Sewer rats are also called brown rats, grey rats, and Norway rats. Their ears are small and appear to be half-buried in its fur. They are reddish-brown or greyish-brown. Very gregarious, rats usually live in very hierarchical groups.

Development and Behaviours

Female rats reach sexual maturity very quickly and can begin to breed at around 3 months of age. They can have four to six litters per year, each with eight to twelve babies. The rat’s life span, in their natural environment, is approximately one year. However, males generally live longer than females.

Rats usually come out at night and are normally more active when people are away from home. When they are starved or used to a location, these rodents can also feed during the day. They prefer food that is rich in fats, but since they are not difficult, they will eat whatever they can find. 

Their senses of smell, touch, taste, and hearing are very well-developed. However, their vision is weak. They are suspicious by nature, especially the adults, and any new objects in their territory will cause them to react. Rats are excellent swimmers. They establish themselves usually near a water source, whether it’s a sewer or water pipes that sweat because they must drink at least once per day. 

The Norway rat generally builds its habitat in the ground and prefers places that are humid such as crawl spaces and the outlines of houses. The black rat prefers to live high up (attics, upper floors of buildings, etc.).

Prevention

Rats are carriers of disease and cause significant damages in their passage. They can damage electrical wires, which can sometimes cause short circuits or fires. They also eat away at pipes and can destroy the insulation material of your property. To avoid these problems, here are some prevention tips: 

• Check the plumbing system, since 99% of the time, it is through there that rats find their way into buildings. A backflow valve is often the first line of defense in urban areas against these pests that invade our sewers.
• Make sure that your garage doors, as well as other house entryways, are sealed and properly shut.
• Keep all household waste in adequate containers. In the case of an inside rat infestation, food must also be kept out of their reach in sealed containers as much as possible. Do not use any poison inside, because rats like to store food that interests them in hiding places. This poisoned food could then be accessible to children or pets or even be in contact with other food. These dangerous products can cause more problems than they fix. Cadavers of poisoned rats can also cause odours and attract flies in places that are potentially inaccessible.

If you have any doubts about the presence of rats in your home or if you want to establish a prevention plan, do not hesitate to call an exterminator of V Extermination.

Recommendations

Rat fumigation is a procedure that must be carried out by professionals and according to an established protocol that guarantees the success of the extermination. Therefore, V Extermination guarantees you:

• That fumigation will completely eliminate the rat infestation
• The smoke test will be performed in affected areas vulnerable to infection before it even occurs, to guarantee 100% success in extermination and prevention
• Specialized treatment in function of the species and the level of infestation

Contact our team at V Extermination for assistance from extermination professionals who will offer you a safe, fast and effective approach to get rid of rats on your property. We can also simply establish an infestation prevention plan for your buildings at risk, such as restaurants, garages, and warehouses.