How to Identify a Rat Infestation in Your Building

A rat infestation must be handled swiftly and properly by an expert in rodent control in NYC and the 5 boroughs. Without appropriate commercial pest control services, rats will quickly build nests, breed, and begin urinating and defecating throughout the building. This can spread disease and aggravate existing medical conditions. Here are the primary ways that you can identify a rat infestation in your building.

 

Look for Damaged Materials and Holes in Structures

Rats constantly chew and gnaw on anything they can, and can cause damage and chew holes through almost any material. Look for evidence of gnawing on plastic and wood structures, particularly floor boards, walls, and floorboards. Rat teeth marks are large and rough, and are easy to distinguish from other pests. You can also check for signs of sawdust and small chunks of wood around wooden structures. Rats like to gather soft materials to build nests, so you should be on the lookout for damage to insulation, upholstery, and other textiles.

Check for Droppings, Urine, and Rat Trails

While you won’t always see rats in person, you will see the waste that they leave behind. Check in dark corners, along baseboards, and in cupboards, cabinets, closets, and drawers for rat droppings. Rat droppings are typically between a half inch to ¾ of an inch in size. When they are fresh, they have a slight sheen and are dark in color. Older droppings are grey and crumbling. Rat urine may occur in puddles, or it may look like grease stains on walls and baseboards. Rat trails or paw prints may be visible in dusty areas.

Search Dark, Warm Spaces for Nests

If you have seen signs of rats and want to be 100% sure before you contact a rodent control expert, you can try to catch a glimpse of the rats themselves, or their nests. Rats like to nest in dark, dry, warm spaces, so you should check boxes, cabinets, attics, crawlspaces, drawers, behind furniture, and near warm appliances like refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, and water heaters.