Don't Live with Rats!
 Rats and mice can be found in homes, buildings, sheds, garages, and backyards. Rats will eat any type of food and will climb to find food or shelter. Rats can enter a building through any opening larger than 1/2" in diameter and mice a 1/4" opening. They have an excellent sense of smell, taste, and touch. Rats are extremely anti-social toward one another, existing in small colonies that usually range from one to five dozen individuals. Rat populations can expand rapidly. If unchecked, one pair can produce 6 to 12 young in 21 days. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 months. Therefore, a single pair of rats may multiply into more than 640 in one year.
Where Do Rats Live Outside?
- Under wood piles, cars, appliances and furniture not being used.
- Under bushes, vines, tall grass and holes under buildings.
- In and around trash and garbage that has been left on the ground.
Where Do Rats Live Inside The Home?
- In the insulation of walls or ceilings, inside crawl spaces AND behind or under cupboards and counters.
- Near hot water heaters and furnaces.
- In basements, crawl spaces and attics or wherever things are stored in boxes, paper or cloth.
What Foods Attract Rats Into Your Yard?
- Garbage that rats can get into, like garbage cans with loose lids, plastic or paper bags, and litter.
- Food for pets and birds that have not been eaten and left on the ground.
- Fruits that have fallen to the ground.
- Compost pile or worm bin that isn't taken care of the right way (do not put meat, fish, poultry, or dairy in the compost).
- Dog and cat droppings.
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