well as the specifics of our recommended removal and exclusion procedures.
Phase 3: Rats will be trapped, based upon the situation. Once all rats have been removed, exclusion efforts can begin. Special attention is paid to pipes, wiring, conduits, cables, doors, garage doors, windows; as well as small openings in roof eaves and soffits and cracked foundations. Rats are opportunistic and smart; they will take advantages openings as small as a silver dollar to intrude into your home. Therefore they must all be adequately sealed off from entry.
Phase 4: We will present you with a final report of our rat trapping and exclusion efforts. We will also give you recommendations regarding ways you can minimize the risk of rats being attracted to your property in the first place. Armadillo Wildlife will not leave the site until rats have satisfactorily been removed and excluded.
After We Are Gone - Additional Exclusion Methods
There are many ways by which you can minimize the attraction of rats to your property. Because they are on a constant search for an easy food source, do not place pet food dishes outside of your home. Store pet food in glass or metal containers, which they will not chew. Do not keep a bird feeder close to your home, as the seeds will attract them and encourage them to come near the residence. Rats will also seek out drinking water. If you are dealing with a rat infestation, refrain from using fountains or filling bird baths.
Because rats are attracted to vegetation, keep bushes at least 18 inches away from the outside of the house. Doing so will keep rats away from the foundation, but will also more easily reveal burrows which may be hidden by dense vegetation. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, maintain woodpiles further away from the exterior of your home and garage.
Rats are Dangerous in Many Ways
Rats are highly destructive. In addition to eating large amounts of food and leaving urine, feces, and hair wherever they go, they are known to start fires by gnawing on electrical wires. Between chewing and burrowing, rats will not only destroy structures but even furniture and household items.
However, the most dangerous threat posed by rats is the spread of disease. They carry fleas, lice, ticks, and mites. They leave droppings on our food and on household items we come in contact with daily. They will even bite sleeping humans if they smell food. Rodents are known to carry and spread such horrific diseases as bubonic plague, typhus, hantavirus, trichinosis, pulmonary fever, rat-bite fever, infectious jaundice, rat mite dermatitis, and salmonellosis.
Learn More
Rats are particularly insidious, whether in their intrusion or the damage they can cause. You must call a professional as soon as possible in order to effectively deal with a rat infestation. Armadillo Wildlife has over 20 years of experience in rat removal and exclusion and has the expertise you need to rid your Fort Wayne home of rats.
Armadillo Wildlife is proud to serve the Fort Wayne community, as well as Warsaw, Auburn, Angola, Syracuse, and surrounding areas.
