The rat population is exploding throughout Carroll County. Westminster rat exterminators are receiving record number calls from desperate homeowners that are encountering rats on their property and even in their home. Most of these homeowners have lived in the same house for decades and are experiencing rats in their homes for the first time. The question everyone has is “why are rats coming into my house”? The reasons are shelter and food! Rats have been thriving alongside mankind for thousands of years in fact they do poorly in areas where humans no longer dwell because they have become so reliant on us for food and shelter. Most people think that rats only enter homes that are dirty and unkempt but that is simply not true. Rats enter a home if they smell food. They will enter a home and feed on dry dog food or cat food or seeds that a bird drops out of their cage. They will commonly chew through any food container that is cardboard or plastic like a cereal box. One of the first questions homeowners ask pest control companies in Westminster is “How are rats getting in my house”? Rats can fit into a pre-existing gap or hole about the size of a quarter. The fact is that if a rat’s head can fit into a hole then the rest of its body can fit in. Rats can easily create their own hole by chewing and dig through just about anything except steel. Rats are known to enter homes through sewer drains that have been installed incorrectly or sewer drains that have displaced joints or broken joints or cracks. Rats will enter through dryer vents that are just a couple of feet off the ground. Rats also enter through gaps under doors and through window unit air conditioners that are low to the ground. If you live in a townhouse and your neighbor has rats then you will eventually get rats.
Most people think it’s a myth that rats can enter a home through a toilet but it’s true. Rats have incredible stamina and are capable of treading water for up to three days. They can also hold their breath for up to three minutes so if they enter a gap in a sewer pipe underground in your yard they can definitely make the journey into your home and come out in your toilet. Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control took the photos above at a home off of Pennsylvania Ave, Westminster 21157. This photo shows the space under the new addition of this home which is a bathroom. Four days after the new bathroom was complete the homeowner opened the toilet lid and discovered two rats in the toilet. Upon inspection, the technician from Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control discovered that the rats had chewed a 1 ½” hole in the top of the PVC drain pipe and swam up into the toilet. After the PVC drain pipe was replaced Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control set rat traps for rats and remove the existing population of rats on the property. Then they installed heavy gauge sheet metal around the base of the new addition bathroom crawl space to prevent any rats or other critters from entering the crawl space in the future. If you have a rat infestation or suspect rats may be living on your property then give Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control a call at [Direct]. They are the “do it all” top-rated rat control company in Westminster.