Rats like crumbs. Those little bits of food they gnaw on are often cereal boxes, chip bags, and snack boxes. They also like to chew on shredded paper and plastic. These are prime building materials for rats and mice. The more food a rat eats, the greater the chance of a rat infestation. Here’s what to look for if you see rodents in your attic.
Nuts
When you are in search of solutions for rodent infestation, you might want to consider what rats like to eat. Rats and mice are attracted to the high level of protein found in nuts. In addition to nuts, these pests also prefer food that is easily accessible. In your attic, a rat colony can include up to 60 rats, so you might want to consider removing the rat’s nest.
Other than nuts, mice and rats love to eat fruits, including berries, pears, apples, and ripe berries. They are also attracted to rotting fruit. Rats also enjoy the energy-dense nature of nuts, and they don’t care about the type. They’ll also feed on the grass and other types of plants, though they prefer larger trees and shrubs.
While rat diets vary, they tend to be more varied than their human counterparts. In addition to nuts and seeds, they eat fruits, vegetables, and various bugs, such as beetles and worms. They even eat candle wax when they’re starving. Moreover, rats love greenbelt areas, which provide plenty of water and lush vegetation for them. In addition to nuts, they also feed on acorns, pecans, and other nut-bearing trees.
Fruits
It’s not a big surprise that fruit and seeds are among the preferred food items of rats and mice. But these creatures also love meat. Rats will not discriminate between red meat, poultry and fish. So, if you have leftover meat in your fridge, you should avoid leaving it to rot. Fruit and seeds should be properly stored to avoid attracting rats and mice. But if you don’t want rats and mice to invade your house, avoid leaving fruits and vegetables out on the counter.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, rats and mice also eat garbage and trash. These are goldmines for these creatures. They’ll eat just about anything, including discarded meat and cheese. Even pet food is acceptable to these rodents. The food they consume isn’t particularly nutritious, but it will do them no harm. Therefore, it’s essential to take measures to eliminate your home’s attic.
While meat may be a more nutritious food source for rats, they aren’t as plentiful in the wild. While rats like meat, they rarely eat a lot of it. When they do get meat, they tend to eat carrion, but only when it is not exposed to the elements. Wild rats get their meat mostly from insects, but urban rats sometimes eat hamburgers and other foods.
Wood
In your attic, wood is what rats eat. When rats are present, they can cause extensive damage to your home. They chew through wires, drywall, and wood to build their nests. These rodents also carry diseases. In the Middle Ages, bubonic plague spread like wildfire through Europe, killing half of its population. Fortunately, you can avoid this disastrous scenario by taking the proper steps to prevent the infestation.
The first step in preventing rat problems is to find a way to prevent these animals from entering your home. Make sure to keep piles of firewood and other debris out of your attic. Not only is wood attractive to rats, but it also conceals a secret burrow entrance. You can also keep any food out of the reach of rats by storing it in rodent-proof containers.
While you may enjoy squirrels in the backyard, you should never let them stay in your attic. These pests cause commotion, rustling noises, and can eat insulation and electrical wiring. You should seal up any holes or gaps they use to enter your home. Once you have sealed up these small creatures, you should consider hiring a professional to get rid of them for good. Then, you can focus on the bigger problem: rats.
Plastic
If you have rats in your attic, you may be wondering what they eat and why they keep moving around. One way to get rid of them is to eliminate as much clutter as possible. Keeping the attic clear of debris will encourage rats to leave. Keep newspapers and other paper products in plastic containers, and remove piles of leaves and other debris. Firewood is also a tempting target for rats, as it provides a cozy nest and contains insects that rats love to eat.
In addition to destroying the structural integrity of your attic, rats also eat your insulation. They contaminate it more than they eat, and this makes it crucial to remove the contaminated material. This means that your attic may need to be re-insulated. Rats also chew your personal items, which means that you may lose pictures, valuable documents, soft furnishings, and even Christmas decorations.
Rats also create safe pathways and escape routes in your attic. Look for any cracks in the walls, and plug those with waterproof sealant. Rats can chew through plugs to make quarter-size holes. They will gnaw through them, so be sure to secure them with a rat-proofing compound. Moreover, you can block entry points by blocking all the holes and cracks in your attic.
Metal
One way to tell if you have a rat problem is by inspecting the insulation in your attic. Rats are known to eat metal, so this type of insulation is the perfect place for them to nest. In addition to consuming insulation, these rats will also damage wires and insulation, as well as leave behind feces and spores. You can also find the droppings of rats in the attic, as well.
Rats use your attic to nest and breed. One female rat can produce up to five litters a year, each containing up to a dozen young. Rats can reproduce as early as four months of age, which means that a rat infestation can grow quickly. Rat populations can explode very quickly, and the only way to control them is to treat the problem immediately. Rats can climb almost any surface, leap very high, and squeeze themselves through tiny holes. One small hole can be enough for a female to enter and lay several nests.
Other ways to prevent a rat infestation is to seal the attic with mesh or wire. Rats are nocturnal, so they are active mostly during the night. This allows them to find food and water sources. Consequently, many people don’t notice the presence of rats in their attic. They aren’t often up there and won’t know if they’ve got rodents in their attic unless they notice them.
Nesting materials
Rats love warm, dry places, and your attic is the perfect habitat for them. They will do just about anything to get inside, including scaling power lines, jumping up to four feet, and squeezing through any hole larger than a quarter. Roof rats, in particular, can chew through wooden windows and doors, so there’s a good chance your attic is home to them.
Besides leaving behind tons of droppings, rats also leave chew marks and brown smudges on wood and other materials. Their gnaw marks can be easily identified as well. During the cold winter months, rats become particularly aggressive. Therefore, you should take action as soon as you notice them. It’s important to get rid of them, or else the infestation can worsen. If you can hear scratching sounds at night, you’ve probably got rats.
To keep rats away from your attic, make sure you remove any unsecured food. Keep trash can lids tight or cover them with metal covers to prevent rats from climbing onto the roof. Also, keep your yard clean by cutting back shrubs and trees and storing firewood at least one foot from the ground. Brush piles provide a perfect habitat for rats. In addition, rats can eat insulation, wires, spores, and other irritants that could cause a serious health problem.