Rat infestation isn’t something you want in your garden, yard, or home.
These rodents can cause great property damage in a short amount of time. Your house, vehicle, garden, and other belongings aren’t safe when rats walk around freely.
Moreover, rats carry infectious diseases, so acting quickly and calling rat control experts when seeing a rat in your home is crucial. Also, it would help if you learned what attracts rats to prevent rat infestations in the future.
Rats typically invade people’s homes, looking for food, water, shelter, nesting materials, plants, and waste. Below, you will find a comprehensive list of what rats eat, so let’s dive in.
What Causes Rats to Come into Your House?
The American Housing Survey, carried out by the Census Bureau, said that about 11% of households reported signs of rat presence.
Here’s a list of common things that make rats invade people’s houses:
Entry Points
Rats can enter your home through small holes and cracks. You can prevent this by blocking all possible entry points.
If your property has gaps, rats can take advantage of these entry points and invade your home. Therefore, check around the perimeter of your property for entry points.
Moreover, seal your roofs, foundation, garage, vents, roof soffits, and areas around the HVAC system. You can also install kick plates and consider shutting your pet doors.
Food Sources
Most rats enter people’s homes when they’re hungry.
So, you should eliminate any food source and potential feeding sites inside and outside your property. For instance, if you occasionally eat outside on the patio, always remove food debris to keep rats away.
Remember that these rodents have a strong sense of smell. Therefore, if you leave food outdoors at night, they will come, eat it, and possibly enter your home, looking for more food sources.
Also, don’t leave pet food and water bowls outside at night; seal your food and pet food in airtight containers.
Finally, don’t leave food on the floor of your house, especially near outside windows and doors.
If you’ve previously had rats in your home, check under your appliances for food scraps and clean your floors thoroughly.
Most rats consume about 15-20 grams of food daily.
They enjoy nuts, grains, seeds, pet food, fruit and berries, meat, animal byproducts, trash scraps, plants, etc.
Extra tip: Some homeowners store food in their garage, shed, or similar structures, and that’s how they attract rats. So, avoid storing food in your garage, sheds, or other places where rats can easily enter.
See Will Mice Leave Your House if There is No Food?
Shelter
In winter, people turn on their heat and make their homes warm and comfortable.
These rodents don’t hibernate during winter. So, they need a place to stay when it’s too cold outside. Rats also like warm and comfortable areas, so they enter people’s homes, searching for shelter.
Unfortunately, heated homes with easy openings make excellent winter shelters for rats. If you suspect your home has easy access, call rat control experts.
They can inspect your home and inform you of possible ways rats can sneak inside.
Garbage Cans
Rats run through trash, so completely seal your trash cans and recyclable bins using tight-fitting lids.
Moreover, don’t leave trash bags out, especially if they contain food waste. Lastly, don’t leave trash bags in your basement, garage, etc.
Livestock and Pets
If you have horses, chickens, or other outdoor animals, their food and feces can attract rats. Straw and hay can also attract rats. You should store the food for your livestock in airtight storage containers and clean any pet waste regularly.
Piles
Rats constantly search for shelter, especially during winter. So, if you have piles of tires, wood, firewood, or debris in your yard, rats might inhabit these sites.
Clearing the piles can make rats look for shelter elsewhere. If you can’t remove the piles immediately, relocate your items.
The same goes for clutter piles in your attic, garage, etc.
Compost Heap
Rats see compost heaps as a food source and shelter. If you have a compost heap, you will encounter rats in the future.
Therefore, replace your compost heap with a compost tumbler. Compost tumblers aren’t open, so they can’t serve as a food source and shelter for rodents.
Plants
Some rats nest in plants, so if you have ground cover, such as creeping Charlie, clear it as soon as possible.
Some rats sleep in agave and other desert plants in the southwestern US and eat cholla and other plant parts and seeds.
So, if you have plants and fruit trees, they will probably attract rats. You can prevent rats from climbing your trees by wrapping the base with a metal guard.
Vehicles
In the southwest US, rats hide in vehicles, such as cars and tracks left out at night. You can prevent this by setting up a solar light underneath your vehicles.
Bird Feeders
If you have birdfeeders near your home, consider relocating them because the food you feed the bird attracts rats.
Since rats can easily climb different feeders, you should find other feeding methods.
Water Sources
Rats drink water daily. So, they’re invading people’s properties when they’re thirsty. You can prevent rats from entering your home by removing water sources.
In drier climates and dry seasons, rats can enjoy birdbaths and other standing bodies of water near your home.
They also take advantage of pet water bowls, puddles, water gathering in rain gardens, and other water-filled areas, so you should cut off these water sources.
Also, check for dripping hoses, leaking faucets, garden hose splitters, and condensation in your garage or other parts of your property.
Overgrown Areas
Most rats don’t like open spaces. On the contrary, they prefer secluded shelters. That’s why they find overgrown areas appealing.
You can deter rats by keeping everything trimmed. Moreover, remove any dense shrubbery and ground covers. Overgrown areas provide safety against predators, so they’re perfect for building nests.
Lastly, keep your storage shelters tightly sealed and repair or block entrances with steel wool, concrete, heavy-welded wire, or metal flashing.
Summary
The things above can attract rats into your outdoor or indoor space. You should act quickly and call your local rat control experts for help if you have a rat problem.
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