The first cold week of autumn often brings the first call about rats. In a post-war Redhill home, a warm garage or airing cupboard is hard for them to resist.
Through summer, rats find plenty to eat outdoors and can sleep in burrows, hedges and compost heaps. As crops are cleared and temperatures drop, that comfort fades. Rats are not hibernators. They stay active all winter and go where it is warmest, which is usually the nearest heated building with a source of food.
Redhill, a suburb of Arnold, is mostly post-war housing, much of it with garages, porches and later extensions. The Redhill roundabout is a local landmark, but away from the main road it is the ordinary garages and extensions that matter. Garages with warped up-and-over doors and gaps at the base are classic entry points, as are airing cupboards where pipes pass through the floor without being properly sealed.
Listen for gnawing, thumping or scrabbling in walls, floors and the loft, especially at night. Look for droppings, which are blunt-ended and about the size of a grain of rice, plus smears along walls where rats run. Footprints in dust, chewed food packaging and burrow holes by the house or under sheds are further clues.
A rat moving through a cavity wall can disturb insulation and damage wiring, and rats have been linked with fire risk through gnawed cables.
Rats are good climbers and swimmers, so do not assume a first-floor or upstairs room is safe. A rat can follow a drainpipe to the roofline and enter through a loose fascia, which is why noises in the loft are as common as noises under the floor.
Tell neighbours if you find burrows. Rats do not respect fence lines, and a coordinated clear-up of food sources along a row of gardens works far better than one household acting alone.
Prevention begins outdoors. Cut back vegetation from the walls, keep wood piles away from the house and keep waste in lidded bins. Block gaps with metal mesh and hard-setting repairs before the cold arrives. If rats are already present, they need to be dealt with properly, because rats are cautious and may avoid baits and traps for several days. A controlled approach, with advice on pets and children, is the sensible route.
Treatment time depends on how many rats there are and whether they are nesting in the building or visiting from outside.
We will find the route in, deal with the activity and tell you what repairs matter most. We offer free advice with all treatments and appointments to suit you. Call 0115 937 5117.
A garage offers shelter, warmth and often stored items to nest in. Gaps under doors and around pipes make entry easy, and bird seed or pet food nearby can keep them coming back.
Not necessarily. Once rats find a food source and a warm nest, they tend to stay. Without treatment and repairs, the problem often continues or grows.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. Prices are fixed and there is no call-out charge.
